I hear a lot of debate online about AI. Opinions fly fast, and emotions run hot. Instead of theory, I want to share something that just happened to me.
Setting the Scene: A Slow-Moving Town
I live in a small, remote town. One police station. One fire department. One movie theater. The next largest town sits about an hour away. Amish families, farmers, and generational businesses surround us. It feels like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. You could easily imagine this town as the setting for The Andy Griffith Show.
Things move slowly here. New technology usually arrives years after everyone else has already adapted to it.
Last Year’s Eye Exam Felt Normal
Last year, I went in for an eye exam and new glasses at the local Visionworks near the grocery store. Everything felt familiar. Pre-screening tests. Sitting in the chair. The eye doctor flipping lenses in the phoropter and asking, “Which is better, one or two?” I picked out frames and went on my way.
Nothing unusual.
This Year Was Very Different
This weekend, my better half and I had eye appointments. She was long overdue, and I had started struggling with close-up reading. The pre-screening process looked the same as before.
The change happened when I sat in the chair. The phoropter had been replaced with a fully automated system. I was told that an AI would conduct the rest of the exam. And it did. The AI handled most of the process fairly well. I only had to repeat myself a few times. The voice sounded flat and robotic. Honestly, I have built better-sounding AI systems in my home lab. Still, it worked.
After a few minutes, a remote eye doctor appeared on the screen. He spent about one minute with me before moving on to the next patient. I know this because I heard his screen activate in the next room where my better half was sitting. It felt clear that one doctor was overseeing many Visionworks locations at the same time.
The Business Reality of AI
That moment made something click. AI is not coming. It is already here. This setup allows Visionworks to see more patients in less time, with fewer on-site staff. It creates new remote, work-from-home roles for doctors. From a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense.
Yet my bill did not get cheaper. Our glasses did not cost less. In fact, they cost more. Meanwhile, more money leaves our local community instead of circulating within it. That is where the conversation around AI gets complicated.
Progress Always Comes With Disruption
AI brings efficiency, scale, and convenience. It also brings disruption. Jobs change. Roles disappear. New ones emerge somewhere else, often far away. We have seen this before. When computers first entered the workplace, people said they would destroy jobs. They did eliminate some roles. At the same time, they created entirely new industries. Every field changed. AI represents the next major technology shift.
A Reality Check for the AI Debate
So when I see people attacked for using AI to help write, improve resumes, or think through ideas, I pause. Ask yourself this: Why are you using a computer instead of handwriting a letter with pen and paper and mailing it? AI is no different. It is simply the next jump forward in how humans work with technology. We do not have the option to stop it. That moment has already passed. What we do have is the responsibility to figure out how AI fits into daily life, work, ethics, and community impact.
The conversation should not be about whether AI should exist. It should be about how we use it wisely.
