Patience, impulse and AI

Have you ever come across a pun?

“Lord, I repent of my sins of impatience; help me develop patience, and please answer my prayer right now.”

I am a very impatient person. I make a business decision, assign the work to someone, and expect the person to work on it immediately. I am okay with the work done failing to meet my expectations because I can always jump in and help improve the quality of the job. What gets on my nerves is when the work is ignored, left undone, or in the process of waiting such that no work is done at all.

The older I get I learn to curb impatience.

In the past, patience was seen as a virtue, and while it still is today, you can see that people’s patience is wearing thin. In an AI age, it is possible that impulse can easily replace patience. As one tech expert would say, “Impulsivity is out of control.”

The trend in recent years has been toward increased impulsivity and a desire for instant gratification. AI-driven platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp have made it easier than ever to access information, services or people with just the touch of a button.

This propensity to want instant gratification and be impatient is affecting our ability to focus and switch off. Just a few seconds of buffering or a slow internet connection are enough to make us frustrated and angry.

This impatience is fueled by our desire to live in the fast lane and accelerate everything we do. This trend has been observed in almost every sphere of human consumption in the past two decades, from fast food to cars. Research has also shown that at least 30 percent of smartphone users grab their phones within five minutes of waking up, and over 40 percent of people check their smartphones throughout the night. Is it still any wonder why experts claim that this kind of behavior is akin to drinking, gambling, or addiction to smoking? While all these vices were once considered pathological and unusual, our addiction to technology has become the new normal.

The rise of TikTok is a prime example of this shift towards Impulsivity. TikTok uses AI algorithms to hook users and has been compared to “digital crack cocaine.” While it is highly effective, the quality of its algorithms depends on the army of users who train and refine it. This means that if a user starts watching or engaging with extreme content, the algorithm will begin to recommend more of it, further exacerbating the problem.

There was a time when you and I would say, “Do not tell me what I want to hear but give it to me straight and tell me what I need to hear.” Algorithms do not do this. It recommends more of what you see and use and amplifies it even more.

In fairness, it may be too soon to say that AI is reducing or killing patience and increasing impulsivity but consider its implications for how we do business.

Take training and public speaking, for example. The moment the speaker or the trainer rambles on with silly and hollow content, the audience immediately zones out, and some might start “adding to cart.”

AI-driven tools, innovations, and widgets are focused on speeding things up and making our lives more efficient. While the speed and efficiency of AI can be beneficial in specific contexts, it is also essential to find ways to use these technologies to improve our lives rather than make them more stressful.

The AI age is changing the way we think and behave. We have to set boundaries around our use of technology, reduce our impulsivity and improve our focus. With careful consideration and conscious effort, we can harness the power of AI to increase our productivity yet cultivate a more patient and mindful approach to life.

I see it coming now, and you need to trust me when I say the ability to focus and develop the virtue of patience, the willingness to wait, and the discernment for the right timing would become a competitive edge when others no longer have it.

And you better start developing these abilities now...(just kidding!)

(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or other podcast streaming platforms).