57. Tech Anxiety in the AI Era: You Are Not Alone with Betty Dannewitz

Well, hello, everyone.

Welcome to another episode of the L&D Must Change podcast.

I'm your host, learning and talent development transformation leader, Jess Almlie.

So I found today's episode, this episode, really interesting because...

Well, when was the last time you needed to learn something new when it comes to technology? I feel like it's almost a loaded question to ask it.

You know, like learn a new software or learn how to do something new in a software or with a technology.

Because I think no matter what day you ask me that question, my answer would be sometime in the last 24 hours.

I've been doing this L&D work for a long time.

I have never before experienced this rate of trying to keep up with the technology.

Are you with me? I'm not just talking about what's available, like what technology's out there, because that's one thing.

But even choosing what tech to use, when to use it, and learning how to use it, and learning how to use it in a really short period of time.

It's almost like now there's really almost no space for a learning curve.

Just constant new technology, constant learning, hard to keep up.

The pace is almost incomprehensible.

Now, new can be exciting.

There's a lot of new exciting technology out there, but it can also be uncomfortable, frustrating, awkward, challenging.

Pick your adjective.

And when we pair those adjectives with an almost incomprehensible pace of new technology and change, I don't know about you, I've definitely had moments where I've started to question if I can even do it all.

If I have the energy or the brainpower to keep up.

Is it even worth it? And then there's AI specifically, which has many of us responding differently, questioning what that means for our future.

I mean, will we in learning and talent development, will we even be needed in the future? Does our skill and expertise that we've spent years building up matter anymore? Or can AI just replace that? Will we be needed differently? That's maybe more of the question, but if yes, how? And what does that even look like? And how do we work with the technology to make that happen? I'm going to be the first to admit, technology, now, in many ways, it's a blessing.

It can do so much.

It's made our lives so much easier in so many ways.

I think even about all the connections I've made with so many of you who are listening because of technology, because of this podcast, because of social media, or it still blows my mind that I can be on a video call or even a community conversation call with people halfway across the world and I can see your face.

Or I can sit in my home office and record and produce a podcast that you all can listen to.