Panelists from AWS, Microsoft, OpenAI, and AI Singapore who live at the bleeding edge of AI shared their in-the-trenches experiences of adopting it at an industrial scale.

Head of Technical Success, APAC, OpenAI during the panel session candidly shared that their roadmap beyond 3-6 months is not clear.

What stuck with me most, however, was Chief Developer Advisor Asia, Microsoft Arnaud Lheureux’s view that “there has never been a better time to be a developer”.

It reframed how I view change in the field of AI.

It is optimistic. And I think it is true. Every day you wake up, every time a new feature is announced in the AI world, quality software gets easier to produce. Personally, as a self taught developer, code output has never been cleaner or more well written.

But this also creates uneasiness from having to restructure, refactor, and adapt. Change is difficult. We could also sense this unease from the audience questions. One raised surprise in how Gemini’s latest models are priced, contrasting a general expectation of decreasing token pricing over time. Another asked whether it was possible to absolutely determine LLMs’ limits in complex scenarios.

Where is solid ground? How are we able to plan ahead resiliently? These are real concerns. We seek certainty.

It seems to me like the solution is to stay on the forefront of the technology. The benefits are (at least) threefold:

• One, it reduces the degree of uneasiness to the minimum possible.

• Two, staying on top of things reduces your frontier knowledge gap so when things change it’s easiest to keep up.

• Three, you are equipped with the best knowledge, options, and leverage for benefiting from AI.

We should reframe how we fear the change that AI is bringing about. Absolute certainty in this field is a mirage, and seeking it would provide only mistaken, if not false comfort. Instead, keep learning about AI, approach it with a curiosity.

And that view, to me at least, actively addresses unease, is far more comforting, and gives me confidence in the future.

To that end, what has been a big help to me is the AIxTech course (SkillsFuture credits eligible). Even with the technology changing every day, AI Singapore and IMDA have courageously shown leadership to define and impart best practices and know-how; teaching how to fish, instead of giving you the fish. Speaking for myself as a course participant up to halfway in it, the curriculum and content is excellent, and I’m learning a lot and benefiting immensely.

No one has all the answers. And things will keep changing. And that’s not a problem — it’s an opportunity.

When we’re able to discern what we really want, our north star, and what we truly want to do, we can spend our life and time productively.

Going faster only matters if you’re heading in the right direction; purpose tells you where that direction points. Does what you’re doing truly matter? Look higher up for the answers.

Any other form of going faster is really busywork.

I don’t wish for an outcome to happen, I spend my time working towards my desired outcome, and whatever happens, happens. A soccer metaphor — you can’t decide to kick the ball, nor score a goal, or much less win the game; you can only decide to move your leg.

Cede control over the outcome, and instead focus on the everyday input. Happiness is not derived from the expectation of an outcome, but from knowing that you are moving consistently in pursuit of your mission.

Work really hard. Take a break if you need it. Savor that pizza.

And live up to your purpose.