Upskilling in 2023 Means One Thing: Prompt Engineering

I’ve received a lot of great feedback recently from WTF subscribers and will introduce some changes.

I’ve created a new section on the site where I’ll be adding Generative AI prompts that inspired me or I found useful. I’ll highlight and link those in my email updates. You can also find the archive of Midjourney prompts here and ChatGPT prompts here.

As always, I’ll be including my commentary on the future. Additionally, I’ll end these notes with a comic or something to lighten the mood.

WTF? AI-as-a-Skillset

AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. Prompt Engineering has become the ultimate equalizer, removing most technical skills from tasks like coding and design. Transformations are happening in everything from side hustles to the medical industry, thanks to ChatGPT. It’s forcing a shift in the labor market to an AI-assisted era.

I recently read a story about Larry Lundstrom, known as the Innovation Pastor, who uses ChatGPT to run a ~$10k per month side hustle for designing slide decks. In addition to his role as a pastor, he’s created a nice business that’s nearly on autopilot. I wonder if he’s ever used ChatGPT to help him write a sermon.

Truly, these Generative AI advances are all exciting until it comes for your role or automates your job description. In that sense, it’s kind of like a car crash. Fascinating to drive by and watch others in a crash, but you pray to avoid one yourself.

As an author, I worry about where my industry is headed. It’s not hard to see the writing on the wall:

There were over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store as of mid-February listing ChatGPT as an author or co-author. There is even a new sub-genre on Amazon: Books about using ChatGPT, written entirely by ChatGPT. – Reuters

200 authors have disclosed they used ChatGPT, but how many haven’t? Double that? Ten times that? What will the split be five years from now?

No doubt, Generative AI is creating a load of data and content pollution on the Internet, which is one primary source of fear for most people. The idea of only consuming AI-generated content is quite dystopian. Removing the human voice is not ideal. However, we have to embrace this change and understand that it’s very much the beginning and the best is yet to come.

These tools are worthwhile if you can maintain balance and not rely on them as shortcuts. Ultimately, what's important is that your work stays true to who you are. – Larry Lundstrom

Upskilling in 2023 and beyond truly means one thing: learning how to work with AI to improve your work.

Galactic Rocks – Midjourney Prompt

I was building new background concepts for my Apple TV screensaver and wanted something that wasn’t the proverbial space theme. I ended up using Midjourney to create these galactic rocks, and I’m happy with the outcomes.