How technology changes create unexpected use of AI
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When Facebook and Instagram first gained popularity, I used it to see what my friends were doing and what they were sharing. Over time I began to use them in completely different ways. Today I rarely see posts from friends. Some people don't post as much as they used to. I know I won't do that. Perhaps they're doing the same thing I do. As Neil DeGras Tyson describes Space and Jim Gaffigan, I spend far more time watching video clips from people I don't know. The shifts took place gradually. This tool was designed for one purpose, but my actions have adapted and now I am involved in it in a completely different way. That's what happens with technology. What starts with one intention almost always evolves into something unexpected, and the same thing happens with AI.
How technology has changed on social media
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How technology has changed on social media
Social media offers some of the clearest lessons in unintended use. Facebook's original pitch is a way to share status updates after a short stint as a way to assess women on Harvard campus, becoming the world's largest advertising and video entertainment platform. Instagram was originally a place to share filtered photos with friends, but today many people consider it the first shopping mall. Tiktok was launched as a lip-sync app for teens, but now it is a global force for news, education, marketing and even career building. The pattern is that, like other technologies, social media is rarely defined by its original use.
How Big Technology has changed technology
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How Big Technology has changed technology
This same shift goes beyond the business giants. Amazon started out as an online bookstore. The unexpected breakthrough wasn't the book sales, but the infrastructure built to support these sales. Its infrastructure has become Amazon Web Services, the dominant cloud provider that drives a large portion of the company's revenue. Netflix has mailed the DVD to a customer's home and turned it into a streaming service. Now he is one of the biggest original content creators on the planet. Google started out as a search engine and ended up making most of the money from advertising. These examples show how companies adapt to where people find the most value, not where technology first began.
How business tools technology has changed
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How business tools technology has changed
Some of the most popular workplace tools were not designed to be what we have today. Slack was born as an internal chat tool for failing gaming companies, but communication products remained alive and changed the way teams collaborate. Twitter, now X, originally considered a microblog experiment, has become a tool for newswire and discussions around the world. Airbnb started when two designers placed air mattresses in their apartments to cover rentals during a meeting. When users find different benefits with technology, they need a new life.
How AI has changed technology
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How AI has changed technology
We are already seeing this early sign with AI. The first visible application was about productivity, helping people write, summarise and generate text. But the future is far beyond that. Trained to tag friends in photos, AI helps doctors find cancer on medical scans. Built for customer service, AI chatbots have evolved into meeting career coaches, HR assistants and facilitators. Large-scale language models that began as text predictors now design molecules for drug discovery and improve supply chain prediction. Even the often criticized deepfake technology finds a constructive role in maintaining voice for those who can no longer create training simulations that feel realistic enough to prepare for high-pressure situations.
How technology has changed in everyday life
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How technology has changed in everyday life
Some of the most common technologies we take for granted were not intended to be how we use them today. Text messaging was created as a side project for engineers, but it has become one of the most dominant ways we communicate. The GPS was built for military navigation and now has enhanced location-dependent Uber rides, fitness trackers and dating apps. The QR code was invented to track auto parts in factories, but ended with restaurant menus and concert tickets. Each of these technologies followed the same pattern. What starts in one place can be completely different when people integrate into their daily lives.
What does this mean for AI in the workplace?
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What does this technology change mean for AI in the workplace?
Today, most leaders see AI as a way to gain efficiency. They consider repetitive tasks, faster reports, or less time to improve customer responses. This is the “status update” stage of AI, and is obviously early use. But the future may look very different. AI can become a reliable workplace coach and gives real-time feedback on communication and flagging signs about burnout signs before managers notice. It may evolve into a cultural barometer, reading reading patterns throughout employee interactions, and helping readers discover problems early. AI can be a tool for personal reinvention, suggesting career paths based on skills you didn't even know you had. These uses are not the companies most companies plan today, but just as Facebook has changed from a network of friends to an entertainment platform, evolution is guided by the way people actually use technology.
Why leaders need to be interested in technology
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Why leaders need to be interested in technology
The key point is to stay open and curious rather than absolutely certain predictions. A study by Everett Rogers on the diffusion of innovation shows that adoption follows an astonishing path. When interviewing Professor John Cotter at Harvard, he explained that true change often explains more about how people act and adapt at the moment, rather than about creating a perfect plan. Leaders who treat AI as a static tool will overlook the changes in the way employees adapt naturally. Leaders who maintain their curiosity, who ask how people actually use technology and what value they find within it, are positioned to capture unexpected benefits.
The future of AI technology may surprise us
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The future of AI technology may surprise us
Looking back at how we used Facebook, we would never have predicted that we would spend hours watching videos from comedians and scientists. Needless to say, it goes without saying that you will find plenty of clothes and makeup. I never existed. But that's where the value is over for me. AI evolves. Today, it may be a tool for efficiency. It may be my colleagues who remind me of what I made a promise at a meeting six months ago tomorrow. A planner who relocates projects in real time when a crisis hits, a mentor who proposes skills that require two jobs now, or a connector that links your ideas to someone in another department that you have never met. If there is one lesson from the history of technology, it is that the least we expect will be the most important thing.
