A, big noise
It was Saturday. I went out with my baby girl and my mother and wandered around town like we did. We found a brunch spot, ordered pancakes, and sat together in a quiet moment. But to my right, the three of us went deep into conversations about AI and the job market. Behind me, two men were exchanging opinions about their favorite AI tools. I saw the phone. Three AI newsletters were sitting in my inbox, waiting for me with the ClickBait headline. This is a normal day in my life. I'm a machine learning engineer so I can't pretend that this wave isn't real. I need to catch up. That's part of the job, right?
Still, I'm worried. I'm very worried.
Trends own death
It's not just about the speed and non-stop noise of new tools. It feels like everyone has something to say about AI right now. Some are following the trend. Others are selling courses. Some are just noise in the algorithm. From rapid engineering to multi-agent systems to hot this week, we've seen conversations swing wildly. Every time I catch up, the finish line moves.
A few years ago, I was writing posts about RNN, LSTM and Transformers. I didn't publish it. The landscape continued to change, so I continued to rewrite it. That pattern hasn't stopped. I read. I'm listening. I'm trying to learn. But I'm not reflecting it like before. I don't think too deeply about it. I'm gathering too much, too little.
Even healthy habits are difficult to maintain. I've tried to avoid short forms of dopamine traps like Tiktok, but that doesn't matter. For work messages, daycare photos, and endless two-factor authentication codes, I always get my phone. The device that plugs me in keeps me scattered. Scroll. Skim. My attention span feels like it was bitten and spitted out by the feed.
I haven't learned the way I used to. I'm not creating the way I want to do it.
Personal Filter
What's even worse is that I'm beginning to feel like I'm losing my voice. AI podcasts, Twitter threads, newsletters… they all talk in you. It's easy to forget that you don't have to absorb everything. You don't need to adopt all opinions. Sometimes, noise tricks you into thinking you know more than you do. But that's not a real understanding. It's another kind of scrolling, like AI-flavored Tiktoks and YouTube shorts, as well as YouTube shorts decorated as insights. They're not coming from you. They drain you.
I'm probably strict. But I say this because I know myself: I rarely pause to look back at what I consumed. And without that pause, nothing will stick. Nothing grows.
Over time I have come to believe that one of the most fundamental things you can do in your age of AI is to think for yourself. Set your own benchmark for the meaning of “good” AI. Decide what's important to you. Instead of blocking noise completely, we will build a personal filter to protect your part of thinking about the question that reflects the question.
Even blog posts like this help when I write. Putting your thoughts into words makes them reality. And when they are real, I can shape them and reuse them. I can start to understand what's going on around me. That's how I protect my focus. That's how I keep myself from being too far from myself.
A little deep work
Recently I realized I was back to my old books: Deep work By Cal Newport. I read it years ago, when the distraction felt simpler. I followed all the tips: keep your best time, stay offline as much as possible, and focus with intention. But here's what I was with: It's not just about responding right away, but also about thinking deeply.
At the time, that felt like good advice. Now, in the middle of this non-stop AI storm, it feels like survival.
Rereading it today reminds me that not everything needs a response. Not all headlines need my time. Sometimes the cleverest move is to get away, quiet and think for yourself.
This is the plan I'm trying to follow: Please write more. I think it's late. Filter mercilessly. Keep my focus like the last quiet space I have.
If you are reading this, I hope you feel permission to do the same. Share your thoughts. Create your own pace. Don't let Rush steal your attention or voice.
If some of this resonates with you, I will write this reflection in my newsletter. I'm trying to understand the AI era, so there's no noise, no spam, no honest thoughts. You are welcome to join me there.
