A few years back, everyone was afraid of the cloud. Warnings, red flags, and fear-inducing posts were everywhere. Almost every technology writer gave you the top 10 reasons why you shouldn't migrate to the cloud. Look at us now, with the cloud in our daily lives. Who doesn't use Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, or other such cloud-based storage services? I'm almost positive that, in one way or another, you use Google Cloud Platform, AWS, or Azure. You, see? What gave us chills a few short years ago is now so commonplace that we don't even think about it.

Going back several years, the Internet was the first modern technology to be demonized by the naysaying hoard of fearmongers. The extreme positions regarding the Internet ranged from "It's going to save time" to "It's going to destroy civilization." I can tell you from personal experience that it has done neither, although one could, to an extent, convincingly argue the second point.

In the earliest days of virtualization, some hardware manufacturers opposed the practice, believing falsely that virtualized workloads would decrease the demand for hardware. In theory, it does. In practice, however, virtualization, as proven over the past 20 years, has dramatically increased the need for more hardware, not less. No one foresaw the virtual machine sprawl that we all experienced and then the move toward cloud computing à la virtualization, which brings me full circle back to the discussion of the cloud and cloud computing.

Some fears were valid and still are, but any computer connected to a network has just become vulnerable to a host (no pun intended) of security issues, with security being the primary complaint of the aforementioned naysayers.

I've come to the conclusion that no matter what's next or new, almost everyone will complain about it. It's been the same with every new technology: digital cameras, compact discs, the Internet of things, social media platforms, and now artificial intelligence (AI). Bill Gates has spoken out and warned that the rapid transition to artificial intelligence will bring "one of the most turbulent times in human history" [1] and requires urgent global regulation. I want to remind you that this is the same guy who has made some bad predictions and statements about technology over the years – and no, I'm not referring the 640K RAM quote that he never spoke. He's had others, but you can do your own research regarding those.

People love to complain, people love to proliferate their oft-incorrect predictions, and people love to distance themselves from their previous poor predictive performances. I, myself, have struggled with the idea of AI and its implications. In this column, I've expressed my own resistance to this new-fangled usurper of low-level jobs and repetitive tasks. I've also expressed an embrace of a technology that I once championed and tried to create.

No one gets it right all the time. Time marches on. Technology continues to increase our reach and our knowledge, and it also exposes our limitations. Everyone fears job replacement by AI. Remember how the Internet was going to save time? Look how many new jobs have been created by the Internet and its time-saving promises. AI surely will do the same. Think of all the new products, services, and solutions that are yet to be discovered and invented with the help of AI. Sure, some jobs will be displaced by AI, but the number created will be much greater.

Remember when you could ask Google how to fix a problem with your computer, and then all those jobs were offshored to people who used Google to solve technology problems on a global basis? The same goes for AI. Those jobs that were offshored will now be AI'd (if that's a term). And so it goes. Technology is always there with its virtual hand out, looking for ways to replace humans only to create a lot more work for other humans.

Rather than spending your time opposing a new technology, figure out ways to leverage it for your own purpose. Cameras didn't replace painters. Cars haven't replaced legs. Microwaves didn't replaced stoves. The Internet hasn't saved us one millisecond of time. Technology is a tool. Learn to use it, not fear it.

Ken Hess * Senior ADMIN Magazine Editor