We’ve never had it easier. But convenience is a vortex—it pulls us into inertia, where our skills stall and our thinking softens.

That's not always a bad thing. Using Google Maps is more convenient than a paper map. Buying a plane ticket online is usually easier than calling the airline to book. There are conveniences that have legitimately made our lives better by making tasks easier.

But what happens when critical skills—and entire ways of being—become obsolete because of convenience?

Two years after ChatGPT dropped, our world feels like a sci-fi movie—filled with unreal images, voices, and videos that are nearly indistinguishable from reality.

This moment in time reminds me of when Google Maps first emerged. Among the most notable protesters of the technology were London Taxi Drivers. These cabbies spent years mastering 'The Knowledge'—a grueling test of London's 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks. It was a badge of honor. A rite of passage.

And then a technology emerged that made their jobs obsolete. Suddenly, a phone with GPS could do their job—no memorization, no training, no badge of honor.

If machines write, speak, and even think for us—what’s left for us to do? Will cognitive effort become an antiquated skill, like navigating by stars or reading a physical map?

Just like we once said, ‘Who needs to memorize phone numbers?’ we now say, ‘Why write when GPT can do it faster?’

But the convenience of technology is its own force. It’s a powerful vacuum—pulling us in, one by one. We can see this happen with previous technological waves. Without the internet—email, chats, search—you missed out on jobs and connections. Without a smartphone, you got lost more often, literally and socially. Without social media, you slipped outside the current of culture—and sometimes, income.

When I look at this moment in time, I pause. I often wonder if now all of us are the London Taxi Drivers. Are we on the precipice of outsourcing our thinking and tasks to machines? Are those of us still protesting simply sitting idle, waiting to be overrun by the tsunami of change?

The wave is coming—and as with any swell, more are on the way. While I am a big believer in cultivating independent thought, I also know that there's a danger in abstaining from this technology.

There’s a balance between becoming a thoughtless outsourcer and an obsolete taxi driver. Maybe our task isn’t to reject the wave—but to learn how to ride it without forgetting how to swim.