“Making AI the New Normal”

This morning, after waking up and brushing my teeth, I headed to the kitchen to check for something to eat. As usual, I drank my lemon, ginger, and turmeric smoothie. While looking through my things, I noticed a packet of fresh, organic Queen Emma Roasted Cocoa Nibs, naturally grown and roasted which I bought from “Stop N Shop” at Boroko (4 mile) yesterday. I thought to myself, What a great snack for the morning! Packed with minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, they seemed perfect to fuel my body for the day.

I opened the packet, poured a handful into a small cup, and sat down to enjoy them whilst awaiting pickup to work. Without realizing it, I had grabbed a cup given to me as a gift by a tech company with the label: “Making AI the New Normal.” At first, I didn’t pay much attention to the label. But as I started crunching the nibs, the words on the cup caught my eye, and I stopped to think about them.

Glancing at the cocoa nibs in the cup with AI writing on it, my thoughts began wandering on how AI has become a central focus in today’s world, and suddenly, I found myself reminiscing about my childhood days. Back then, life was simple. After school, we enjoyed fresh cocoa nibs from a nearby cocoa fermentary, where the owner graciously allowed us to help ourselves to the freshly roasted nibs.

Cocoa was, and still is, one of the major commodities in my area. Back then, wet beans were sold for around K1.20 per kilogram, compared to today’s price of K6.00. A bag of dried beans is now worth between K1,800 and K2,000. My grandfather, my mother’s father, owned three to four cocoa plots, which were central to our family’s livelihood.

Growing up with my grandparents and uncles, I was often mistaken for the youngest child in their family. After school, I would join them in cleaning the cocoa plots, picking ripe beans, and packing them for sale at the fermentary. My grandmother handled the sales, using the money to buy necessities for the household.

On weekends, my uncles and I would sneak off to the cocoa gardens, gather some beans, pack them in 1KG rice plastics, and secretly sell them. With the money, we’d head straight to the canteen to buy noodles. We’d then take our treasure to the river, cook the noodles in bamboo, and eat until evening. Singing songs and trekking back home in the dusk made those days unforgettable.

Now, times have changed. We’ve all grown up, and my uncles have moved on. My grandfather passed away shortly after I completed my final year of school, never getting to see me grow into the person he wanted me to be. My mother’s youngest brother now maintains the cocoa plots my grandfather cultivated. Thanks to the EU-funded Streit program, which supports local farmers in East and West Sepik provinces, he has expanded the business.

I’ve been helping him with business processes and advice to ensure everything runs smoothly. This morning, as I chewed on the cocoa nibs, I called him for a quick chat to check on the market prices of wet and dry beans and discuss expansion plans for next year.

As I hung up, my eyes returned to the cup: “Making AI the New Normal.” The words stirred something within me. I began to think about what AI means, its benefits and challenges, and how it compares to the life I’ve lived.

From Village Life to Technology: The Path to AI

Growing up, my exposure to technology was minimal but meaningful. My first encounter was through simple devices like radios and cassette tapes. I remember accompanying my father, who is also a church pastor, to the local post office. There, he used a Telikom prepaid card and coins to make calls from the telephone booth to our pastors in Australia. I would watch him speak in English, not understanding much but marveling at the idea of connecting across borders through a machine.

Later, mobile technology arrived in my area, with Digicel spreading its services starting in 2007, 2008 and onwards. Suddenly, phones became part of daily life, creating new opportunities for communication but also challenges. I got my first mobile phone, a one-band Nokia, for K30 after completing Grade 10. It was a lifeline to my family while I studied in a different district.

My first experience using a phone was simple and straightforward, but when I began my secondary education, I was introduced to desktop computers. Walking into the computer lab for the first time was chaotic. My fingers shook as I struggled to place them on the keyboard. It was a steep learning curve, and the contrast between myself, a village boy, and the town kids who effortlessly used computers made me feel out of place. However, with much practice, things gradually improved. Despite the challenges, I continued my studies, determined to overcome the technological gap I once found intimidating.

From Village Life to AI: A Journey of Transformation

My deeper journey into technology began at university when Professor Zhaohao Sun introduced us to concepts like e-commerce, data analytics, and machine learning. This was my first formal encounter with AI. Years later, as generative AI tools like ChatGPT became widespread, I realized how AI could shape not only industries but also personal growth.

AI is not a new concept. The seeds of what we now call “Artificial Intelligence” were planted long before John McCarthy coined the term in 1955. Alan Turing’s pivotal question in the 1950s, “Can machines think?” laid the foundation for this field. Turing envisioned intelligent systems that could reason, learn, and solve problems like humans—a vision that has guided AI development for decades.

Fast forward to the present, AI is no longer a theory. It is shaping industries, creating new opportunities, and, like my cocoa nibs, fueling transformation. Max Tegmark, in his book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of AI, describes three stages of life: Life 1.0 (biological), Life 2.0 (cultural), and Life 3.0 (technological). He explains how humanity is transitioning into a new stage where technology—particularly AI—defines how we learn, create, and interact with the world.

As I reflected on the writing on the cup, I realized the connection between my cocoa farming experience, the village life and AI. They all represent transformation. Cocoa farming and village life have all evolved from traditional practices to modern agricultural practices, just as the world is now transitioning into an era shaped by AI, and with biological and cultural aspects of human life still remain intrinsically valuable to human existence, sustainability and adaptability.

Simple Village life and Cocoa farming taught me resilience, adaptability, and innovation—skills that are just as relevant in today’s AI-driven world. The work we put into sustaining and growing our cocoa and other cash crop business mirrors the effort required to understand and embrace AI. Both require a balance of tradition and progress, ensuring we preserve what matters most while embracing the future.

Embracing AI Without Losing Myself

The phrase “Making AI the New Normal” makes me wonder:

• How do I integrate AI into my life while staying true to my roots?
• What skills do I need to stay relevant in this rapidly changing world?
• Can I use AI to enhance my career and business without losing my creativity or humanity or my consciousness and rationality?

Just as cocoa farming sustained my family and community, AI can be a tool for growth and opportunity. But like cocoa, it must be nurtured and used responsibly.

Alan Turing believed machines could enhance human intelligence rather than replace it. Tegmark encourages us to approach AI with curiosity and caution, leveraging it to create a future where humans and machines work together harmoniously.

Sitting with my cocoa nibs, I realized that while AI may become the new normal, it’s up to me to ensure it serves humanity, not the other way around.

23rd December 2024, Bata Des, 7:00AM