THERE ARE TIMES when it’s okay to mix metaphors, and perhaps step out in faith a bit. Today is one of those days. It was just a year ago that most of us were looking at A.I. like it could be the Flirting Spy who offers assistance while actually wanting to control us. The word on the street was beware—it’s something to experiment with in the “lab,” but certainly not ready for real-life production.

What a difference a year makes. Speaking of mixing metaphors, A.I. is now the spaceship that’s left the station. So if we want to sit back and continue to compete in our duct-taped and hand-soldered workplace version of the “Millennium Falcon” while the competition is taking full advantage of the operational efficiencies of implementing A.I. tools—well, we’ll be in a race that we can’t win.

Our articles this month aren’t all about tech and A.I., but they are about today’s world of work—from start-ups to career-building, all of which is taking place in the context of constantly changing technology. This is challenging enough for some of us without throwing in the unpredictability of A.I., but this is where we are. In the immortal words of Star Wars’ Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

While I’m quoting Yoda, here’s another gem worth remembering: “Always in motion is the future.” That’s why in our Apprenticely newsletter we strive to bring you interesting perspectives on All Things Tech and All Things Workforce. We’d love to hear your thoughts and success stories about this journey that we’re all on together.

–Bill Yoder
Executive Director