I’m a big fan of AI.
I use ChatGPT daily as a thinking partner, editor, researcher, and sounding board for everything from writing and dating to relationships, adventures, and the everyday questions life throws at me.
But I’m also increasingly aware of what AI can’t do.
I was reminded of that recently while helping my dad set up his new Dymo label maker. After watching a couple of YouTube videos and still not being able to get the thing to work, I did what people have been doing since the dawn of tech support:
I called the company.
And got an AI assistant.
Troubleshooting Rabbit Holes
She patiently walked me through a series of steps. I’m pretty tech-savvy, and I was fairly certain the problem had something to do with the computer recognizing Dad’s old label maker instead of the new one.
For nearly an hour, the AI assistant and I messed around with settings, repeated steps we’d already tried, and went down various troubleshooting rabbit holes. She was unfailingly polite—even when I was becoming considerably less so.
Finally, she gave up.
And transferred me to a human.
Her name was Fidan.
Fidan was every bit as patient as the AI assistant, but she did something the AI assistant hadn’t managed to do: She figured out what was actually wrong.
Yes, the computer was recognizing the wrong printer.
But we were also using the wrong kind of label roll.
The AI assistant had completely missed that.
Fidan solved in about 15 minutes what I’d spent nearly two hours trying to fix.
And even though he’s a pretty techy 92-year-old, there’s no way my father would have been able to navigate Dymo’s support process on his own.
AI Not Replacing Humans – Yet
I still love AI.
I’ll probably use it today—and tomorrow. It can process enormous amounts of information, generate ideas, spot patterns, and help me think through all kinds of problems.
But sometimes solving a problem requires more than following the right decision tree.
It requires intuition. Curiosity. The ability to notice that maybe the problem isn’t what everyone assumes it is.
In other words, it requires a Fidan.
So, I’m not worried about AI replacing — or wiping out — humans just yet.
I’m more interested in what happens when we get better at knowing when to use AI—and when to say:
“Could I please speak to a human?”
And that there’s still one available to talk to us.
If you like this post, please share.
I’m a writer, marketer, and storyteller who has always been curious about people—what they do, what they create, what they believe, and how the places and experiences around us shape our lives. After more than three decades in healthcare and senior living design, I’ve given myself a new title: CEO of What’s Next. These days, that means writing personal essays and my first novel, telling stories on stage, traveling, exploring Chicago, and following whatever sparks my curiosity.