GoKawiilWelcome to CNET's new series of guest columns called Alt View, a forum for a diverse array of experts and luminaries to share their insights into the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. For more AI coverage, check out CNET's AI Atlas.
Every great technology gives humans a new superpower. The personal computer put the power of computing into the hands of individuals, turning machines once reserved for governments, universities and corporations into tools anyone could use. The internet gave us access to the world's information. The smartphone put that power in our pockets, connecting us to anyone and anything from almost anywhere.
Each breakthrough changed what one person could do. But even with all this technology, we're still the ones doing a lot of the work. We schedule meetings, organize our inboxes, manage dozens of apps, absorb endless amounts of information and make thousands of small decisions every day.
In platform shifts, tech feels like a tool before it becomes something bigger. AI is in that moment now. We mostly experience AI as something we ask questions of or give tasks to. But the breakthrough comes when AI understands, not just responds.
I've spent my career experiencing and even causing platform shifts. The Mac. The iPod. The iPhone. Nest. Every one of these transitions had something in common: taking a capability that used to be rare, difficult or expensive and making it more accessible. The builders who understood the behavioral shift, not just the technology shift, were the ones who built something that lasted.
AI assistants are the next big shift.
A handful of people have had another kind of superpower: a great assistant. It's a superpower not because someone answers their emails or books their flights – those are helpful tasks. The real value of an assistant is that they understand the person behind the tasks: who you are, your relationships, your routines, your family, what you prioritize and what keeps you up at night. They know what to handle, what to bundle together and what truly needs your attention.
A great assistant can anticipate what you need before you even ask. But that relationship doesn't happen overnight. It takes years of working together, learning patterns, building trust and accumulating context.
Once you have that superpower, you never want to lose it. Losing a great assistant means losing years of shared knowledge and understanding. That accumulated understanding is what transforms an assistant from someone who helps you complete tasks into someone who expands what you can do.
Most people have never had an assistant or seen how a great one actually works, which means we are learning two things at once: what an assistant can do and what AI can become.
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