Modern society is changing at an unprecedented pace
Modern society is changing at an unprecedented pace, driven by the exponential evolution of technology including AI. Innovative tools like ChatGPT are beginning to penetrate everyday life, fundamentally transforming the way we do business, how we work, and our lives as a whole. In an era of such intense change, the very business leaders and experienced professionals with a track record of past success are often at the greatest risk of clinging to the status quo and missing the new wave — afraid of the unknown. Much like the entrepreneur who, on the eve of Henry Ford beginning mass production of automobiles, poured their entire fortune into buying up horses.
This article draws on the thought-provoking words of Gary Vaynerchuk — a renowned entrepreneur with a sharp and ongoing read on shifts in the times — to deeply examine how to adapt to change in the AI era, the importance of humility, and above all, the value of "practicing." In an era where uncertainty has become the norm, we explore the mindset and concrete action principles that business professionals need, and offer insights for forging a path into the future.
- Riding the Wave of Technological Innovation: The Courage to Admit "I Don't Know" in the AI Era
- Practice Is the Most Powerful Weapon: How to Break Free from Faking Expertise and Master AI
- Opening the Future with "AND" Rather Than "OR": Coexisting with AI and Confronting Uncertainty
- Summary
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Riding the Wave of Technological Innovation: The Courage to Admit "I Don't Know" in the AI Era
Technological evolution sometimes redraws existing order and common sense with merciless speed. As Gary Vaynerchuk points out, the fact that an entrepreneur reportedly purchased 10,000 horses on the eve of Henry Ford's Model T announcement symbolizes how powerfully technological innovation can upend existing business models and value systems from the ground up. No matter how much knowledge, experience, and passion that entrepreneur had about horses, none of it was rewarded in the face of the automobile as new technology. This is not a story from the past. Today as well, new technologies such as AI, blockchain, and Web3 are appearing one after another, demanding major transformation in existing industry structures and business processes. The anecdote Vaynerchuk describes of overhearing people in their 60s and 70s at a New Orleans restaurant earnestly debating "why you should use ChatGPT instead of Google Search" speaks to how rapidly, broadly, and across generations this change is beginning to penetrate. AI is no longer something only for a subset of specialists and technologists — it is becoming an indispensable tool in our everyday lives and business operations.
However, this rapid change brings great anxiety and bewilderment to many people — especially those who have achieved success in specific fields over many years. Fear of "disintermediation" is particularly noticeable among older senior management and executives who are less familiar with technology. They worry that their knowledge and experience will be made obsolete by new technology, and that their influence and value within their organization will be lost. The problem is that it is difficult to honestly acknowledge this anxiety and lack of knowledge. People with a track record of success tend to hide the fact that they "don't know" in order to protect their pride and position. Vaynerchuk notes that many members of the boards he serves on, despite being older than him and having a shallower understanding of technology, tend to fake expertise about AI. They harbor anxiety (trepidation) about things they don't understand, yet hesitate to honestly say "I don't know." This may be because their past success was brought about not only by ability and effort but also sometimes by political maneuvering, posturing, or simple luck. That very track record of success has become a barrier to learning new things.
Vaynerchuk's own experience in the early stages of his career is in stark contrast. He grew up until age 35 in the world of family-run businesses, far removed from large corporations. There, concrete results were valued far above theory and appearances. When it came to marketing, what everything came down to was specific outcomes — "How many products did we sell today?" and "Do we look likely to sell more tomorrow?" — not winning advertising awards or reputation in the media. This pragmatic environment became the foundation for his ability in his later career to see through to the essence of things, and for the grounded perspective he carries. What he witnessed when interacting with executives at large corporations was that every time a new trend emerged — Web2 (social media), Web3 (blockchain, cryptocurrency) — even people who were genuinely very intelligent, powerful, and accomplished would "peacock," behaving as if they understood deeply when in reality they did not. This was a shocking discovery for him, and became the trigger for deeply understanding human behavioral psychology — particularly the complex relationship between "anxiety" and "humility."
What is important is that in many cases, this "faking expertise" is seen through by people around them — particularly those who genuinely understand the subject. Vaynerchuk states flatly that "when you're faking expertise, the smart 3% of people notice it." Even in the marketing industry, there are cases where individuals who have achieved great success, gained fame, and amassed vast wealth have not earned genuine respect because they consistently offer content-free statements or focus entirely on building their personal brand. In an era of rapid change, what is truly required is not show or posturing, but acknowledging the limits of one's own knowledge and approaching unknown territory with humility and a willingness to learn. Faced with the enormous wave that is AI, each of us is being called to have this courage to admit "I don't know."
Practice Is the Most Powerful Weapon: How to Break Free from Faking Expertise and Master AI
How should we approach new technology — particularly something with the potential to bring disruptive change like AI? Gary Vaynerchuk repeatedly emphasizes that it is not about speaking loudly about the future or showing off superficial knowledge, but rather about steady "practice" — that is what matters most. He himself admits that when it comes to producing AI-related content, he is not as proactive as he was during the Web3 era. This is because he is currently focused on other projects and feels he has not dug deeply enough into AI to satisfy himself on the topic. But what he has not neglected is "using AI every day without being afraid of it." When image generation AI like Midjourney became mainstream, he tried it immediately; when new conversational search AI like Perplexity emerged, he incorporated it into daily use. While he refrains from speaking as an expert on specific models and the latest news, he is deepening his engagement with AI as a user and practitioner. This is also his fundamental stance — to avoid repeating the same mistake as when people once feared that "electricity carries the devil" and refused to bring it into their homes.
This importance of "being a practitioner" is something Vaynerchuk has consistently argued throughout his career. He tells the story of a time at a major company's office when an executive (now retired) began explaining a platform to him, and he was compelled to point out: "You don't truly understand the platform. You may know how to make money for the platform, but you don't know how it actually works or how to get the best results from it." It is not uncommon for "best practices" taught by salespeople to diverge from what the algorithm is actually doing. Theory and sales talk alone cannot produce genuine understanding. The same applies to AI. Simply reading various explanatory articles and listening to experts is not enough. You must actually touch the tools, try them, fail, and through that process cultivate your own insights and instincts.
So practically speaking, how should one move forward with practice? Vaynerchuk suggests a simple but critically important set of steps for succeeding with AI. This is the point most strongly emphasized in this article.
First, download every AI tool and actually use it (play with it). Before arming yourself with theory, just touch it. Create an image with Midjourney, ask ChatGPT all sorts of questions, search for information using Perplexity. Through this "play," the characteristics, possibilities, and limits of each tool will come into view.
Next, choose carefully whose voice you listen to. In the world, there are mere "talking heads" — people who speak like critics without any practical experience — and there are "practitioners" who have actually walked the path. Vaynerchuk himself takes pride in being "a talking head who only speaks about what he has lived (practiced)." Who you get your information from profoundly shapes your subsequent actions and decisions. The ability to identify reliable sources is essential.
Finally, make judgments based on your own experience. While referencing others' opinions and success stories, what ultimately matters is making judgments based on what you have actually tried and learned yourself. When NFTs were booming, many corporate representatives tended to rely on outside information with "I heard it was..." — but Vaynerchuk advanced his conversations based on his own experience: "I actually did this and got this result." There is often a large gap between what you've heard and the results of actually doing it yourself.
He humbly acknowledges that his current level of knowledge about AI is still only "a few steps into the journey." And he says he turns down invitations to panel discussions where he would not be able to engage on equal terms with specialists like Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), because he believes he is not yet at that level. This reflects a posture of honestly acknowledging his own degree of understanding and prioritizing steadily deepening his learning, rather than showing up in a venue where he cannot contribute and keeping up appearances. But he is not passive at all. He is meeting with startups to explore how to win at SEM (search engine marketing) within AI bots, taking concrete action in anticipation of the next major change. This is because, based on his experience from the era when Yellow Pages transitioned to search engines, he foresees that changes are coming to the future of search.
To get through the AI era, "being a practitioner" is indispensable. Let go of faking expertise, learn with humility, and actually get your hands moving. Then choose reliable sources of information and sharpen your ability to make judgments based on your own experience. Only through this process can we truly understand and master AI as a powerful tool, and ride the waves of change.
Opening the Future with "AND" Rather Than "OR": Coexisting with AI and Confronting Uncertainty
Every time new technology appears, we tend to react in extreme ways. With AI too, negative views such as "an evil entity that will steal humanity's jobs," "a dangerous tool that promotes bias in society," and "a threat that will make some people obsolete" exist alongside optimistic visions that paint only a rosy future. However, Gary Vaynerchuk sounds a warning against this binary way of thinking. He points to the historical fact that technological innovation has always involved some form of "disruption" or "displacement." The automobile affected carriage drivers and horse-related industries; the spread of electricity changed the work of lamp makers and gas lighting workers. The rise of the internet eliminated the jobs of Yellow Pages top salespeople, and the spread of online shopping has affected many physical stores. Even recently, the arrival of a popular bagel specialty shop has forced local delis to stop selling bagels — such changes happen all the time. Vaynerchuk asks: "If you say AI is terrible, did you speak up when Yellow Pages salespeople lost their jobs?" Technology, for better or worse, has always caused change, constantly transforming social structures and the way people work. We cannot look away from this reality and escape the fact that "technology is undefeated."
What matters is not seeing this change through an "OR" binary — "destruction or survival" — but exploring the possibility of "AND (coexistence and evolution)." Vaynerchuk doesn't even need to invoke the example of photography not destroying painting to suggest that new technology does not completely replace the existing, but rather provides a new canvas for expression, with both coexisting, influencing each other, and developing together. AI similarly has the potential to supplement and expand existing jobs and skills, or to become a means of creating entirely new value. The problem, he points out, is that we try to judge things in too much of a "black or white (OR)" way. Sharp black-and-white distinctions may provide temporary comfort, but the real world is far more complex — full of ambiguous "greys" and "purples" where diverse elements mix together.
Vaynerchuk believes that this attachment to "black-and-white thinking (OR)" is also at the root of many of the conflicts and divisions seen in modern society. Polarized structures in politics — "blue (Democrat) or red (Republican)" — and "left or right" in social debate ignore the complexity of reality, setting people unnecessarily against each other and stoking anxiety. "If you lean all the way to red or blue, black or white, you are 100% wrong. Because reality is always purple, always grey," he states flatly. This rigid thinking is what obstructs constructive dialogue and leads to stagnation across society as a whole.
In our approach to AI as well, this thinking of "AND" rather than "OR" — and the flexibility to accept "grey" and "purple" — is required. AI is neither simply good nor evil, neither a threat nor a savior. It is a powerful tool, and its impact changes greatly depending on how we use it. It has the potential to streamline work, stimulate creativity, and bring new discoveries — but if misused, it also harbors the danger of widening inequality and bringing chaos to society. What is important is to avoid one-sided judgments, to calmly assess its multifaceted possibilities and risks, and to search for constructive ways to use it.
And in confronting this uncertain future, another thing Vaynerchuk values is the concept of "Maybe." Rather than closing off possibility with "no" or recklessly jumping in with "yes," keeping possibilities alive with "maybe..." The spirit of this "Maybe" is the key to attracting unexpected opportunities and strengthening adaptability to change. With AI too, it is important to maintain the curiosity of "this might be usable" and "used this way, it might be helpful."
Of course, this exploration requires an investment of time and effort. As Vaynerchuk says — "You can't speak about something without practicing it" — without the steady effort of actually trying AI tools, failing in the process, and learning from it, you cannot understand the essence of AI and draw out its potential to the fullest. Just as when we were babies we learned to walk by falling repeatedly, and learned to eat by spilling food everywhere, mastering new technology is similarly a continuous series of trial, error, and failure. Discussing the biases and ethical concerns around AI is also important, but alongside that, taking the concrete first step of "downloading one app and trying it" is what matters most of all. Without being bound by fixed ideas or fear, confronting this new reality that is AI with "AND" thinking and the "Maybe" spirit — that is the wisdom for surviving in the era ahead.
Summary
In a modern era where the footsteps of the AI revolution grow louder by the day, we are faced with the question of how to stand against the waves of change. Gary Vaynerchuk's words make clear the danger of clinging to past successes and turning away from fear of the unknown. Technology constantly evolves, and you cannot resist that flow. What matters is not rejecting change as a threat, but seeing it as an opportunity for learning and growth.
For that, the first requirement is the courage to humbly acknowledge the fact that you "don't know." Faking expertise to protect pride and appearances ultimately does not just obstruct your own growth — it can also cause the loss of trust from those around you. Rather, the posture of honestly admitting "I don't understand" and demonstrating a desire to learn is the quality that leadership in the coming era will demand.
And most importantly, "practice." Not speaking like a critic, but actually touching AI tools, trying them, failing, and continuing to learn from those experiences. As Vaynerchuk demonstrates, the daily accumulation of small practices is the only path to cultivating genuine understanding and the ability to apply it. Choosing reliable sources of information and sharpening your ability to make judgments based on your own experience is also essential.
Furthermore, it is necessary to break free from the binary "OR (black or white)" way of thinking and adopt an "AND (coexistence and evolution)" perspective. There is no simple answer to whether AI is enemy or friend, good or evil. Reality is always complex and multifaceted, and flexibility to accept "grey" and "purple" states is indispensable. And the spirit of always exploring the possibility of "Maybe" becomes the driving force for forging a path through an uncertain future.
The keys to surviving the AI era are not special talent or knowledge alone. They are humility, curiosity, and above all, the power to keep practicing. Let go of fear, actively learn, and take action. The future lies in the hands of practitioners, not critics. It would be gratifying if this article serves as an opportunity for readers to reconsider how to face change, and to take a new step forward.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMQVNT2an5g
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