By JT Mercer
AI and how we got here
I can still hear that screechy handshake from my US Robotics 9600 baud modem, like a robot getting dental work. Back then, connecting to a bulletin board was a big deal. You weren’t just alone with your computer anymore—you were out there, trading jokes, files, and bad ASCII art with random people who might live five states away. It felt like the future.
And, just when you figured out how to dial in, along came CompuServe and Prodigy. Suddenly, your weird little hobby had bigger audiences and more bells and whistles. It was the digital version of a bowling league, but with more acronyms and fewer polyester shirts.
Then AOL showed up with those endless free trial CDs (seriously, did they ever stop?) and the internet wasn’t just for the nerds. Suddenly, Grandma was sending chain emails and everyone had a “screen name.” Instant messaging! Chat rooms! Digital chaos! Honestly, it was a golden age of weirdness.
Next came Myspace, where you could pick your “Top 8” and blast terrible music on your profile. Friendships were made, hearts were broken, and HTML was king. You could talk to someone in Tokyo as easily as your neighbor. The internet started feeling like a global block party, with all the drama that implies.
And then came Facebook, which started out as a place for college kids but quickly morphed into something that your parents and, eventually, their pets joined. Now everyone’s on it, whether they want to be or not. Social media was no longer a quirky sideshow; it was the main event.
Meanwhile, phones stopped being just, you know, phones. First they cut the cord. Then they got smarter than some people I know. Suddenly, you’ve got a camera, a computer, and a window to the entire world in your pocket. You could broadcast your breakfast to the planet and watch a cat play piano before you even got out of bed.
And now? Well, say hello to AI—the final boss. No, it’s not sci-fi. It’s your resume reviewer, your chatbot customer service agent, your self-checkout “friend,” your news aggregator, your copywriter, and sometimes even your “artiste.” Whole careers are already going the way of the floppy disk: retail clerks replaced by kiosks, customer service reps chatting with bots, creative work outsourced to code.
And let’s be honest—the AI genie is out of the bottle. It’s not going back in, no matter how many lawmakers or industry leaders talk about “pausing” or “regulating” things. The tech is here, it’s learning fast, and it’s already remaking the world whether we’re ready or not.
Companies can’t get enough of it. Why pay three people to screen resumes or write ad copy when a server can do it faster and doesn’t call in sick? Shareholders cheer, the quarterly report looks great, and somewhere a few million folks are quietly wondering what’s next for them.
Are governments ready for this? Can the social safety net catch everyone who’s about to lose their job to a circuit board? Or are we all just supposed to become “prompt engineers” and hope for the best?
Honestly, it’s wild to think we’ve gone from that lonely modem noise to a world where your job might be done better—and cheaper—by something that doesn’t even have a face. The question isn’t whether things are changing. It’s what the hell happens to us when the machines no longer need us?
If you’ve got thoughts (or a really good AI joke), drop them in the comments. Maybe together, we can figure out what’s next—or at least have a good laugh before the robots take over.
Further Reading
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How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the Future of Work (World Economic Forum)
A global look at how AI is already reshaping jobs, skills, and the economy. -
Why the U.S. Has No Universal Health Care: A Brief History (The New York Times)
A quick dive into the roots of America’s unique approach to healthcare—relevant to the societal impacts of technology. -
The Rise of the Machines: Automation, AI, and the Threat to Jobs (The Guardian)
A deep dive into the growing displacement of human labor by machines and what it could mean for society.
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About the Author
Discover more about J.T. Mercer’s background, writing journey, and the real-world events that inspired The Unmaking of America. Learn what drives the storytelling and how this trilogy came to life. -
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