AI is moving quickly. 💨
This past week I spoke in Saskatoon on the state of AI and AI for manufacturers. I learned Canadians pronounce AI differently (emphasis on the period in A.I.) and face the same potential and pressure as everyone else. How can we use this stuff?!
I came back to Fargo and spoke to the SBDC conference on just that. We built agents in about five minutes and learned to prompt.
It was clear in both of these settings that we are just scratching the surface. We ahve so much power already that people still need to catch up - and most importantly get actual ways to use for their specific industries.
So let’s share some highlights from the week that was in AI and Chipplandia. We will share our spicy takes on what it actually means for those in Saskatoon, the Red River Valley, and beyond 🌶️:
AI Highlights from Around the Web
AI Disruption is Already Baked In
Ethan Mollick points out that even if AI development stopped at current levels, we'd still see a decade of major changes across entire industries as we figure out how to use what we already have.
🌶️ AI will continue to develop exponentially. Worry less about that and more about how to use what is already in front of us.
Job Creation vs. Replacement: The 90/10 Split
Aaron Levie shared a bullish stance on AI, arguing that we shouldn't narrowly see AI agents as replacing existing work. Instead, he believes the vast majority of AI agents will automate tasks humans never got around to doing previously because they were too expensive or time-consuming. His breakdown shows an optimistic view with 90% new work creation and just 10% job replacement. This perspective frames AI as a tool that expands human capabilities rather than simply a job replacement technology.
🌶️ When I help businesses adopt AI, I ask them to find what cost money, what takes time, and what they don’t do because it’s too hard/expensive. AI can help with all of these. It is most exciting when it doesn’t just help us do tasks faster but completes jobs we never considered doing in the first place.
Changing Landscape for Developers
Recent data shows software development jobs dropped 10% year over year from April 2024 to April 2025. If this trend continues, it could mean almost half of current developer positions might be gone within 5 years. This significant shift appears to correlate with AI taking over various development tasks, suggesting a fundamental transformation in the tech workforce. The discussion around this data points to a tech hiring environment that may not return to previous patterns, with AI tools potentially handling an increasing portion of coding and development work.
🌶️ I actually disagree here. Sure, current developer tasks will be disrupted. But, as I noted above, there are now way more tasks that will need development. I’m confident that the increased appetite to build will offset loss of current development work.
Education's AI Challenge & Opportunity
Derek Thompson highlighted a fascinating intersection of trends in education: screens/social media making it easier to not pay attention in school, GenAI making it easier to cheat, and declining literacy and numeracy scores across all age groups.
The graphs show a concerning pattern of reasoning and problem-solving test performance declining since 2014 across math, reading, and science for both teenagers and adults. At the same time, AI usage in education is skyrocketing, with a survey finding that 90% of college students were using ChatGPT for homework assignments within just two months of its launch. Students across all types of institutions are now relying on AI to take notes, create study guides, summarize textbooks, and draft essays.
College Grad Unemployment Skyrockets - AI’s Fault?
Derek Thompson again brings the heat in his latest article noting the growing unemployment gap. College graduates are now facing more unemployment than those who didn’t graduate from college.
What’s going on? Is the AI effect already showing through?
This deep dive is eye-opening!
🌶️ There are multiple factors at play here, but it will lead to a clear change: college is not a guaranteed promise. Going to school does not mean you leave middle class with a job in hand. In this era of global competition, doing > credentials.
Chipp Highlights
Chipp Builder Series : AI in Education with Dr. Sabba Quidwai Part 3
Scott’s third chat with Dr. Sabba is packed with AI hacks! Scott demonstrated how he’s helped a company create personalized lesson plans using Chipp based on what students actually care about. Plus, we show off a cool trick using deep research to grab high-quality resources in just minutes instead of hours.
Check out the full recap here.
Scott Meyer on Design Of Podcast
Yesterday we hosted an insightful workshop on effectively testing AI products led by Maaria Tiensivu with Scott Meyer. Unlike traditional products where input X always produces output X, AI tools can produce varied outputs from the same input, requiring a different testing approach. Maaria shared the importance of evaluating patterns rather than individual cases, embracing a "break often, not like porcelain, but like waves" mindset, and testing early with diverse user groups rather than waiting for perfection. The session highlighted how AI's constantly changing performance requires a fundamentally different approach to product testing.
Want to learn more about testing your AI products? Check out the complete workshop replay and detailed insights in our recap blog.
Chipp CEO Scott Meyer was featured on the Design Of podcast discussing how AI can amplify creativity rather than replace it! Scott shares practical wisdom on training AI assistants to work like you and why your experience and curiosity—not tech skills—are your biggest advantage.
Workshop Replay: Testing AI Products
Top 5 Ways Businesses Use AI
Scott Meyer breaks down the five most popular ways businesses are using Chipp:
- Digital Protege/Executive Assistant - Creating content and converting meeting notes into action items
- Sales & Marketing - Writing blog posts and crafting sales emails
- Customer Support - Answering customer questions via website chat
- Company Search - Making internal knowledge accessible through simple questions
- Data Analysis - Talking to spreadsheets to find insights in seconds
All five of these AI agents come prebuilt when you sign up for Chipp!
Invite your friends to join us on the journey to AI for All
