“ As we go more‘ Jetsons,’ the people that act like the‘ Flintstones’ are going to win.”
— GARY VAYNERCHUK
A DEAR FRIEND RECENTLY SHARED a GaryVee podcast that really resonated. It offered two versions of the future: one automated and effortless, the other scrappier, a little noisier and unmistakably human.
For a long time, we’ ve been chasing“ The Jetsons”( or“ Get Smart”). Flying cars or wristband telephones felt so futuristic. Faster, smarter, more efficient. Push a button, skip a step, save some time.
But here’ s the conundrum— now that we can automate almost anything, we have to ask: What’ s actually worth doing? Not all work deserves to be sped up or automated.
This is where AI earns its keep— not as a shiny new layer of complexity, but as a filter. It helps address the busywork that quietly eats up time without creating true value, giving it back to the work that matters.
That work is in your team— the people who bring judgment, empathy and intuition to know when the“ right” answer isn’ t obvious. It’ s in their moments with customers, shaping experiences, solving problems and building trust in ways no system truly can.
In other words, we may need a little more“ Flintstones”( or“ Leave it to Beaver”) than we expected.
The organizations getting this right aren’ t choosing between technology and humanity. They’ re using one to protect the other. Let“ The Jetsons” handle the repetitive and the predictable. Then give your people the space to do what only they can do.
Because progress isn’ t just about how much faster we can move. It’ s about what we choose to slow down for and who we put at the center of it.
LYNNE MCNEES, ISPA PRESIDENT CONNECT WITH ME
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