I’ve Seen This Before (1994, 2024)

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I’ve lived through this before.

In 1993–1994, the internet was clumsy, slow, and unimpressive to most people. Text-based browsers. Limited access. Little obvious value. The dominant reaction wasn’t excitement—it was dismissal.

At the time, I was living in Haifa, Israel, on Mount Carmel. From my place in Denya, I could literally see telecommunications infrastructure below—a physical reminder that something new was forming long before it was useful or popular.

I was also an outlier.

I was the only athlete I knew carrying a laptop, experimenting online, exploring a system that hadn’t yet earned anyone’s respect. Most people judged it by what it was. I paid attention to what it was becoming.

That distinction matters.

AI Feels Overwhelming Because It’s Immature

Today, I use AI for almost everything:

• Writing

• Content creation

• Film development

• App prototyping

• Idea iteration

Yes, that’s a lot.

And no—this isn’t for everyone.

Most people don’t reject AI because it’s bad.

They struggle with it because it overwhelms their cognitive capacity.

AI introduces:

• Too many options

• Too much ambiguity

• Too little certainty

Early systems are noisy. That noise exposes who needs stability—and who can operate without it.

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This Isn’t About Intelligence

It’s About Conditioning

Athletes understand something most people don’t:

You train inside uncertainty.

You perform before clarity arrives.

You repeat movements long before mastery.

You operate in unfinished environments.

That conditioning transfers.

AI is not stable yet. It’s inconsistent. It’s imperfect.

So was the internet. So is every system before maturity.

Expecting perfection from something still forming is a category error.

Why I’m All In (And Calm About It)

This isn’t about getting rich.

AI will not make me a billionaire.

That was never the objective.

The objective is relevance.

I’m an ex-professional basketball player. I’ve already navigated one major identity transition. I know what happens when skills expire and people fail to adapt.

AI is a longevity strategy.

It keeps me:

• Mentally sharp

• Creatively active

• Economically useful

• Capable of earning as I age

That matters more than hype.

Adoption Always Arrives Late

Here’s the pattern, every time:

1. A new system emerges

2. Early users experiment

3. The majority criticizes imperfections

4. Adoption lags

5. Suddenly, it’s everywhere

We are still early.

Most people are aware of AI.

Few are fluent.

Even fewer are comfortable operating inside it.

By the time mass adoption arrives, the leverage is gone.

What AI Really Reveals

AI doesn’t replace people.

It reveals:

• Who can think under uncertainty

• Who can iterate without ego

• Who can learn in public

• Who needs finished systems to function

Some people are built for stability.

Others are built for beta.

I know which one I am.

AI isn’t the advantage.

Tolerance for unfinished systems is.

If that resonates, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

—

Michael

Athletic Entrepreneur