My Personal AI Journey, Part 2: The AI-Opening Moment™

Unlike Tim Urban, who was a new discovery for me, change can happen even faster when the insights come from a familiar and trusted source. And if you know me, you know how much I espouse Tomas Pueyo's articles.

Pueyo has an uncanny ability to distill complex topics into clear, data-driven narratives as part of his Substack, Uncharted Territories. If you were paying attention in March 2020, you might remember his viral articles about the pandemic, Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now, and The Hammer and the Dance, which forecasted just how deep and disruptive COVID-19 would be.

At the time, I still had a trip planned to Egypt, Israel, and Russia. I thought, "No way will this trip get called off. This is all overhyped." But then, when my flight was abruptly canceled, I started paying closer attention. Someone forwarded me Pueyo’s article, and by the time I was halfway through, I called my wife and said, "We need to go grocery shopping now—because the world is about to shut down." He was right, of course.

Over the years, I’ve followed Pueyo's writing religiously—articles on game theory, the topographical impacts on international relations, the cause behind global conflicts, the economy of clean energy, and often, the impending effects of AI.

And that’s where my AI-Opening Moment happened.

An AI article on investing actually showed me more about how to use it.

Pueyo has written extensively on AI, but one article in particular pulled me down the rabbit hole:

🔗 How AI Disrupts Tech Investing

While the investing angle was fascinating, it didn’t make the biggest impact on me. What hit me hardest were the use cases he cited—specific, tangible ways AI is already reshaping the world:

• Building fully functional apps in minutes.
• Creating websites and businesses that can generate millions as an individual.
• Growing a viral social media presence by creating content with ease.
• Constructing time-saving tools without a coding background.
• And so many more.

This was no longer theoretical. It was real. And it was happening now. Pueyo’s breakdown wasn’t just an intellectual exercise—it flipped the switch for me. Suddenly, AI wasn’t just an interesting experiment or a futuristic dream. It was a tool with the power to transform entire industries—and individual lives—today. I could see ways to actually use it.

It was an AI-Opening Moment.

An AI-Opening Moment isn’t just about reading an article or hearing a bold prediction—it’s about seeing something that makes it real for you. It’s the moment when AI stops being an abstract concept and starts feeling inevitable, immediate, and personal.

For some, it’s witnessing an AI generate code in seconds that would have taken a human days. For others, it’s seeing AI-driven content go viral overnight or watching a solo entrepreneur automate an entire business. Whatever it is, it flips the switch—suddenly, you’re no longer just aware of AI’s potential; you’re experiencing it. And once you’ve had that moment, there’s no going back.

Through my conversations, I’ve noticed that people tend to fall into one of four categories when it comes to AI:

1. The Enthusiasts – They understand AI’s impact and are excited about its potential (while still acknowledging its risks).
2. The Casual Users – They use AI, see some benefits, but haven’t fully committed to integrating it into their lives or work.
3. The Skeptics – They tried AI, weren’t impressed, and dismissed it—after using a version of it that was just in its early phases.
4. The Rejectors – They refuse to engage with AI at all, for personal, ethical, or ideological reasons.

What I’ve found is that it takes an AI-Opening Moment to move from the latter categories into the first one—into full adoption.

It’s not about being convinced by abstract arguments. It happens when you see a specific use case that directly resonates with you—something that makes you stop and think, Oh… I need to pay attention to this. Holy shit, this is nuts. Oh my god, the entire world is going to change.

Tomas Pueyo’s AI articles provided me with important AI-Opening Moments, and I know they can for others, too. So, if you haven’t had yours yet, I encourage you to dive into Pueyo’s work. There’s bound to be one example, one use case, one shift in perspective that flips the switch for you. And when it happens, you’ll never look at AI the same way again.

Why does it matter to me?

Because I am one of the people in the first categories above. I'm an Enthusiast. And I'm also very concerned about the potential dangers of AI. My belief, though, is that AI is like driving. The more people we have who know how to operate a vehicle, who understand the rules of the road and can exist safely with others, the better the chances we'll get this AI thing right in the long run.

The more I can help teach people how to drive, the better I will feel about the future. But the first step is to get people into the car. The first step is to help people have AI-Opening Moments.

(To be continued)