Far and away the biggest tech jolt to hit me in 2022 came when I started experimenting with artificial intelligence tools like OpenAI and Jasper.
With all but a few simple commands and clicks, I produced artwork, poetry, birthday raps and shockingly cogent blog entries in seconds.
Indeed, AI moved from abstraction and throw-away slogan to dependable creative partner (or sinister accomplice … depending on your vantage point).
Crypto took second place. Thanks to a series of tutorials from my teenage son, I dabbled in Coinbase, studied market fluctuations and design irregularities of pixelated NFT goats and scratched my head – multiple times – over crypto “gas” prices. Thankfully, my wallet (and bank account) remained unscathed, and I no longer have an “imposter complex” when using the term DAO (decentralized autonomous organization).
Tech marches on amidst a head-scratching year
All told, 2022 was a big year in tech – big movement in advanced connectivity, climatetech, applied AI, immersive reality tech, trust architecture, biotech, cloud/edge computing, inclusive fintech, future of commerce – but, honestly, I struggled to make sense of it all amidst market wobbliness, “can’t look” stock swings and Elon Musk tweets.
I was particularly enamored with climatetech, and I credit venture-capital luminary John Doerr’s outstanding book “Speed & Scale” for radically simplifying the roadmap: electrify transportation, decarbonize the grid, fix food, protect nature, clean up industry, remove carbon using policy, innovation and investment. Still, I really wish he gave that $1.1 billion gift to the (increasingly green) University of Cincinnati versus Stanford.
Like everyone else, I celebrated when Intel picked Ohio for the world’s biggest – and most sustainable – chip plant.
Despite the sticker shock, I was captivated by the traveling Van Gogh exhibition, confirming my hunch that "metaverse" mastery starts with the arts ... full stop! Ditto for Cincinnati’s Blink Festival – now the nation’s largest digital projection experience, drawing artists from all over the world.
I marveled over sports and event-tech including the Western & Southern Open's artificial linesman "shouts" and more recently the World Cup’s semi-automated “offside” tech and sensor-based soccer balls. That said, I’m so relieved I didn’t promise my daughters Taylor Swift tickets.
I lived and breathed the so-called “officeverse,” a curious blend of offline, online, Zoom, Slack and a record number of emoticons. Along the way, I embraced powerfully insightful HR-tech tools like Cloverleaf, which use AI to craft blush-inducing tips to better collaborate with work colleagues.
With the exception of LinkedIn, I generally retreated from social media. I’d love to say this sourced from righteous protest, but in truth, I just felt insufficiently creative to get noticed. I lost Twitter followers, but I’m certain (nay, hopeful) the explanation lies in Musk's bot purge. Then again, upon tweeting Black Tech Week keynote speaker Serena Williams’ understandable dismay that "only 2% of venture capital goes to people of color,” I broke my all-time record for retweets (worth retweeting again, I might add).
I reveled in short-form TikTok videos and marveled at the audience size of the Gen Zers pushing wildly inventive “green” hacks. I got lost in streaming subscription models and found myself longing for the golden days of “cable bundling.” I switched home WiFi providers, but I won't reveal the winner until I know for sure whether 500 MBs can really bust through the walls of our 100-year-old East Walnut Hills home.
I devoured White Lotus … especially the “Sicily” season, and I still can't believe the acclaimed director, Mike White, is the same 9-year old kid who filmed shorts in my hometown Pasadena neighborhood.
I couldn’t get real with BeReal (or simply react fast enough). By the time I got admitted to Clubhouse, the party seemed to end. I started using GenZ preferred editor CapCut, but quickly retreated to iMovie. As fintech goes, cash and ATM usage further faded into obscurity while Venmo and Zell grabbed more household share. Then again, I always felt empty handed (and cheap) with tips for valet parking.
I dabbled in Meta’s Horizon Worlds but didn't get very far. I also worried my skeptical teenage daughter would post (or "shame") my goofy VR movements in a TikTok video (imagine that!).
After witnessing a handful of jaw-dropping drone shows (complete with sponsor-friendly ads), I felt a curious nostalgia for fireworks. I just sensed the pyrotechnics era is heading down the path of the buggy whip.
While my favorite new app was Google’s travel carbon footprint calculator (all flights, most hotels), I quickly discovered the path to lower emissions is higher priced fares (for non-stops). Damn! Then again, I rejoiced when my former employer, Nestle, finally announced paper-based Nespresso pods.
Halfway through the year, I was invited to give a keynote speech in Europe titled “Gamifying Our Future.” Why on earth, I argued, don’t we have more titles like Carbon Crusaders, Waste Invaders, Solar Hero, Escape from Plastic Island, Footprint Fighters, EV Road Race, or Kill the Carbon. Gamers love dilemmas and see no limits to problem solving. I mean, let them help us get out of this mess (credit to Miami University for the green jolt).
In entrepreneurs we trust
Which brings me to my final reflection. In 2022, I was honored to work with dozens – heck, maybe a hundred – startups and entrepreneurs. I admired their tenacity, grit, resilience, “can do” spirit and even courage and humility to “call it quits” when necessary. This was a hard year and most not only hung in there, but somehow converted the pain into opportunity.
The tech and investment landscape will always shift – as we saw so clearly this year – but entrepreneurship is wonderfully constant. We just need to make the pool bigger and more inclusive and arm these innovators and game-changers with the resources they need to make bold things happen.
It shouldn’t take an AI tool to lead us down this obvious path for 2023.
Pete Blackshaw is the CEO of Cintrifuse, a startup catalyst and support organization headquartered at Union Hall in Over-the-Rhine.
