I’ve had some unfortunate feedback online about our service to create AI Spokesperson videos for training and presentations.  Mostly from anonymous Instructional Designers and Trainers.  I haven’t got thick skin yet, so I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and it reminded me of my Grandad.

My Grandad spent most of his working life as a Shire horse handler. He was part of a group of farmhands whose job it was to care for and utilise these powerful animals to plow fields and haul heavy loads. But when tractors started rolling into farms, it wasn’t the farmers or landowners who resisted the change, they were all for it. It was the horse handlers and farm laborers who didn’t want to believe their years of experience would be replaced by a machine. Tractors were seen as the new fangled machines, unwelcome disruptors that threatened their way of life. 

The more I immerse myself in the world of AI, the more it feels like history repeating itself. Seeing groups of workers, like the recent Hollywood actors striking over AI’s potential impact, reminds me of how farmhands resisted tractors back in my Grandad’s day. Even though the tractors clearly benefited the farmers, the farmhands didn’t want to acknowledge the advantages because it wasn’t directly in their favor. Today, many people are wary of AI for similar reasons. The fear that AI will replace jobs, devalue traditional methods, or disrupt creative processes mirrors the resistance my Grandad’s colleagues felt.

If AI is the tractor of our time, the question remains: who’s going to adapt, and who’s going to be left behind?

AI Is Everywhere—and It’s Not Going Anywhere

AI is already making its way into almost every corner of our lives, whether we realize it or not. According to a recent study by PwC, AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 . Think about that for a second—that’s more than the current output of China and India combined. If you’re still thinking AI is just a passing trend, you might want to grab a seat on that tractor before it speeds off without you.

From customer service chatbots to facial recognition on your smartphone, AI is being used in ways we don’t always see, but we’ve already grown to rely on. If you’ve ever asked Alexa to play your favorite song or watched Netflix’s suggestions based on what you binge-watched last weekend, congrats—you’re already benefiting from AI. 

But when it comes to things like AI-generated training videos or AI Spokespersons we’ve found at AI Video Creative people start getting a bit more skeptical. I’ve noticed this in some of the feedback I’ve received online—there’s a lot of pushback, especially from traditional trainers and video designers. The general sentiment is, "The AI just doesn’t look good enough” or “It’s Uncanny Valley”.

It’s Time to Embrace the Tractor

The truth is, AI isn’t going to take away everything that’s important to us, just like tractors didn’t destroy farming—they revolutionized it. AI tools are here to help us work smarter, not harder. They’re taking over the repetitive, time-consuming tasks so we can focus on the things that really require human creativity and insight. Imagine being able to produce a multilingual training video for a global team in 1/10th the time it would normally take. AI makes that possible, without you having to hire actors, rent studios, or even get in front of a camera.

Sure, there’s still room for high-end, custom videos made by human designers. But AI avatars can get the job done quickly, affordably, and effectively for many businesses. It’s not about replacing human creativity, it’s about enhancing it. Just like tractors didn’t wipe out farming skills, AI isn’t going to erase the need for human input. But if you’re clinging to the “old ways” because that’s how it’s always been done, you’re going to find yourself left behind.

My Grandad might have been great with a Shire horse, but in today’s world, it’s time to learn how to drive a tractor.