This Is Not the First Time People Have Been Afraid of a New Tool

By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News

Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — June 20, 2026

A lot of people act like AI is something completely new and dangerous. It feels that way, but we have been here before.

When computers first showed up, people said they would destroy jobs. When the internet spread, people said it would ruin how we think. Even simple tools like calculators and spellcheck were once called cheating.

Now they are normal.

AI is following the same path. At first, people are unsure. Then they argue about it. Then they slowly start using it. After that, it becomes part of everyday life.

The pattern repeats.

That does not mean AI has no risks. Every tool has risks. But refusing to learn it does not protect you. It just leaves you behind while others figure it out.

The smarter move is to learn how to use it well.

You do not have to trust it completely. You do not have to love it. But you should understand it, because it is not going away.

This is not the end of something.

It is the start of a new normal.

If this work helps you understand what’s happening, help me keep it going: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WPSNews
For more from Cliff Potts, see https://cliffpotts.org