Toddlers and children get proper credit for being super-sponges, but thousands of students at Stanford — from undergrads, to graduate students, to PhDs, to professionals and executives — have taught me something unexpected about learning: experience matters!

The more experienced the learner, the more they can appreciate and contextualize knowledge. The MBA who comes straight from undergrad might be able to comprehend a theory of negotiation, but the experienced executive immediately understands "that's why I lost that deal…" in a way that someone without experience never can.

Call this phenomenon — the capacity-creating tendency of lived experience — a real-knowledge-receptacle (RKR).

The Power of Experience in Learning

I've always somewhat regretted going to business school as early in my career as I did. Even during my cours of study, I could tell that I was acquiring lots of book knowledge, but not much more. Without a meaningful RKR, I feel I didn't take nearly as much from business school as my more experienced classmates, and certainly not as much as I might have if I had waited a couple more years.

There's compelling evidence that, contrary to the popular image of the dorm-room entrepreneur, it's actually middle aged folks who start businesses.

Of course, going to school early had its advantages as well. But the fact that more experienced folks have the capacity to do more with the same knowledge units is what I want to explore here, particularly in the context of AI.

Experience: The Key to Unlocking AI's Potential

Recent technological advances (in the last ~40 years) have been met with less comfort by older generations than younger ones. I suspect this has always been the case, but I think it's particularly alarming given the advent of AI for one very simple reason: it's a technology that particularly favors experience.

The outputs you receive from an LLM are a direct result of the input and guidance you give it. Better input yields much better output (hence the popularity of the field of "prompt engineering"). This is where the real-knowledge-receptacle (RKR) of experienced professionals comes into play. Their wealth of real-world knowledge and understanding allows them to craft more targeted, nuanced, and effective prompts, leading to higher-quality, more applicable AI outputs.

For example, a seasoned marketing executive using an AI writing tool can draw upon their deep understanding of customer psychology, market trends, and proven persuasion techniques to guide the AI towards generating compelling, high-converting copy. In contrast, a novice marketer, even if tech-savvy, may struggle to achieve the same results without that experiential context to inform their prompts.

I've been alarmed by what I consider to be a "generational gap" in AI usage, with younger generations embracing AI for everything, while older folks take a more cautious approach.

Older folks might dabble a bit, but because of how we've been programmed by previous technologies — specifically the "first result, best result" paradigm that search popularized — much of their experience goes un-tapped and most of the potential benefits they could derive from it go unrealized.

Bridging the Generational Gap in AI Adoption

My recommendation to older generations is simple: put yourself in a position to be learning and experimenting with this technology. I fundamentally believe it will be more revolutionary (both personally, and professionally) than any other technology we've experienced yet.

What sources have you curated to spark inspiration? Where are you listening for and learning about new use cases? Who are you talking with regularly about the technology?

I believe this moment represents a unique opportunity for experienced professionals to turbo-charge their hard-won expertise and turn it into long term competitive advantage.

Some day, models may offer a level of built-in "experience" that even a novice can use them profitably. Right now, though, profits will accrue to the experienced folks who make a habit of experimenting and sharing their use cases with kindred spirits.

A Call to Action for Experienced Professionals

If you're an experienced professional, now is the time to embrace AI and harness its potential to amplify your expertise. Don't let hesitation or fear of the unknown hold you back from this transformative technology. Start experimenting with AI today:

1. Identify an area of your work where AI could help streamline tasks, generate insights, or spark creativity. Almost daily, I ask my favorite LLM for a "TLDR" recap of an article or research paper that a colleague has sent me. This simple practice has dramatically increased my bandwidth and improved my email response time.

2. Research and choose a user-friendly AI tool that aligns with your needs and goals. This will almost certainly involve a small investment, on the order of $20/month, to get access to a frontier model (i.e., best-in-class model, currently GPT-4, Claude 3, and Gemini 1.5). I often say, "Friends don't let friends use GPT-3.5," which is a light-hearted jab at the use of free tools.

3. Begin with small, low-stakes projects to familiarize yourself with the technology and build confidence. Ask your AI to interview you about a decision you're stuck on, for example. You'll be amazed at the impact of even "talking through a decision" out loud with an AI collaborator.

4. Connect with communities of like-minded professionals who are also exploring AI applications in your field. Share your experiences, learn from others, and collaborate on innovative use cases. My Try Ten Community is one such avenue for learning, and there are many others.

5. Seek out sources of AI inspiration. Newsletters like the Rundown and podcasts like Beyond the Prompt provide invaluable insights for free! There's no excuse to remain oblivious to opportunities.

The AI revolution is here, and experienced professionals have a unique opportunity to lead the charge. By combining your hard-won expertise with the power of AI, you can unlock new levels of productivity, creativity, and competitive advantage.

Don't wait for the world to change around you. Be the change. Embrace AI today and position yourself at the forefront of this exciting new era. Your experience is your edge – use it wisely.

Join us in the Try Ten Community to connect with other professionals on this journey and access resources to support your AI exploration. Together, we can shape the future of work and redefine what's possible in our fields.

The time to act is now. Will you seize the opportunity?

Related: Try Ten™ Community
Related: Beyond the Prompt

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