--- title: AI and the Fallacy of Futureproofing description: Explore the fallacy of futureproofing in the rapidly evolving world of AI and what it truly means for personal and professional growth. image: https://signal78.ai/hubfs/humansleadingai.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://signal78.ai/insights/ai-and-the-fallacy-of-futureproofing#main) [![Signal78 home](https://signal78.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/signal78-site/logo-signal78.png?width=95&height=30&name=logo-signal78.png)](https://signal78.ai/) [Home](https://signal78.ai/) [Platform](https://signal78.ai/platform) [Services](https://signal78.ai/services) [About](https://signal78.ai/about) [Insights](https://signal78.ai/insights) [Book a demo](https://signal78.ai/insights/ai-and-the-fallacy-of-futureproofing#demo) [← Insights](https://signal78.ai/insights) AI in the WorkplaceSeptember 13, 20244 min read # AI and the Fallacy of Futureproofing ![Matt Cyr](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/signal78-site/headshot-matt-cyr.jpg)**Matt Cyr** · Founder & President, Loop ![](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/humansleadingai.jpg) In this article Share Humans love predictability. We obsess over weather forecasts, schedule recurring meetings, and contribute to 401Ks, all because we want to know what to expect next. It’s probably the fight-or-flight part of our brains doing its best to create a sense of calm in a volatile world. It’s probably also at the base of our constant quest for futureproofing, the idea that we can somehow control our futures if we just take the right steps. I heard the word “futureproof” a lot this week. I was at the incredible [Marketing AI Conference (MAICON)](https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/events/marketing-artificial-intelligence-conference) in Cleveland, learning about the latest in AI, meeting professionals from across industries trying to bring it to their companies, and trying to figure out what AI means to me personally and professionally. “Futureproof your company by investing in AI now.” “Futureproof your career by getting ahead of the curve in AI knowledge and experience.” Etc. The implication is that by doing all of this, we’re inoculating ourselves from future professional turbulence; that, no matter where things go with AI, we will be among the select group of people and organizations that will succeed. This is, of course, not true, regardless of how much we want it to be. After listening to wonderful keynotes, enjoying insightful presentations and having compelling one-on-one conversations, one thing became very clear to me: futureproofing is a fallacy.![MAICON2024](https://signal78.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/MAICON2024.jpg?width=416&height=312&name=MAICON2024.jpg) It makes us all feel better to imagine that we’re doing the things that will make us endlessly employable. But it’s an illusion. The world had lots of plans, then covid came and upended them all. The metaverse seemed poised to take over the virtual world, then ChatGPT came out. There are no guarantees. But the big companies building AI know where this is all headed, right? They’re actively futureproofing the world today so we’ll all have a brighter future? Not exactly. In one of the MAICON panel discussions, Andy Sack, a venture capitalist who, along collaborator Adam Brotman, is interviewing some of the tech titans of the day (including Sam Altman from OpenAI) for a [book about the future of AI](https://www.forum3.com/ai-first-community), said something that probably shouldn’t have shocked me, but did: “There's a lot of money sloshing around \[in AI investment\]. You think there's a grand plan. There's not.” Think about that for a second: Sam Altman and the other (very few) people in the world who are driving AI forward in a macro way don’t have a plan. But wait, there's more. On the flight home last night I watched Oprah’s “[AI and the Future of Us](https://abc.com/news/1efd942d-61bb-4519-8a62-c4a8fce50792/category/1138628)” special. Having just come from MAICON and seeing the unexpected release yesterday of [OpenAI’s new “reasoning” LLM](https://openai.com/index/introducing-openai-o1-preview/), I was energized and primed for some guidance and guarantees regarding the future of AI. I didn’t find any. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, started by saying that “AI is going to have more impact than the personal computer, the phone, the internet…this is the biggest technical advance in my lifetime.” But when asked by Oprah if he had any concerns about AI, the man who gave us [Clippy](https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-life-death-microsoft-clippy-paper-clip-loved-hate) responded, “I have significant fears about the risks. This is the first technology that’s happening faster than the insiders expected.”![Gates-Oprah-AI](https://signal78.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/file%20(1)-1.jpg?width=422&height=241&name=file%20(1)-1.jpg) Fantastic. I’ll just be over here rocking quietly in the corner and mumbling to myself. This isn’t meant to be a cynical, nothing-is-worth-your-time-and-energy-because-we’re-all-gonna-die screed. Promise. After all, as someone who recently started my own marketing AI consultancy for higher ed and healthcare, I’ve already taken the red pill on AI. But I have no illusions that I’ve made a decision that will futureproof me from future changes in technology, shifts in work culture or worldwide pandemics. I’ve done what I think most of us try to do: the best we can given the vicissitudes of life. So, while learning about, using and even starting a business related to AI isn’t a bulletproof protection against any change that may come our way, it *is* the act of raising a flag for personal and professional agency, for seeking something in life that makes us excited, fulfilled and a little terrified. And maybe that’s a kind of futureproofing after all. ![Matt Cyr](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/signal78-site/headshot-matt-cyr.jpg) Founder & President ### Matt Cyr Nearly 30 years leading marketing teams, from Boston’s hospitals and universities to eight years running strategy and new business at a 100-person agency. Founded Loop in 2024. ## More insights. [See all insights→](https://signal78.ai/insights) ### [![](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/Gemini_Generated_Image_tlr2qftlr2qftlr2.jpeg) AI StrategyOctober 6, 2026 It’s Q4 — How’s Your AI Plan Coming? Read the post→](https://signal78.ai/insights/its-q4-hows-your-ai-plan-coming) ### [![](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/2026-09-28_asset_linkedin-article-header-platform-update-fall-2026.png) Signal78September 28, 2026 Signal78 Is Live. Here's What It's Proven — and What's Next. Read the post→](https://signal78.ai/insights/notes-from-the-build-where-signal78-stands-this-fall) ### [![](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/37-78.png) AI for AgenciesAugust 11, 2026 AI Will Keep Making Move 37. We Named the Company After Move 78. Read the post→](https://signal78.ai/insights/ai-will-keep-finding-move-37.-we-named-the-company-after-move-78) Every week ## Stay in the Loop. Get next week’s issue in your inbox: what changed in AI, and what it means for your agency. ![Signal78](https://signal78.ai/hubfs/signal78-site/logo-signal78.png) The agentic operating platform for agencies. It runs the routine and signals your people when their judgment matters. [Home](https://signal78.ai/) [Platform](https://signal78.ai/platform) [Services](https://signal78.ai/services) [About](https://signal78.ai/about) [Insights](https://signal78.ai/insights) © 2026 Signal78 [Privacy policy](https://signal78.ai/privacy) Cookie settings × ## Book a 30-minute demo Pick a time that works. 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The white paper on what it takes to keep a homegrown AI system current, secure and separated by client. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Matt Cyr", "url" : "https://signal78.ai/insights/author/matt-cyr" }, "dateModified" : "2024-09-17T20:28:27.383Z", "datePublished" : "2024-09-13T20:11:50.000Z", "headline" : "AI and the Fallacy of Futureproofing", "image" : [ "https://signal78.ai/hubfs/humansleadingai.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://signal78.ai/insights/ai-and-the-fallacy-of-futureproofing", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://signal78.ai/hubfs/Loop%20Logos/Loop_Primary.svg" }, "name" : "Signal78" } } ```