First, a bit of background on the song. Billy Joel came up with the idea when he was turning 40. A chance meeting with Sean Lennon (son of John and Yoko) made him realize how each subsequent generation feels things are getting worse.
The 1989 song lists 117 historical events from the 1940s to the late 1980s, chronicling everything from scientific advances to political events in chronological order.
In “Blue Goldfish,” we similarly traced 71 events in the evolution of technology and data analytics that brought us AI. While doing so, two facts come into sharp focus.
First, the rate of innovation is ever-increasing. In Joel’s words, “It was always burning, since the world’s been turning.” And what would seem like a giant leap 60 years ago appears more like a small step today.
Second, these innovations are changing the average consumer. Going from a world where connected technology is mostly a dream to such ubiquity where more humans have mobile phones than access to working toilets is nothing short of impressive.
As you consider the journey, there’s no doubt that expectations for our customers have changed. We’ve forced them to change with each innovation being faster, smaller, and more accessible than the last. The same expectations apply to your business.
Your customers expect faster response times, shorter wait times, more value, and a personalized experience all at once. The companies that figure out how to leverage AI to serve this modern consumer will thrive. And the others? Their days are numbered.
In my next book “Blue Goldfish 2.0” (coming April 11th), we highlight companies leveraging AI to improve customer experience. Technology brought us these increasing expectations and it’s the only thing that can save our businesses from them.
Speaking of AI, I shared our 71 events with ChatGPT and asked it to write a song similar to “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Here is the full song:
(Verse 1) In ’61, Kilby and Noyce, their genius unchained,
The silicon chip birthed, technology gained.
No more vacuum tubes, their size and their drain,
A revolution launched, a computer’s domain.
Roger Easton’s vision, GPS took flight,
Tracking satellites, guiding us right.
Goodnight’s SAS, statistics in sight,
From farm fields to boardrooms, shining so bright.
(Chorus) We didn’t start the fire, but we lit the flame,
Innovation’s our anthem, the world’s never the same.
From the moon to the web, we’ve played the game,
The journey continues, our legacy to claim.
(Verse 2) ’69, Armstrong’s moonwalk, a giant leap made,
ARPANET’s birth, Licklider’s crusade.
Moore’s Law declared, computing cascade,
Transistors and chips, our progress displayed.
Xerox Alto’s dawn, a desktop dream,
Martin Cooper’s call, a mobile scheme.
Personal computers, a tech regime,
Digital photos, a Kodak theme.
(Chorus) We didn’t start the fire, but we lit the flame,
Innovation’s our anthem, the world’s never the same.
From the moon to the web, we’ve played the game,
The journey continues, our legacy to claim.
(Bridge) From eBay’s auctions to Wikipedia’s might,
Driverless cars, AI’s insight.
Google’s searches, YouTube’s delight,
Amazon’s reign, the future in sight.
(Verse 3) In ’21, DeepMind’s grand feat,
Protein folding solved, diseases to beat.
In ’22, fusion’s heat,
National Ignition’s promise, energy replete.
ChatGPT’s arrival, conversation’s new height,
AI’s widespread, in day and night.
Voice assistants aid, with insight,
A future powered, by AI’s light.
(Chorus) We didn’t start the fire, but we lit the flame,
Innovation’s our anthem, the world’s never the same.
From the moon to the web, we’ve played the game,
The journey continues, our legacy to claim.
(Outro) From silicon dreams to AI’s embrace,
We’ve journeyed far, in time and space.
The fire still burns, in every place,
Innovation’s anthem, humanity’s grace.