Don't panic about AI, but don't ignore it
I just read an Instagram post from Rado, the CEO of Noice (an Indonesian audio app) and an ex-Googler, about how he and his team are approaching AI.
It’s not just “AI is cool, let’s use it”. It’s a way of thinking about it: what’s changing, why you should care, and concretely what to do.
A new layer, not a trend
He talks about three things that really woke him up:
- His early career as an analyst. If that role existed today, it could most likely already be replaced by AI.
- His kids’ education. He asked himself whether today’s school system will still be relevant 10–15 years from now.
- AI is developing exponentially. Big tech is all in. If we just watch, the gap keeps getting wider.
His conclusion: this isn’t a passing trend. It’s a new layer, like the PC, the internet and mobile were before it.
Don’t panic, but don’t ignore
The part that hit me hardest was the mindset he recommends: “Don’t panic, but also don’t ignore.”
Don’t panic. But don’t shrug it off either. It’s a hard balance, but an important one.
He says the way to learn has to look like this:
- Be a beginner again. Drop your ego.
- Don’t just read threads or watch demos. Use the tools yourself.
- The pattern: Learn → Apply → Reflect → Repeat.
This is a lot like the learning pyramid I wrote about earlier. The learning that really sticks comes from practice, not just from consuming.
Then he lists the skills AI can’t replace: decision-making, networking, creative problem solving, leadership, and taste and judgment.
The punchline: “Tools will get smarter. Judgment still compounds.”
AI keeps getting smarter and cheaper. But what makes the difference in the end result is still the quality of human judgment.
A system for the whole team
What earned my respect is that he doesn’t only talk to individuals. He also gives his team a blueprint.
At Noice, they run an AI Sprint twice a month. Mandatory. Offline.
The method is Follow → Copy → Repeat. Everyone practices together so each person gets their own “eureka moment”. Some of the use cases: building a website or app with AI, making a deep-dive presentation, generating short videos.
To me, this is what actually adapting looks like. He doesn’t just say “let’s learn AI”. He sets up a system: a schedule, a curriculum, use cases, tools and a culture.
That’s what keeps this memo from being just talk.
What I’m taking from it
If I pull three points out of this memo:
- AI is a new layer, not a new feature. The way we work, and our careers, shift with it.
- Build two things in parallel: the skill of using AI, and human skills (judgment, taste, relationships).
- Don’t do it randomly. Organize how you learn. Build a system, not just an intention.
After reading this, I’m more convinced that starting matters more than being smart.
Read the full post on radoyanu’s Instagram. It’s really worth reading slowly.