According to the AARP, 30% of people over age 50 used AI in 2025, mostly as super web search engines – something at which these tools are incredibly effective. If you aren’t using these tools, at a minimum you are accepting less efficiency in your life, and may actually be crippling your professional growth.

Three years ago, ChatGPT had 100 million worldwide users, mostly tech nerds and early adopters playing around. Today, the numbers are staggering. OpenAI reports 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users – and this number doesn’t include those using Grok, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI and others. Three years ago, chatbots were mostly toys. Today about 75% of chatbot conversations are practical rather than playful.

That’s the classic pattern with technology. It starts as a gadget and ends up as infrastructure. When I was in high school, I had a Radio Shack TRS-80 computer – a clunky keyboard connected to a television set and a cassette tape recorder. I’d peck out BASIC programs that did little more than ask your name, then flash it across the screen in some goofy pattern. My parents were less than dazzled by this wizardry. Five years later I was using Lotus 1-2-3 (Excel’s grandaddy) to organize reems of financial data and run limitless “what if?” simulations.

A toy, then a tool. Every time.

Marc Andreesen is one of the really smart people about these things. He cofounded Netscape and designed Mosaic, one of the first web browsers and the first one to display inline images. Andreesen believes that the AI boom is still in its infancy and that the collision of new technology with other changes in the world right now (loss of trust in old institutions, declining birth rates, increased online connectivity) feel like a historical inflection point. He compares it to moments like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 or end of World War II. He describes AI as a massive multiplier for human performance, but one that amplifies unevenly: it turns good performers into very good ones – and great performers into spectacularly great ones.

If Andreesen is right (and history suggests he might be), the gap between the spectacularly great performers and everyone else would likely widen income inequality. But like every big technological leap, it’ll almost certainly lift the overall standard of living for everybody, including those at the lower-end of the income spectrum.

If you don’t have any idea why you might use AI or even how to get started, the Internet is full of resources.  Just Google “AI for beginners.” Or better, ask Chat GPT to compile a list of articles and YouTube videos. It will take about 10 seconds.

Out of curiosity, after finishing this column I asked AI chatbot Grok to write a column about adoption of AI.  Here are the instructions I provided:

• Write a 450-word essay about the rapid adoption of AI.
• Use the voice of David Moon from Moon Capital Management.
• Include Marc Andreesen’s recent comments about AI supercharging already good performers.
• Compare AI usage going from being a novelty, almost a toy – to being something very productivity enhancing.  In the same way other tech advances have been. Include an anecdote about me using a Radio Shack computer in 1980 as a toy, and then in 5 years using a IBM PC for complicated (for the time) spreadsheet analysis.

Here is what it produced, without any edits. All AI-generated. I’d be interested to know which version you prefer.

From Grok:

The Rapid Adoption of AI: From Novelty to Indispensable Tool

As someone who has spent decades in investment management, observing markets and technological shifts, the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence strikes me as both familiar and unprecedented. History shows that groundbreaking technologies often begin as curiosities before becoming indispensable tools. AI is following that path, but at a blistering speed.

I recall my own early encounters with personal computing. Back in 1980, I tinkered with a Radio Shack TRS-80 computer in my spare time. It was essentially a toy—a fascinating novelty that let me experiment with basic programming and simple games. It entertained and intrigued, but its practical applications were limited. Fast forward just five years, and I was seated before an IBM PC, using spreadsheet software like Lotus 1-2-3 to perform complex financial analyses that would have taken hours or days by hand. What started as play became a serious productivity booster, fundamentally changing how I—and countless others—approached business and investing. This transition mirrored broader shifts as computers moved from hobbyist gadgets to essential business instruments.

AI’s journey echoes this pattern precisely. When tools like early versions of generative AI first emerged, they were often treated as novelties—clever toys for generating stories, brainstorming ideas, or casual conversations. Impressive demonstrations, yes, but many dismissed them as passing fads or mere entertainment.

That view has changed swiftly. Today, AI has evolved into a genuine productivity enhancer, much like the personal computer, the internet, mobile technology, and cloud computing before it. Professionals across fields now leverage it daily: analysts summarize vast datasets in minutes, writers refine drafts with insightful suggestions, coders accelerate development cycles, and executives gain strategic clarity from complex scenario modeling. It does not replace human judgment; it amplifies it.

Marc Andreessen captured this shift eloquently in his recent comments. He noted that AI “is going to take people who are good at doing things and make them very good at doing things.” It supercharges already strong performers, turning competent professionals into highly effective ones and elevating top talent to spectacular levels—often delivering tenfold gains in output. In my experience advising clients and building positions in tech-driven firms, those embracing AI early are seeing measurable advantages in efficiency and creativity.

The adoption rate is remarkable, accelerated by accessible platforms and compounding capabilities. Businesses ignoring this risk repeating the mistakes of those who resisted earlier waves. As with my own progression from Radio Shack experiments to IBM-powered insights, AI promises to reshape work, economies, and opportunity. The key is approaching it thoughtfully—harnessing its power while preserving our distinctly human edge. The future looks bright for those who adapt.

David Moon is president of Moon Capital Management. A version of this piece originally appeared in the USA TODAY NETWORK.