• by Shirley Marschall , Featured Contributor, July 17, 2025

AI didn’t kill creativity first. Or empathy. Or even jobs.

The first thing AI killed? Humble.

Remember when admitting you didn’t know something was considered wise?

“I know that I know nothing,” said Socrates.

And what about “Speech is silver, silence is golden” — that gentle reminder that quiet reflection is sometimes more powerful than confident noise, especially in situations where silence might be the better answer?

Then AI entered the scene -- and humble left the building.

There’s a scene in the cult classic "Dirty Dancing" when Baby — wide-eyed and curious — carries a watermelon into a forbidden staff party. There, she meets Johnny for the first time. He’s the resident hottie and rebel. It’s awkward. It’s charming. And it marks her first step into a totally new world.

Now picture that watermelon as “humble.”

And Johnny, the mysterious dance instructor? He’s AI.

(Ahem. Moving on.)

Everyone’s an Expert Now

Everyone has an opinion — and the ones speaking out do it with absolute confidence and certainty. From LinkedIn hot takes to panel show declarations, we’re watching a full-blown performance of certainty.

And what’s being said about the present and future of AI?

Wow. It has more colors than the rainbow — covering the entire spectrum from dystopia to utopia.

And there’s an audience for everyone.

Ad tech? Just like every other tech industry, it’s deep in the middle of it, flush with “AI vision decks” and guru proclamations.

Same old tech bros — just with less power and fewer stock options, declaring the “end of” and “beginning of” AI-MCP-A2A-OMG… on alternating Tuesdays.

Sure. Just nod.

The Quiet 99.9%

While the loudest voices debate, there’s a quiet majority — professionals across media, tech, and marketing who don’t have a (hot) take.

Humble humans who simply don’t know.

The ones not building agents at night. Not prompt engineering on weekends. Not tweeting about “vibe coding.”

They’re watching, cautiously, trying to adapt and keep up. Maybe experimenting a bit. Maybe just observing.

But mostly? They’re trying not to look clueless or embarrass themselves.

The pressure is real. No surprise, with constant messages like: Adapt or lose. Adapt and still lose. Lose, whatever you do.

Some Humble Questions

Why does everyone suddenly need to scale up, prompt, automate, agent-build?

Why does every marketer suddenly have to think like a coder?

What if the real value of AI shows up when it’s just… part of the stack? What if AI only becomes truly valuable when it’s invisible? Baked into the tools we already use — like DSPs, SSPs, CRMs, etc.? A smart layer. Not a lifestyle.

Of course, that question implies AI is “just” normal tech.

But honestly — if AI really is going to take all our jobs, who really thinks learning how to vibe code is going to save us?

Maybe It Was Us All Along

Wrapped in hype, hope, and fear, we blame AI for the chaos.

But maybe this isn’t an AI issue. Maybe it’s us.

Maybe we stopped asking thoughtful questions. Maybe we stopped being okay with not knowing. Maybe we decided shouting loudly was easier than admitting doubt.

Because if we are living in the era of performative AI certainty, maybe the real upgrade we need isn’t smarter models.

It’s rediscovering the magic of saying: “I don’t know. Yet.”