Have you ever had one of those moments where you become suddenly and irrevocably aware of a paradigm shift, like pressure has been building until the ground finally shifts and you can't ignore it anymore? A few come to mind for me. Realizing the iPhone was more than an iPod with video. Coming to terms with the fact that two weeks was indeed not going to flatten the curve. Seeing the first "deep fake" video that fooled me, especially the first one I couldn't spot even after knowing it was fake. Each time I had a brief and simultaneous thought of recognition and acceptance. That's one of those feelings that there is probably a word for in other languages, but not English. Like you know something has changed and you can't do anything about it, so welcome to the new reality! Well, I think I saw one of those moments in real time last week. I was at an early morning networking event desperately clinging to some coffee when I was introduced to a new colleague. We chatted for a bit. Thoughts on the event, on the news, on our work. I noticed he was wearing a black plastic clip strung around his neck, so I ask what it was. With a glint of excitement, I was told about wearable AI—your event companion to help keep track of all those seminars and side conversations. (I can imagine this becomes particularly valuable when you hit that second or third happy hour!) I am sure I'm not alone in the next feeling I had, which was to close up just a little. The best comparison I can think of is suddenly realizing you are having a conversation with a reporter. It didn't change the topic or even substance of the conversation, but it did change the vibe. We had a great chat, and I learned how people are using wearable AI to make the most out of events. I was, however, left with that unmistakable feeling of change. Something as simple as the way we interact is different. As these devices become more popular, as I expect they might, there will be a cost. It will come in the form of candor. How many deals have been struck in a side hall at an event? How many challenges have been overcome between drinks at a bar? The value of in-person events is the messy contact sport of human interaction. It's incredibly difficult to replicate online, and it's not amenable summarized bullets. If we are always on the record, authenticity is sure to be a casualty. Perhaps such is the cost of progress and increased efficiency, because if there is one thing we've learned from the advance of AI, it's that wishing it weren't so won't stop the accelerating pace of change. But this frame of mind made me a little more sympathetic to the news this week that Congress is considering codifying the Pentagon's existing guidelines for use of AI. That type of collective conversation will be necessary if we're going to successfully navigate accelerating change, and it's not just a conversation to be handed down from on high—we all have to participate in it.

The views represented in this commentary are my own and do not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.