Toggle Switches

For an engineer, a toggle switch offers great utility and satisfaction.

On or off, with a satisfying mechanical tension and audible “klunk” when switching between. You can quickly glance at the switch and easily see its state. To move to the other state, flip the switch. Intentionally. Toggle switches serve as safety switches because they are difficult to switch by accident.

Toggle switches are also the fundamental heart of our digital world. We call it boolean logic, but it’s really just toggle switches. On or off. Every computer runs on toggle switches at its core. Software, too. We define a toggle switch as a fundamental type and use it everywhere.

We live in a toggle switch world.

Yes or no. Black or white. Right or wrong.

At least, that’s the way people use their platform to talk about it. I get it. The toggle switch is easy to understand, easy to communicate, and easy to make people feel like they need to choose sides. It’s the perfect sales pitch in a 256-character, first-3-second, red-or-blue culture.

But we don’t live in a toggle switch world.

AI won’t take all the jobs. AI won’t destroy the planet. AI won’t come looking to kill us.

However, AI will affect a lot of jobs. AI does strain our resources. AI can be maliciously incentivized.

I know this post right here won’t make a difference. Not in the this-or-that world. Not in a world where we’re constantly trying to get people in our boat, tell their neighbor, or buy our thing. Nobody’s gonna repost or quote it.

But this is just a reminder to you to keep the faith. Keep embracing nuance. Keep talking to and thinking hard with everyone in the room.

Keep trying to find real solutions.