This morning, I gathered my management team to share my AI learning journey.

Some looked excited, some confused, and I’m pretty sure one was secretly Googling, “What is AI again?”

I started with a bold statement : “AI is not what you think.”

For most, AI is just about:
✅ Writing emails.
✅ Searching for holiday destinations.
✅ Summarizing technical knowledge.

That was me too—until I started my 14-day AI crash course last August. Each day was a special assignment, and each day, I struggled.

The struggle is real. Accountants think in squares, AI thinks in circles.

With no coding background, AI felt like a foreign language. Terms like LLM (Large Language Models), Ollama, prompt engineering, and Knime sounded like alien technology.

And don’t even get me started on Python.

Every time I got stuck, the instructor would pat me on the back (virtually) and say in an encouraging tone:
“慢慢来，你比同龄人优秀多了！” (“Take your time. You are better than the same age group of people!”)

For a moment, I felt smart… until I saw the youngsters flying through assignments like AI engineers on steroids.

Then came the WOW moment when I joined MIA’s “bilateral talk” with ISCA Singapore.

That’s when I saw Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in action—automating auditing, accounting, and tax processes without human intervention.

I had a realization moment. AI isn’t just making emails easier—it’s disrupting entire industries.

Feeling “motivated,” I joined another AI workflow automation workshop.

Proudly, I asked the speaker about my latest AI tool last August, Knime. His response?

“You can discharge that already.”

Wait, what?! I belum habis belanja! How can it be non-relevant already?

That’s when I truly understood—AI evolves faster than my knee pain on a rainny day.

At least I managed to build a simple WhatsApp chatbot that automates messages. Small win!

Determined to master AI, I decided to learn Python.

I went to the bookstore, found a “Python for Dummies” book (with lots of cartoons), and declared : “I will become a Python programmer after CNY!”

…30 pages later during CNY, I surrendered.

YouTube became my new teacher. But even then, I realized—learning coding at this age is like learning TikTok dances. Possible, but painful.

AI won’t replace us—but if we ignore it, someone who knows AI might.

So, uncles like me—let’s embrace AI before AI embraces us.