Innovation Does Not Negotiate

Survival belongs to the adaptable

There is a scene in the classic Korean drama My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (nine-tailed fox), where the gumiho recounts her past. Feared. Respected. Powerful. She could fly. Travel vast distances. Lift enormous weights. Communicate beyond normal human limits.

Then she realises something unsettling. Humans can now do all of it. And they can do it better.

• Jets can travel at the speed of sound.

• Communication? No boundaries, even outside the Earth.

• The list is endless.

What was once supernatural has become ordinary. What was once strictly in the realm of magic is now engineering.

If you read religious texts, folklore, or even watch Nollywood films, you will notice something interesting. The things people once begged djinns, spirits, or demons for are now largely accessible through technology.

• Infertile? There are multiple medical routes to conception.

• Want to travel across continents? Hours on a plane.

• Need to communicate across oceans? Seconds on a screen.

• Destruction? Modern firearms make ancient curses look inefficient.

• Power? One individual today can cause devastation that once required an army.

• Assassination? Lol. (Mossad says hi.)

Technology has replicated almost every “supernatural” advantage people once feared or desired.

Yet here is the strange part. Devils and djinns are still culturally relevant. Fear still exists. Influence still exists. Power still exists. They innovated with the times.

And now we are at another inflexion point.

Artificial intelligence is here. It is not a trend. It is not a phase. It is infrastructure.

Many people still treat it like a novelty. Something optional. Something interesting but not urgent. History suggests that it is a mistake.

The Scribe

One of the most respected professions in history was the scribe. Scribes worked for kings and nobles. They documented laws, preserved knowledge, and shaped narratives. Literacy was rare. Writing was power. Scribes stood near the centre of influence.

Then Gutenberg’s printing press arrived.

The skill did not vanish overnight. But the exclusivity did. Influence decentralised. Some scribes adapted and worked within the new system. Many did not. The profession never regained its former status.

Innovation does not negotiate. It redistributes power.

The Royal Rebrand

Humans are dynamic by nature, but the most successful among us are those who see the wave coming and dive in, rather than trying to stand against it.

While most European monarchies were abolished or overthrown, the House of Windsor survived. How? Through brutal, pragmatic adaptation:

1. Identity: They changed their Germanic surname (from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) to sound more “British” during WWI.

2. Sacrifice: The king famously refused to save his own cousin, the Tsar of Russia, from execution because it would have jeopardised the monarchy’s standing at home.

3. Relinquishment: They traded real political power for ceremonial influence.

They are still here today because they were willing to evolve or die.

Institutions that refuse to evolve often romanticise their past. Institutions that survive understand that relevance is more important than pride.

The same applies to individuals.

What NEXT

In the early 2000s, many top bankers lost influence and position because they failed to adjust to structural shifts in finance. Entire careers were built on systems that changed faster than they anticipated. By the time some realised it, it was already too late.

Every era has its scribes. Every era has its printing press.

The gutenberg of today is A.I, any task that can be done using a screen whether it be a computer or a phone. A.I has already learnt how to do it or is currently learning how to.

How to Evolve Before the Market Forces You Out

To survive the AI shift, you must reform your skillset.

Below is a material to get you started.

While today it is AI, in a few years, it is going to be something else. You should always be willing to learn and embrace new technologies and standards; you can even be the one building it.

You can resist what is happening. You can downplay it. You can mock it. Or you can learn it, use it, and position yourself on the side of leverage rather than replacement.

The question is simple.

When the printing press arrives in your field, will you become part of it, or will you be remembered as the last scribe who refused to change?

NOTES

1. The “Identity Crisis” of the Gumiho

   In the show, Mi-ho’s struggle isn’t just about losing power; it’s about losing her identity. When your entire sense of self is built on being “special” or “talented” at a specific task, and a machine (or a human with a tool) does it better, you face a mental health crisis.

   • The Lesson: Don’t tie your self-worth to a task (like “I am a designer”). Tie it to a value (like “I solve visual problems”). Tasks can be automated; values cannot.

2. The "Windsor" Survival

   By abdicating power to the house, the royal family could not be blamed for any mismanagement or troubles in society, which ensures that a regime change or riot doesn’t affect them.

3. The "Djinn" Metaphor

   The devils, spirits and djinns now offer services in line with the century we are in; for example, they could be getting you addicted to pornography or social media. They may not give you cash; it could be crypto (I have not seen or heard of this before). Steering you away from God requires modern techniques.

While researching for this, AI helped with some tasks that would naturally take a lot of time.

1. I watched the K-drama series referenced more than 13 years ago, so I was unsure of the content. With the help of AI, I could track down the specific scene and also a video of the scene on YouTube. It had some inaccuracies, but it can only get better.

2. I used AI to generate a detailed case study on what happened to the monarchies in the UK and Europe in general within minutes, with up to 30 references, and it also showed you the process.

All images created with AI.