I find myself increasingly straddling two sides of a divide I hold very close to my heart. With the wave of automation and machine learning defining our world today and shaping the horizon, and the notion of real and authentic relationships seeming to conflict with the former, I find myself transfixed by how each element will influence the other—more specifically, how technology will influence relationships.
With my toe in the water of today’s advanced technology, I can already see how the advantage of real, true personal relationships will become more valuable than ever before. The wave of machine learning is only going to become more prominent in our daily lives, and while the experiences I have in this arena are interesting, drive efficiencies, and create more time for higher priorities, they also drive my desire for human connection, for the individual’s story. The experience of being at a live concert; of witnessing a life lived, learned, and hurdled; touching the edges of a mural texturized by another human’s story; or shaking the hand of a person who influences my future—these will become the premium, the palpable, the necessary.
In produce, these relationships are the crux of who we are. And while RFPs and contract agreements replace the personal with the impersonal, they only spark more desire for what allows this industry to thrive: connection and relationships. While we must find a way to adapt to new technologies, we must also discover a path that does not dwindle the power of human connection and conversation.
Trust is a truly human condition. As more things feel less and less within our control—weather occurrences and impacts, market pricing, a changing populace—the desire to lean into the friendships we make and the relationships we nurture will sustain us and give us the homeostasis we need.
Give me technology that helps me better organize and prioritize my life and work. Of course.
Give me a human connection anchored by trust and authenticity. Absolutely, every time.
There can be a space for both. In produce, we must not forget what got us here. We must remember each other.
