Should You keep up with every AI update?
Nah, Get Off the Hamster Wheel...
Google just dropped a mountain of new AI announcements at I/O 2025. If you’ve already seen the headlines, you know the drill….faster models, more multimodal tools, Gemini updates in Android, generative video search, and even a more "personalized" search assistant that knows what you want before you finish typing. Wild, right?
It’s a lot to take in with all the other recent AI announcements. While it’s undeniably impressive, it’s also kind of exhausting. The pace at which these updates hit, week after week and platform after platform, is enough to make anyone feel like they’re falling behind. Especially if you’re someone who doesn’t live and breathe this stuff 24/7.
If that sounds familiar, let me offer a little perspective: it’s okay not to chase every shiny new thing. You don’t need to master every tool the moment it drops. Don’t listen to these AI influencers, especially on Linkedin, who make you feel like you are falling behind because their AI writer posts 10 times a day telling you that you are falling behind if you don’t master tool X, Y, or Z. In fact, trying to do that might hurt more than help.
Here’s the thing nobody talks about: most of these updates, no matter how revolutionary they sound, aren't built for the average user to adopt instantly. They're signals, just signs of where the technology could go, but not necessarily where you need to be right now.
You’re allowed to take your time. In fact, I encourage you to slow yourself down, and approach AI in an orderly and structured manner.
It’s easy to get caught up in the feeling that if you’re not testing every new AI feature, you’re already behind. Social media, newsletters, webinars, etc. They all turn updates into urgency because their job is to get paid for the clicks you make on their links. Like if you don’t jump on it now, you’ll miss some critical turning point. But the truth? The best way to actually build AI literacy and make it stick is to focus on the fundamentals first.
Learn to write better prompts. Understand how models think. Test what works for you and your goals. That foundation? It doesn’t go out of date. It's what helps you adapt when the updates do matter.
A good analogy: if you were learning to cook, you wouldn’t try to recreate Michelin-star recipes with ten ingredients you’ve never heard of on day one. You’d start with knife skills. Learn what salt actually does to flavor. Master scrambled eggs. The same goes for AI.
Chasing every update without grasping the basics is like sprinting in the wrong direction. You’ll just burn out. And trust me, burnout is real. I’ve seen folks get so overwhelmed by AI hype that they end up disengaging completely. They stop exploring and stop learning because the mountain just looks too steep to climb.
So let’s flip the script a little bit.
Instead of racing to “keep up,” what if we started pacing ourselves with intention? What if your AI journey didn’t look like a timeline of updates, but a personal path based on what you actually need right now?
If you’re in marketing, maybe your focus should be mastering customer segmentation with AI or automating email copy, not playing with text-to-video tools you’ll never use.
If you’re a small business owner, maybe what matters most is figuring out how to streamline inventory tasks, not diving into the latest Gemini SDK.
And if you’re just trying to understand what the fuss is all about? Maybe all you need is a solid prompt framework and a weekend to tinker without pressure.
Here’s a little secret I’ve learned from working with both AI skeptics and enthusiasts: the people who get the most value from AI aren't the ones who chase every feature. They're the ones who go deep on a few core tools and build real intuition. They don’t jump every time there’s a new release. They wait until the update makes sense for them.
So if today’s news from Google feels more overwhelming than exciting, that’s okay. You’re not alone. And honestly, it probably means you care enough to want to get it right.
Let this be your permission slip: you don’t have to be “in the know” about every drop. You don’t have to integrate a new tool every week. You just need to keep learning at your own pace, with your own goals in mind.
Here’s a simple way to reframe your approach:
Pick one AI tool or workflow to master each month. Not explore. Master. That means testing, failing, asking questions, and finding out what actually works for you.
Ignore the noise. Mute the newsletter if it stresses you out. Bookmark the article, don’t read it now. Stay off the launch livestream. You can always catch up later.
Focus on your domain. Whatever you do, teaching, building, designing start there. Find the AI use cases that solve your real-world problems. That’s where the value is for normal people.
Don’t just consume, create. Try using AI to help you create something real. Not a throwaway prompt, but a finished project. Even if it’s small. That kind of practice builds confidence fast.
Also, maybe most importantly, give yourself some grace. This space moves fast. It's built to move fast. But you don’t have to match that pace to be relevant. You just need to stay curious and consistent.
We’re at the beginning of a very long road with AI. There’s no rush to get to the end.
So, next time you see another headline about the latest model, pause for a second. Ask yourself: “Does this matter for me right now?”
If the answer is no? Cool. Move on.
If the answer is maybe? Bookmark it for later.
If the answer is yes? Great! Go explore, but do it on your terms.
Because the real game isn’t about who keeps up best. It’s about who builds something meaningful in the long run.
Here is the TechCrunch article on the latest Google AI updates if you need it! https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/google-i-o-2025-everything-announced-at-this-years-developer-conference/
Thanks for the restack!