New firsts
I am 43 years of age, I have 2 children (that I know of), I started a number of companies (some of which still exist), I wrote a book (pre-ChatGPT), I published several songs (one of which is OK) and I recently had my first photo exhibit.
Yet, I still go through firsts quite a bit. You be the judge.
I have been teaching for a few years now. My first lectures took place during Covid: I would be facing a bunch of black screens for hours hoping anything I said on that Zoom call would ever resonate. Luckily, we eventually switched back to physical lectures and I started seeing my students. Earlier this year, a friend asked if I would come teach at her school, the Paris School of Luxury. After I reminded her I am not exactly a luxury expert — unless you count elite numbers of time spent on Youtube luxury — I went in and started giving AI lectures. One thing led to another and I am now in charge of the school’s Luxury strategy and marketing master. That’s new.
The first time I dabbled in AI was back in 2018, when I worked on the launch of Capgemini’s first global AI offering. Obviously, that was way before generative AI, back when automated manufacturing was the sh*t. It still is, to be honest, although most people only think about the aforementioned ChatGPT whenever you utter the acronym. A year and a half ago, a friend and I started an AI studio based on a project he had initiated in AI-generated arts. It expanded to virtual influencers, which we are now expanding yet again into a full-fledged AI studio. Over that period of time, I started giving keynotes — and lectures — on AI, but never full-on professional AI trainings. That might not sound like a big leap, but I am a perfectionist and grasping the subtleties of generative AI as applied to B2B sales is an interesting proposition. Last week, I performed my first ever such training in Strasbourg, home of the European parliament and, from my experience, a very sunny and charming city center complete with canals and cool looking tramways.
To promote my aforementioned first ever photo exhibit, I also organized my first ever opening. The joke is this: the exhibit started in early April but we couldn’t find a date that would accommodate both the upcoming school holidays and May’s — many — French bank holidays. In the end, we had the opening on May 16th, i.e. the day I started an intensive week with “my” master students, the day before I hosted an open day at the school to welcome new students, and 3 three days before my first AI training. Talk about interesting timing.
Through all of that, the most incredible first of the past weeks has way less to do with me — and way more to do with my firstborn. Last September, Sophia started taking piano lessons with a teacher we met quite randomly, who specializes in methods for small children, lived in the US for 15 years and can therefore teach our girl in both French and English. Although it is admittedly hard having Sophia do any homework — there still isn’t any at school — she picked up on this and gradually started reading notes and playing. With a tempo that is about as shitty as her father’s, thus proving she is indeed my daughter. And yes, I did compare myself to my 4-year old, because something tells me she will be kicking my musical ass by the time she turns 12. In any event, that very same weekend I had my exhibit opening, started an intensive week at school, hosted an open day there and right before I had my first AI training, Sophia also performed in her first ever recital. Getting her first diploma in the process.
Next year, she’ll start teaching my students.
PS. My 5-month old Nora also received her first diploma for taking part in a very serious scientific study on babies’ ability to recognize sounds…