"I'm not as late as you think; I've been here all along!"
I saw Spring sitting right beside me, in the chair I had prepared, but my heart was gazing into the distance, unable to perceive Spring already within me.
People often talk about spring in terms of brilliance, fireworks, and boisterous celebrations. But for me, spring is a quiet moment of reflection on life, a "resting place" between the towering steps of human existence.
I sat in my usual corner, not exactly waiting, but listening. Listening to see what the Spring of 2026, after a turbulent 2025, would be like.
"Let's get down to business! The bosses are rushing me with this assignment..."
Spring looked at me with a pitying smile.
I jokingly said, "Deadline isn't a bodhisattva; it's never been merciful!"
Before I could say anything more, the cafe where we were sitting suddenly played a playlist of AI-powered music. An idea flashed through my mind.
"Just in time, you hear, AI music, AI writing, everything has been taken over by AI... What do you think?"
Spring is pensive.
"I've seen this for years, even before I was in office. But perhaps it's only in the last year that we've seen so many AI applications in niches closer to human life. People are using it in offices, content creation, personal branding, and, as you're hearing! Even in the arts."
The answer reminded me of a musician friend of mine. He participated in a major competition organized by a ride-hailing company. While the musicians, working with their own hands, spent time writing songs, money on arranging music, hiring people to sing demos, and finishing their works, the organizers announced that 7 out of 10 songs in the Top 10 were composed using... AI.
This has left the young musicians' association disappointed and outraged. The organizers argued that they had not initially prohibited participants from using AI, and that the artists still enjoyed the songs created by AI.
"Before airplanes, if someone told me about sitting among the clouds, I'd probably think they were crazy. Before telephones, if someone told me about being able to see and hear someone on the other side of the ocean just through a small screen, I'd also think they were abnormal...", Spring added.
"Do you mean we should gradually get used to AI and use it as a useful tool instead of rejecting it?"
Spring winked. Spring's mischievous wink startled me; I could see people in schools submitting assignments done by AI, I could see AI-generated photos flooding social media instead of carefully taken photographs, creative offices with chillingly automated scripts, I could see foolish people carrying AI-generated prescriptions to pharmacies...
AI can be the wings for a tiger, or it can be the shackles that "close the door" on the normal thought process of the human brain...
That morning, I went to my usual audiobook app to find a new book to listen to. What surprised me most was that they had updated their app with new books featuring AI voices. They even gave names to the voices, and listeners could choose their preferred AI voice—male or female, high or low pitch...
So, does this mean AI is taking over a portion of the work in the traditional Voice Talent industry? From the producers' perspective, it saves money and time, eliminating the need to hire voice-readers or studios, instead of spending countless days in the studio poring over thick books, reading each word, and painstakingly mixing and editing every single word...
"That's right, we don't have the power to change the course of time! You know about the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics ? Three economists, Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt, have shown us that the way to maintain a sustainable economy is through 'creative destruction' and 'understanding why, not just how,' meaning we need to constantly embrace the new, even if it disrupts the old."
The emergence of Netflix has "destroyed" all video rental stores, Apple alone has changed so much about the phone... And there will be many more. AI will eventually be like that, we just have to accept it!
"But I'm still a little resentful..."
Spring is pensive.
"In the realm of art, like you and your friends, remember to retain the most 'human' aspect of thought within every work; that will be the pure gold later, when we've all become too lazy to think."
Spring spoke as if she understood my thoughts, saying that while those voice substitutes were indeed good, they were dry and only conveyed certain pre-arranged emotions; they couldn't be as perfect as a human voice... AI will save you time in every industry; look at it from that positive perspective!
"Humans, focus your attention on other things! Let us AI help you save time on those tasks that already have formulas! Life is short, you need to dedicate your time to more important things...", I muttered amidst the giggling of Spring.
I asked you, as if asking an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time: "This spring of 2025 must be exhausting, right? When you return and see the burdens still weighing on the shoulders of young people, see the unfinished plans, will you feel sorry for them?"
A gentle breeze carried the scent of jasmine flowers, like a silent reply.
"Of course I feel sorry for them," I heard Spring whisper in the wind. "I feel sorry for the way they brace themselves. I see them in empty cafes, hastily flipping through an old book to find solace. I see them bravely crying alone when the loneliness of being in a foreign land still lingers, then bravely wiping away their tears and moving on even as natural disasters and floods ravage their small families back home."
I see them struggling in a world that's changing so rapidly, where skills that were once considered a plus are now considered basic necessities. I see them draining their vitality from the struggle for survival, peer pressure, and distant dreams that seem unattainable. Vitality isn't always a dazzling fireworks display. Sometimes, it's just a small, resilient candle burning through a stormy night. And I'm here, simply to breathe a little fresh air into that candle."
I wondered again: "What's different about the energy you bring this year?"
This time, Spring was quieter for longer. Only the gentle sound of the river lapping against the shore could be heard.
"As we've talked about AI all along... A machine can create a picture of flowers," you said, "but it doesn't remember a past flower season. It can write a piece of music, but it has no memories associated with that song. My life, and the life of humanity, lies in two words: 'emotion'."
It lies in the fact that we know how to grieve over something from the past, how to feel compassion for a stranger, how to forget, and how to forgive. Machines can replicate perfection, but humans know how to love even the imperfect. That's what I'm bringing to the table."
Spring doesn't say goodbye. You simply fade away, leaving me with a strange sense of peace. I suddenly realize that Spring 2026 didn't come to promise something great or a completely new beginning. You returned simply to soothe. To tell us that, after all the heartbreak of 2025, everything will be alright.
The sun has risen. I feel a tiny green sprout growing inside me.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phong-van-mua-xuan-20260202164937327.htm
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