Remember what happened when David fought Goliath?

David vs Goliath is a story as old as, well, The Old Testament. It’s been rebooted innumerable times in entertainment and popular culture.

One of the most poignant modern day David vs Goliath stories is the 1997 Australian film The Castle (watch the trailer here). The Castle tells the story of the Kerrigan family and their legal battle to avoid the Australian government compulsorily acquiring their home to build a new airport runway.

The Kerrigans are the iconic ‘true blue Aussie battler’ family. They’re working class people with modest means and strong family values. Perhaps due to its convict heritage (as far as European settlement is concerned), sticking up for the little guy, getting ‘a fair go’ and backing the underdog are woven into the fabric of Australian culture.

This cultural context makes The Castle the ultimate Australian David vs Goliath story.

With limited resources and the odds stacked against them, the Kerrigans engage local lawyer Dennis Denuto to represent them in the fight to keep their home. Denuto is way out of his depth arguing against the Australian Government as he delivers a lovable but hopelessly inept summary of the Kerrigans’ case, one of the most quotable lines in Australian cinema history:

“It’s just…the vibe of the thing.”

It might not stand up in a court of law, but this soundbite conveys the sentiment of a nation: the Kerrigans aren’t getting a fair go from the powers that be.

Generative AI, powered by a handful of tech billionaires, armed with trillions of dollars now pouring into the companies they run, is our Goliath. Those driving the AI megalith seem to want to compulsorily acquire our mindshare. And it feels like the result is a foregone conclusion, a fait accomplis.

Platforms like LinkedIn are a seething mass of debate and opinion, from ‘adapt or get left behind’, to ‘Generative AI is an anti-human movement’. Evangelists and doomsdayers alike cherry-pick data and evidence that supports their claims - from MIT studies about diminished brain activity using ChatGPT to spurious LinkedIn posts about replacing entire teams with AI agents.

In The Castle, the Kerrigans ultimately get help from a retired Queen’s Counsel to argue their case in the High Court of Australia. He offers to help for free, as he believes their case pertains to the public good. Counsel expands on ‘the vibe’ argument and the compulsory acquisition is deemed unconstitutional. Like David, the Kerrigans are victorious, winning the right to stay in their home.

No matter how all-consuming this GenAI wave might seem; no matter how big and strong Goliath may appear, the result is not pre-determined. Your mindshare cannot be compulsorily acquired.

Let’s not forget how the David vs Goliath story ends.

What does your gut say about Generative AI? What’s your vibe of the thing? I welcome your perspective.