All,
Just as a side note on our recent visit to Gdansk for the G7 Ukraine Business Advisory Council meetings…
It was a very positive event, and some of the changing realities on the Ukraine-Russia battlefront created more optimism than in previous years that the war may finally be moving toward an end. Fingers crossed.
These conferences really aren’t my thing (as those of you who know me probably already know 😉). Derek is much better at them than I am. But they do give us the opportunity to meet and interact with leaders from business and government around the world, and they allow LP to play a small part in the fight for the freedom and independence that this war is ultimately about. I’m proud and honored that we have this opportunity to contribute.
As I mentioned earlier, the trip also gave us a chance to spend time with our LP office in Gdansk and to catch up with Petro and Oksana Fedoruk—two of our favorite people—who represent LP in various parts of the world whenever needed. We truly couldn’t ask for better representatives or better friends to spend time with.
After the conference wrapped up on Friday, the four of us headed over to nearby Sopot for the afternoon. Now, if you’re like me, you probably don’t think of northern Poland as a beach destination…but Sopot absolutely is. Beautiful hotel. Beautiful weather. Beautiful sandy beach. We relaxed, had a drink, enjoyed the afternoon, and took a few pictures.
Then, just for shits and giggles, Oksana decided to have a little fun with AI.
Check out the photos below.
I bet this is not what most people picture when thinking of Poland 🙂
There are actually several “Grand Hotels” like this one along the North Sea shore between Gdansk and Gdynia
Petro & Oksana with Derek and I enjoying a relaxing afternoon.
We took this picture. Then Oksana decided to have some AI fun 😉
She turned it into this picture
Then dressed us up, and put us back into the conference hall in this picture
Then added a couple of “friends” at the conference
Then had Tom Hanks and Rodney Dangerfield join us
And then we all celebrated! And these were all done in minutes while sitting at a table under an umbrella by the beach having dinner. CRAZY!!
I’m definitely not a tech guy. I was an early adopter of computers and the internet, but I have zero technical skills—you can ask Andrew, Keith, Emile, or Tony! 😂 I’m still trying to figure out how those two tin cans connected by a waxed string actually work.
That said, I have become a huge fan of ChatGPT. I use it every day, and I think artificial intelligence is going to change the world in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
What amazed me was watching Oksana create these images. She did it in just a few minutes, and it looked almost effortless.
If this is where the technology is today, imagine where it will be in another year…or five.
All I can say is…
Buckle up. 😉
Onward! -JB
Farewell, Gdansk.
A fairy tale city. I hope to come back again one day.