Brotman calls this the Middle Era of AI: a period when AI tools are genuinely capable and widely available, but not yet deeply integrated into every workflow or trusted by every organisation. This middle period is exactly where early adopters gain the most advantage — not because the tools are uniquely powerful, but because the gap between those who know how to use them well and those who do not is at its widest. People who learned to use the internet well in the late 1990s had a decade-long advantage over those who waited until it was unavoidable. The same dynamic is unfolding with AI now. The window to build genuine expertise — while most people are still hesitant or uninformed — is open now. It will not stay open indefinitely.