Hello loves!
I hope everyone has been having a good week. This post is going to be a little different than all the others, but I think it's important. It's something I've been wanting to talk about for a while, honestly.
Before we get into it, I want you to think of the first time you made something. Like really made something, where you had a specific idea and you focused and worked hard to bring it to life. It doesn't have to be complicated, just any moment where you had a goal and you went for it.
It could be the first time you lifted a brush to a canvas with a carefully thought-out image in mind. It could be the first time you tried a brand-new recipe with complicated steps, or the first time you stepped onto the field after early mornings and late nights of practice.
Then think about the moment after. The feeling you got when you colored in that last blank space on the page or pulling that one perfect batch of cookies out of the oven. When the bat finally struck the ball or the computer coding finally created a website.
Joy. Relief. Pride. That sense you get when your hard-work has finally come to fruition. There's nothing like it.
For me personally, I always think of the time I decided to make a stuffed animal. I still don't know what inspired me to do this instead of play with the toys I already had. But, one summer day, after planning out the design very carefully, little kid me cut out the strange shape in fabric, stitched it up (really poorly, I might add), and attached two button eyes to a bizarre-looking creature I would name Jangles.
Picture a plush of a gingerbread man crossed with a bunny that got caught in a thunderstorm and you'll have a pretty close image of Jangles. That thing was lumpy with mismatched limbs that repeatedly had to be resown shut to keep the stuffing from leaking out. And for the longest time, Jangles was my absolute most favorite toy (until my dog decided to put him out of his misery once and for all).
It was funny that this cryptid-looking toy was my favorite when I could have easily found a far better plushie at Toys R Us (this was the pre-Amazon days). And I'm sure you could have bought "better" professionally made cookies at a store, but they still won't compare to your first-ever batch you made all by yourself.
I'm sure you're sensing the theme here.
There is something special about a thing we made ourselves. The value of our goals increases not because of any objective matter, but because of how hard we poured ourselves into accomplishing them.
I think it's the reason why people still say "there's nothing like a home-cooked meal" because there's not. Or why a child's first drawing will always be more valuable to their family than any Monet or Picasso. And I think it's part of why people enjoy underdog stories, even if the hero doesn't technically succeed, like Rocky.
That's because it was never about winning the boxing match. It wasn't about scoring a touchdown or landing the starring role. It was always about the work put in and the process of creating and doing.
And taking the easy way out... I mean, what's the point?
Yeah, if you haven't guessed where this was going, I'm talking about the most absurdly idiotic invention in human history: Ai.
To clarify, when I say Ai, I'm specifically referring to Generative Ai (that's the one that's been in the news lately). This specific strain of Ai is the one being shoved into everything, the one telling people on Google to use glue on their pizza or pulls up a mutant, 10-legged creature when you search pictures of a dog. It is, in my opinion, the peak embodiment of where we are at as a "I want it now" society.
To go ahead and get this out of the way, yes I've messed around with some of the Generative Ai things; the Chatgpts and OpenAis and whatever they're all being called now. The first time I put in a prompt and saw what the computer coding spit out, I had the same reaction I'd had when I first watched Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
This is what all the hype is about?
So okay, I'm not saying this to be mean. Please enjoy your guilty pleasure shows, I'm not one to talk. And I don't think anyone who's used Ai once or twice is automatically an awful person. What I do think, though, is that Generative Ai is the most pointless piece of technology to exist.
I have a lot of issues with it, but if I went into them all, we'd be here all day. So if my main point doesn't convince you of why this is a bad and unnecessary thing, I'll just leave this lil article and graphic here.
No, my main issue with Ai isn't the mass-scale damage it's causing on the earth or the unforgivable amount of jobs companies want to replace with it. It also isn't the insufferable cult followers who call anti-ai people "gate-keeping elitists" when they're literally referring to people like artists, writers, musicians, and even computer coders at this point. And while part of my anti-Ai approach definitely comes from a fear of the absolute demonic potential it can give criminals & other human monsters, that's not what this post is about.
One of my biggest issues with this stupid piece of coding that goes around stealing information, art, faces, and music to create generic, soulless crap is the core fact of what it "makes". It's Soulless.
The one thing that makes us as human beings different from literally everything else in history is the fact that we have souls. The oldest artifacts found have been cave art and relics of people sharing stories and music around a fire. We've found diary entries and letters bursting with excitement from famous inventors and scientists the day their experiment finally worked. In all these things, no matter how big or small, there is a clear constant that expands throughout every time-period and every country: the Human Experience.
Sure we're not the only creations that can paint or sing (and I do believe animals have souls to a certain degree), but it's not in the same way as people. Elephant paintings- while so adorable- don't strike you with the same awe you get in an art gallery full of works made by people throughout history. A lovely birdsong doesn't compare to a singer's truly heart-felt ballad that brings tears to people's eyes.
When we as humans make something, we put ourselves into it. When we fight for our dreams, we tell our story with each step. We are at our most human when we are learning and failing and striving and doing.
And Ai will never get that. Even if we somehow reach a point of robots that could rival C3PO, they won't ever replace humans. If anything, they'll go all Age of Ultron on us (yikes), which in of itself is ironic for one reason:
In almost every 'evil robot tries to wipe out humanity' story, there is always one underlying theme. From Terminator and the Matrix to Black Mirror and I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, the Ai robots resent humanity, usually with claims of "humans are imperfect", "humans are violent", "humans ruined the planet" etc.
And sure, all that is kinda true, but I always thought that wasn't the real reason the Ai forces turned evil. I think if we were to have evil robotic overlords, it would be because of an Ai like AM. An Ai who absolutely hates the fact that humans can experience life and the world and free will in a way that a string of 0s and 1s never can.
Because Ai doesn't have free will. Ai doesn't have a soul. It can't love or know heartbreak. It can't create, just steal and spit out garbage.
I know as more companies try to insert this bs into everything, it will only get "better" and more advanced and, unfortunately, more common. I mean, goodness, we're seeing it already with the complete lack of customer helplines in lieu of Ai "helpers", along with the rise of Ai Influencers (tf even is that???) and even social media apps pushing Ai search engines (again, just what the actual eff?).
I know that me and my little blog can't put a leash on Ai, like, yeah obviously. A lot of people have been speaking out against it, I'm just adding my voice to the numbers. Just like I know some people will simply refuse to see any wrong with stealing other people's hardwork and talent and presenting it as their own (Sorry, but if you really believe typing some sh*t into a prompt bar means you're an 'artist' or 'writer' or whatever, then you need therapy).
This isn't my usual brand of hope and positivity, I know. It's probably harsh at parts, too. But it just matters to me so much that people don't forget the entire reason we can have fun in our humanity. That the very joys of life are exactly what Generative Ai is trying to replace.
For the excuses of "It gives me what I want right away", "I don't have time to work on ~insert skill~", "it just makes everything easier" like... Okay? And? Sorry, but if it's a task you can either do yourself or pay another human who knows how to do it, why on earth would you use a half-crapped "free" robot thing to get it done? Like I'm not trying to generalize, but a lot of the things people have said Ai can be used for are just things that (heaven forbid) require time to learn how to do. I truly don't believe "the future" equals automated everything all the time. Like do we really want a world where you don't have to try and work for anything ever at all? Because honestly, some of the worst people I've ever met are ones who have never worked a day in their lives for anything, and goodness it shows.
Theodore Roosevelt was the one who said "Nothing worth having comes easily", and I think that's something we all can remember more in this age of instant gratification. What almost everyone values most are things that require a lot of work. Relationships with all their ups and downs, a baby that promises sleepless nights, a dream finally fulfilled after many tears and frustrations.
Yeah, being a human being is really freaking hard. The human experience is full of pain, trials, and darkness.
But what depths of love, beauty and joy the Human Experience holds too.
Love y'all <3
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
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