AI Can't Take It
Tuesday Tidings #3
I have resisted writing about or saying much about anything AI, because, quite frankly, I have just too many thoughts about it.
So, before I say much else, it feels important (to me) to state, for the record, that I do not suffer from “get off my lawn” syndrome, nor am I prone to the “not in my backyard” heel digging that can come with being in an older generational bracket (ps, I am not old…I am squarely GenX, an age demo that will never be old because it was never young). I am also not here to poo poo advancements or technologies that are in the natural course of events and therefore not to be feared (even if not entirely embraced, or their very real impacts ignored).
In fact, I have always been an advocate for pushing the technology envelope forward. I am, after all, an advocate for and a big believer in the democratization of content. For me, it is all about giving more people the ability to get their ideas and voices out there in the medium that works best for them. This is as true today as it has been since forever, and certainly since the internet became a thing in the 90s when I was graduating from college and starting my master’s degree (of course, I was much more idealistic about it then and of course, unsurprisingly and totally predictably, the initial equal-opportunity promise of that technological evolution has been blunted by corporations who have monopolized the internet, consolidated editorial control via algorithms, and shut out all kinds of voices by controlling the pipes of distribution—I mean, Amazon Web Services (AWS) also essentially holds the keys to all web platforms and almost every single website. Just sayin’).
Despite my intrinsic tendency to see the glass half full, I do have some very serious (and I believe well-founded) concerns about AI. First off, it is it run by people (assuming people still have, or ever had, actual control over it) with agendas (nothing new; see previous paragraph) while appearing as a “neutral” collator and consolidator of readily available information (it does not really create; it loosely, sometimes haphazardly, scrapes together and collates feedback based on if/then programming code that somebody, at some point, had to write which means, it holds their perspective on whatever it is). In the process, AI (or the people who direct it) replies to our prompts (those words all make the interaction sound very human, don’t they?) with some very highly edited, and absolutely limited suggestions or answers to our questions. To do all that, it also demands an inordinate amount of energy (as in electricity which means depleting natural resources like water and polluting others like air). That’s my second biggest (or main) issue with AI: to power something that essentially wants to replace people aka all of us (I mean, that is the end goal, isn’t it? or is it? It is. Right?), we are willing to give up the resources upon which our very existence relies.
As a writer, I don’t use AI (that’s the analog side of me) mostly because I don’t want to feed my words (at least not voluntarily) into a system that helps not only train, but also expand it.
I also accept that AI of one kind or another is already operating in the background of almost everything that I type and search. Whether I want or like it or not, whether I actively choose to use it or not, I am already in some, no, many ways, using AI. And I can imagine a time in the future when I have an idea, inspiration or project that I can only turn into a reality if I use AI as means of production (a tool like Photoshop or Canva, both of which I use to produce content in a way that I cannot otherwise make. That’s the digital side of me).
Therefore, just for today, and for as much as it is within my control, I will keep what I do and what AI does separate, while I reserve the right to change my mind in the future.
The tent is more than big enough to hold all the different kinds and ways content is made. At some point, there will be a clear choice between (mountains of) AI-generated content (with or without human input) and (small batch) organically-generated content (entirely by humans without any AI input). And while there will be a place (and a market) for both, the “organic” arts, even if they are slow-moving and niche, will continue to contribute to our collective expansion.
But the question I ask myself almost every day (and not just with regards to AI) is: Do I really believe that the tent is big enough for me, for you, for them, never mind a high-energy, maximum output machine that can churn out way more stuff (aka content) in mere seconds than I (or anyone else, including a team of people) could possibly ever produce even with more time (time (and space) being to a creative what rare earth minerals are to AI chipmakers)?
The temptation in me is to say, “Nope. Not in a million, bajillion, trillion years.” I mean, I can barely compete with myself, never mind other real people who are already established in the field in which I want to do my work (Wanna know which field that might be? So do I)…how will I ever be able to compete with a high-powered machine that has no limitations of any kind?
Once that thought pops into my head, all I want to do is throw in the towel, give up, and walk away.
When I drove around the country for thirty days in September, I was so blissfully analog that I didn’t capture most of the interactions I had with people I met or the places I visited on video. It just did not feel right to pull out a camera or even a microphone. I knew if I did, not only would I take myself out of the moment, but I would also alter, doctor or twist (by virtue of adding in this layer of technology) the real nature of the person, place or thing that I was so drawn to in the first place. Most of the time, I engaged with people (side note: I have been more than guilty plenty of times of being on my phone and down the rabbit hole of whatever pops up on the screen while in the presence of people I love, so I’m not sitting on an kind of high horse here) and took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the land around me.
So, as I (still, every day) reflect on that incredible experience and the joy of it all, I don’t want to spend too much more time (at least not today) being worried or mad about the (in my opinion) treacherously unchecked advancement of AI. I don’t want to think of anyone (including myself) as someone I need to fight in order to compete for my place at a party to which I am already an invited guest. I would rather take the energy required for all that and use it to help build a bigger tent (or at least, to do my part to sustain the tent that already exists).
Because it is not up to someone (or something) else to extend an invitation or to shut a door. It is up to me to prop the door open, and offer my care and compassion to anyone who wants to walk in. It is up to me to hold on to and stand firm in who I am while I let go of everything and everyone else.
Today’s post is coming out a bit late because I was finishing up the latest installment of the Discoball Tour Docu-series, and I wanted to include a link to Discoball Tour Day 5: “Driving to the Future through the Past.”
(ps—this series is finding its way and its voice each time I edit one of these episodes…that’s one of the best, most fun parts of doing this. I get to trial and error my way into what it wants to be and get more comfortable. After all, it’s been over two decades since I have edited this much video (the last time as in FinalCut/Avid while completing the New School’s Media Studies program).
If you want to start from the beginning of the Discoball Tour series, watch Discoball Tour Day 0: “Getting Ready.”
You’re also invited to subscribe to my channel on YouTube and get notified when new episodes release.
And please do me a small favor…
…and help me get the word out about all these amazing women’s voices that fill up the tent.
Meals Out: Yep, I went out for brunch on Sunday brunch at Water Street Kitchen (a must when I am home) and of course I had Steve’s Breakfast. I also went to dinner on Saturday night to celebrate my bestie’s birthday at Village Square Restaurant (aka V2). It was good as always. If you’re ever in Winchester, go downtown and enjoy a meal at either of these two restaurants…you will not be disappointed.
Listening (voice): Nothing this week. I have not been feeling 100% and decided to set the bar low, including my media consumption.
Listening (song most likely on repeat): Love a singer-songwriter like Lucy Rose. I recently stumbled upon her and this song, My Life…it’s a love song that I hear it as a love song to myself. (Link to Apple Music and embed to Spotify).
Watching: I found yet another new murder mystery Lynley (Amazon Prime with BritBox subscription). This one with two very mismatched because they are each other’s last resorts partners (you already know that with a little bit of time, they are gonna love each other and have each other’s backs like nobody’s business…I’m here for the full arc, including the “what’s the deal with the new DIs history with the chief” storyline). These episodes are all an hour and a half long so I tend to fall asleep midway so it is possible that I will watch each episode more than a few times. It’s all good. I am really enjoying this one, especially the lead actors Leo Suter (DI Thomas Lynley) and Sofia Barclay (DC Barbara Havers).
Most Hours Logged Doing: Well, I spent the weekend catching up with my peeps, packing up for my next adventure, and prepping this post. Then I drove to New York where I will nap, meet up with friends, and of course, celebrate Thanksgiving surrounded by love in a new way. This is me expanding ya’ll.
Tuesday Morning Meditation: 11.25.25
What if we normalize saying “you popped into my heart” instead of “you popped into my head”?
Is there a topic you would like me to write about in a Tuesday Tidings? Cover in a podcast episode? I am curious about what you are curious about and would love to hear from you so leave a comment below or drop me line.
“It is up to me to hold on to and stand firm in who I am while I let go….”
Brilliant! 🩵