I’ve unfortunately spent some time defending AI. I work as a content writer for a software company that encourages AI use above practically anything else, solely for its productive value in the workplace. We have an #ai Slack channel where coworkers immerse themselves in this new digital frontier, occasionally making fun of random people on the Internet who aren’t as gung-ho about these radical changes in both professional and personal life.

I’ll admit I’ve used AI for the past couple of years or so, almost every day for my job. I justify it as saving me loads of time, allowing me to buy out of the corporate machine more often. As a writer, AI can generate copy fairly easily, as long as you have the right prompts. I’ve had to dedicate more time to learning AI systems and techniques to get the right output, but the end product saves me time and energy.

Despite the niggling feeling of dread in the back of my head, I usually introduce this concept to non-AI users as a tool similar to a calculator. Sure, you can use a calculator to do math for you, and schools were, I’m sure, very cautious about its introduction into the educational system. Won’t kids just cheat?

The reality is that once calculators were introduced, the curriculum just had to evolve to accommodate them. Students could start using calculators at a certain point, but most math problems couldn’t be solved by just putting a simple equation into the calculator. There had to be some thought put in by the student, who then used a calculator to get the fastest result.

Ai is similar, functioning as a tool that is good or evil depending on how you use it. In my position, I write my own prompts, generate outlines for blog posts, and meticulously edit the AI responses. It’s not a perfect system (i.e., the extremely unethical way AI is created and sustained), but it’s getting harder and harder to avoid. It will become a dominant place in the workforce, so it’s just a matter of how we decide to interact with it. This will determine whether our human creativity and unique experience will disappear or continue to thrive.

That being said, AI becoming involved with our personal lives is extremely terrifying. I see no use for it being a personal stylist, day planner, or even a romantic/platonic conversationalist. LinkedIn was already a horrifying place with pro-capitalist overtones, but it’s now inundated with people completely throwing themselves headfirst into the AI hellscape.

Apparently, ChatGPT is a great way to “glow-up”, as if we don’t have rising issues of negative self-perception, prevalent plastic surgery, and the never-escapable Instagram face.

Asking AI to glow you up is just taking all of the Internet-fed misogynist and racist stereotypes and mashing them all together to churn out a vision of yourself that’s unattainable. I hate to imagine the glow ups that would be given to people of color in this scenario. Because, AI has no real voice of its own (although it will likely emerge soon), it’s just the vomit of billions of Internet threads. And the Internet has always made people feel more like themselves, right?

The point is I’m not entirely sure how I feel as a 26-year-old with a radically changing workforce, environment, Internet, and many other areas that AI is touching. I feel forced to confront it daily, although I visibly cringe whenever I have to admit I use it. I would honestly rather purchase a dumb phone, live off the grid, and fade into obscurity if I could. Unfortunately, money exists, and I am not Thoreau.

Be careful about letting AI into your personal life. I understand that work and home life are inextricably linked, but try to avoid using AI whenever possible. Go to a random bar that might end up being horrible and giving you food poisoning. Wear your bare face unapologetically, without filters or makeup routines generated just for you. Write your school papers yourself, even if you have to generate an outline to get started. The balance will become more impossible in the future, but just try. Or else, you risk losing yourself.

While you’re here, check out some more (amazing?) insights from a chronically online 26-year-old:

• Masculinity as Commodity in Yellowstone
• Love Is Blind Review: A Lesson in Male Manipulation
• How to Read Books Consistently (12 Practical Tips)
• Top 6 Books Under 100 Pages
• How to Read Books Online For Free

What are your thoughts on AI? Is it just a tool, or are the effects starting to horrify you? How much do you use it?

Let me know in the comments!