AI, AI, AI, AI - can we talk something else?

Nope, not today.

In a world constantly buzzing with the latest trends, it takes real courage (or maybe just sheer stubbornness) not to get swept away in the hype. Lately, every post on LinkedIn feels like it’s trying to convince me that AI is the answer to everything. And here I am, writing about it too.

It’s almost comical how every media outlet is touting AI like it’s the next big thing. If you’re not on the AI bandwagon, it’s as though you’re living under a rock. And what’s worse? Businesses are adding “AI” to everything they offer, not necessarily to improve their product or service but simply to capitalize on the buzzword.

Sure, AI holds promise. But let’s not kid ourselves—it’s still in its early stages. Yet, somehow, companies have managed to exploit its novelty to rake in profits. It’s a bit of a scam, isn’t it? We’re being sold the idea that AI will revolutionize everything, but in reality, many just want to slap the label on anything they can to get our attention and our money.

Lately, I’ve seen phrases like “Created by Humans, Not AI” popping up everywhere. It’s almost like when organic labels were slapped on every fruit and vegetable—something that’s now so commonplace it doesn’t even stand out anymore. When did we start assuming that everything should be enhanced with something synthetic? Why did we accept GMOs as a necessary evil, only to later hear that we can now grow organic at the same scale? If we can have organic produce, shouldn’t we be phasing out the chemical-laden stuff? ¹

It’s curious how quickly we’ve accepted “AI-created” as the new norm in creativity and problem-solving. Why have we become so passive about outsourcing our cognitive processes to algorithms? We fight tooth and nail when immigrants take jobs, but we happily give away our thinking faculties to machines.

Even more disturbing is how we’ve become conditioned to accept algorithms as arbiters of truth. We’re already susceptible to falling for misleading video clips and manipulated narratives without questioning them. Now, we’re placing our trust in algorithms that decide what we see, hear, and even believe to be true.

Let me be clear: I’m not suggesting we halt progress. I’m all for developing technology, but I do believe we need to be mindful about how we use it—and whether we’re truly getting the value we’ve been promised.

… ²

Through the lens

I posted a picture of magnolias around the same time in the weekly posts last year. There is just something about them at this time of the year that it catches my eye. It looks just so beautiful that I take a few minutes to appreciate its beauty wherever I see it.