..AI Has A Hold On Us
Let me preface this by saying I do not hate AI nor do I think it is the dawn of humanity, but for the ordinary Joe, it is a double-edged sword, both a blessing and a curse.
During the early years of my undergrad, I used to be able to write well, be confident of my own writing, and have a focus no inferior than others. But today, as of writing, I am just part of the simulation. I am a product much like you.
I shared, communicated my problems to AI, ran to it when I need a quick fix opinion about something. Depended on it too much. To make it short, I find my own knowledge declining.
Now more than ever, the easier access to social media, “doomscrolling”, and ultimately, AI, have made it harder for me to have the motivation to explore… to learn. Em dash used to be ours, a sign that makes you think someone is a literary writer, someone who knows their punctuation enough to be confident to use one. Now, when I see posts on Facebook bombarded with it, I could just immediately tell it’s a slop of AI. No real efforts were made but to gather impressions of clicks, shares, and comments that will all only exist inside a bubble that is social media and internet identity. Majority of users feed into this crap, and maybe you and I are slowly getting reeled in too.
I’m no exception. I fall victim to this. I find myself asking AI to generate anything, or make a summary of a topic I could easily research into. Since when did I become so lazy to think? Is it to save time? When I type a minimum of 120wpm? When references are within my reach? Or has it just become the new normal? To be certain, to be unequivocally right, to avoid error, the best way is to generate the perfect “prompt” and ask AI. But where is the human in that? Where do we draw the line between convenience and laziness? Where do we stop making excuses for using AI all the time?
It’s not that AI is all bad, but if we were to talk about its pros, I am not writing about that. I think there are plenty, but all the more that they conceal the bad. And the bad is not something that is talked about often.
This is just one of the many essays I aim to write about and publish to conquer AI dependence.
People should write more. Read traditional media. Get into research.
Overthrow generative AI. Build a project. Have the volition to create. Leave a mark that traces back to you. Do not aspire for perfection nor impression. Explore and make mistakes. Hit a slump and get over it. Be the arbiter of your own thoughts.
To make error is to human.
