issue no. 35

AI aye aye

beef with progress

I’ve been putting off this topic for awhile because it felt really, well, oversaturated + potentially unwelcome. But after 35 issues, I’ve grown pretty comfortable in this space, so here we go!

An email alert ushers in yet another AI-generated newsletter. More content prioritizing prompts over research, efficiency over depth- Cliff’s notes of intelligence under the guise of value. But where do values come into play? No doubt something can be valuable yet be totally misaligned with one’s values- if so, is it actually valuable to that person? But I digress.

As I was venting about the prevalent use of AI in so much written material, a friend said something I couldn’t shake. “If it’s not worth you taking the time to write it, then it’s not worth me taking the time to read it”. And the simplicity of that is perfect. Set aside the proven outrageous depletion of natural resources for its use, there is something deeper that it unavoidably tends to usurp – the creative process.

Now, imagine (stay with me) there is a giant mountain in front of you. The peaks, dotted in white snow, contrast with the rigid charcoal rock. Below is a green valley where animals freely roam. There are streams, rivers, and lakes nearby. The expansive sky above is clear on some days and thunderous and dark on others. The smell of rain is a gentle warning to take cover. The seasons change along with the smells in the air. One area is an entire world- to me, this represents the creative process; exposing ourselves to all the elements in hopes of being inspired. Our brains are constantly absorbing information from our surroundings, stimulating all kinds of responses that transport us to other places and times and inviting us to look at things differently. AI is just the mountain – chiseling away, prompt after prompt, intentionally carving a smaller and more confined world of “inspiration”.

I spend hours working on this newsletter. When I am not sitting down to type it, I’m seeking inspiration in conversations, commutes, books, magazines, museums, movies, and sometimes total strangers. I believe there is an ecosystem that goes into cultivating something of substance. This is a place to express my human perspective on how the world works + why we should even bother to continue trying to make it better.

To do anything creative can feel like an absolute privilege. To ask for someone’s attention, their eyes fully on something you made, without pouring your heart + soul into it, is a kind of theft. Providing value is so much more than spitting out information at breakneck speed. It’s about all the experience (good and bad) that led you to this point, that gives you your point of view, the vista from which you see the world the way you do.

For any work to be truly good, it must resonate with people. The artist, the writer, the craftsman, the designer, the architect, the chef, they all bring their essence to what they create. The result is inspiring only because the human who made it was she, herself, inspired.

They’ll call you a boomer for not accepting change, when the irony is our younger counterparts aren’t fully embracing this charade either. A Gallup survey released April 9th found that “nearly half of Gen Z workers (48%) now believe the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh its benefits, a significant 11-point increase over the prior year.” In addition, when seeking out services for themselves, the majority prefer in-person: over 80% said they would choose humans to help with things like customer service, finances, and tutoring over AI.

Killing a planet at rapid speeds under the veil of progress, from the same people who frame genocide as such. They tell us the volatile extraction of natural resources at the cost of human life is “necessary for progress”. They effectively imply that shutting down a site where millions of men compare notes on how to successfully assault their wives + girlfriends would be somehow hindering our violent patriarchal progress.

So, maybe a little less progress, and a lot more process.

But processing takes time!

Yes, it does.

But time is money + I’ll lose money if I lose time!

Yes, you may.

OR you might just give yourself the space it craves to create from the most centered + expansive place imaginable – your heart, allowing you to genuinely connect with those who were meant to hear your message all along.

Take a deeeeeeeep breath. Ahhhhhhhhh. Maybe true freedom is to be left behind- to be forced to start anew and reinvent ourselves, our communities, and the world at large. A pivot can be scary, but if we move from a place of love instead of fear, we are always headed in the right direction.

Buckle up, buttercup! We’re in this together. xo

Interested in working with a human?