I do not use AI for any of my personal endeavors. I do not, and will not, use AI to write or edit my posts. (That’s right, baby; this dreck is all homegrown!) Furthermore, I won’t use images that I know or suspect are AI generated. Mistakes may happen, especially as photorealistic AI becomes harder to discern, but if something does slip through, you can rest assured that the oversight is unintentional.

I’ve never been a Luddite. While not a cutting-edge early adopter (mostly due to the expense), I’ve also never lagged too horribly behind on using new technology. In fact, my house is chock full of Google Home, Philips Hue, and various other Internet of Things devices. I like technology; it’s neat.

When it comes to AI, though, my feelings are mixed. I acknowledge that AI represents a leap forward in corporate efficiency and could level the playing field for many people who find written and visual communication difficult. However, there’s also no denying that AI’s genesis was wrought through plagiarism on a massive scale. Sharing work on the internet was never supposed to be a release of copyright, and yet millions of artists, writers, and musicians have had the products of their hard work stolen and fed into the digital meat grinder. It was done without permission, and now capitalist tech bros are reaping the profits with no concern for ethics.

At the risk of cultivating some intense “old man yells at cloud” energy: count me out of the dystopia machine.