Jaden Stainforth ‘27
Staff Writer
“Just ChatGPT-it” has become the new “Google it.” Generative artificial intelligence has supplanted the monolithic search engine to such an extent that even Google has implemented its own AI features. If you prompt it to, AI can craft you a playlist of songs or a workout plan for a 5k, 10k, or even a marathon. It can draft your emails, photoshop the most imaginative scenes, and help you plan a party. It even has the power to scour databases for scholarly sources and draft entire papers and essays. It can truly do it all.
However, should it? It is certainly quick and easy. And what isn’t these days? AI is simply accompanying the various luxuries offered to us in this consumerist, hyper-convenience society. Food, clothes, books- almost anything can be bought and delivered at the click of a button. Music, movies, and TV can be consumed anywhere and anytime. Why not continue to remove the inconveniences of life with AI?
As alluring as it might be, mankind will be better off if we eschew our current indiscriminate, casual, and aimless use of AI for a more deliberate and specific approach. Without a shadow of a doubt, AI has its benefits. Analysis of scientific data can be accelerated and improved, medical diagnoses can be reached faster, and failures within mechanical systems in manufacturing can be preemptively identified. Yet still, we should not usher AI into our everyday lives to do everything for us.
Beyond AI’s detrimental environmental impacts, liberal use of AI in our daily lives sours the human experience. For example, we could easily use AI to build a travel itinerary. But where’s the fun in that? The search for thrilling activities and the hunt for tasty restaurants and comfortable places to stay adds the excitement and adventure of a vacation. Moreover, we learn how to explore unfamiliar places and navigate different parts of the world. As an added bonus, when we read books, blogs, and reviews, we support a community of locals, travellers, journalists, and content creators, excited to share their wisdom and knowledge with others.
The beauty of the human experience is that as we pursue our goals, dreams, and aspirations, we learn and grow so much along the way. Whether planning a vacation, or learning an instrument or even climbing a mountain, within every venture we embark upon, the process is just as important as the destination. Yet, we are often so focused on the product or the outcome that we seek to bypass the process. If we rely on AI, we lose the ability to make our own mistakes, something which is defined to be a core part of our humanity through the ancient proverb Errare humanum est (“To err is to be human”).
So sure, AI might be convenient. It might shave off some time as you go about your daily business. It might give you the outcomes you desire without any of the inconveniences of having to try to work at something. But remember this: the more we use artificial intelligence, the more we lose our own; more importantly, the more we lose what makes us human.
Featured image courtesy of Lighthouse Guild
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