Some More Thoughts on AI
A topic that I continue to think a lot about is AI. As it becomes more ubiquitous, I am hearing more and more opinions about it. Hearing what others think is helpful because my reactions help guide my own reflections about the topic.
On one hand, I am coming to realize that the data center issue is an important one. The controversy in Utah has certainly got me thinking about the behind the scenes consequences of AI. Despite the benefits AI provides, would I want a giant, water and energy sucking data center located near me? The answer is hell no. I also respect the views of Sam Harris and he’s been an AI doomer since the beginning. The recent letter sent by all the giant AI companies to congress seems to indicate that Mr. Harris is right to be worried, not just about his electricity bill, but about our collective future. As a parent, these concerns cut deep. Finally, I worry about how AI seems poised to both displace millions of workers AND exacerbate the already depressing wealth disparities in our society. Will my kid graduate high school into an unimaginable job desert?
On the other hand, despite a keen awareness of my own bifurcated and evolving views about AI, the contrarian in me is irritated by other hypocrisies I detect around this issue. For instance, I use AI to help construct short, highly tailored text for use in class (usually as an introduction to a historical topic). However, I don’t hide this from my students (and of course I still assign reading from the required AP text on a daily basis, along with myriad relevant and challenging primary and secondary sources) nor do I preach to my students about how bad AI is. However, students tell me that other teachers bad mouth AI, while using it heavily (and obviously) themselves in class. That grates.
I also just listened to a podcast done by a doctor who shared her thoughts about AI. She said she’d ‘never write’ with AI, not even an email. She claimed to be irritated by reading emails from others that were AI generated. She also indicated, and I’ve heard many people say the same thing so I believe it is probably a dominate view, that she just couldn’t enjoy any writing if she knew it was AI.
I have a few responses to this. First, while she is of course entitled to her opinion, I believe it is an arrogance born of privilege to assume others want to spend their precious time writing emails. From my perspective, if someone wants, or needs, to use AI to help triage their email, that is no business of mine. Furthermore, for someone who probably hired a nanny to help raise her kids, it seems a bit rich to argue that writing that is partly done by AI is somehow ‘inauthentic.’ If you are not going to call out people for outsourcing their parenting, surely desk jockeys, newsletter writers, busy white collar workers, bloggers, and content creators can use the tools available to get their work done. Indeed, do celebrities and CEOs get shamed for hiring ghost writers to write their memoirs? Do photographers get shamed for using Photoshop? If I read a newsletter that provides benefit to me somehow, I don’t give a shit who or how it was written. But alas, I realize my current view on this is probably in the minority.
I’ve heard from a few commentators that as AI continues to take over, human authenticity will be the new currency of the realm. Those that can provide a human touch in their work or their business will thrive, despite the increasing powers of AI. I think that is likely to be true. But we aren’t there yet. Instead, we are here now, in 2026, working our mostly 20th century jobs, raising our kids without robot nannys, watching idiots burn our institutions to the ground, and still driving our own cars around town. I can see why people are excited about using a technology that offers time saving, novelty, and in some important ways, hope. However, increasingly I am also aware of the huge potential downsides. One thing is certain, we are in for some major changes and I still don’t know exactly what I think about that.
Meanwhile…