hey it’s ok if you lost your ai virginity back when you were uneducated. a lot of posts go like “reblog if you have never ever used generative ai and never ever will!!!” but it’s ok if you have used gen ai before and it’s even ok if you used to think it was cool, back before you understood what it really was and how it worked, either because no one had taught you about it and you discovered it on your own or because the only education you had received about it was from the tech bros. you’re not a burger with a bite out of it for having used ai. ok
It is 100 percent okay to stop using it today and join the "boo AI" club.
This isn't a purity thing. This is a "everyone stand with us against destroying the environment and giving asthma to poor people" thing.
Did you know that when one community says no to an AI data center, they specifically search out communities with fewer resources? Communities that can't defend themselves? And the pollution 100 percent affects their health and wellbeing, in addition to burning through our already scarce drinking water.
You can stop using character.ai today. You can say "I listened to the facts and stopped." And another thing: don't you think it's a bit more impactful to have used it, stopped, and then you're in a position to say how little it helped? How doing things for yourself improved your life?
also posts in the spirit of "if you've used AI even ONCE your soul is tainted!!!!" can't be great to those with OCD
During the initial popularity boom, i used AI regularly due to insecurity as an artist. I quit a few months later as the research showed its harm. Here's what i observed doing that time.
1: bullying baby artists is directly contributing to gen ai usage. If you make people believe they'll never be good enough then they'll quit and turn to something like generative AI. And, speaking from experience, once an artist gets into this pit it can be very hard to climb out.
2: ^ in addition, bullying as a whole contributes to this. Think about it. People need social connection and if they are being socially ostracized or are in bad situations, they will turn to placeholders. For example: the internet. And if the internet is cruel to them too, they'll seek last resorts. Aka: character/advice AI.
3: AI is not your friend. It is using the life of other people as a mask to pretend to be alive and helpful. In reality it's a mechanical puppet controlled by whatever corporation runs the app you're using. They can use it to feed you propaganda. To make you buy products. To convince you to do terrible things to yourself and to others. If you use or depend on AI, you become a puppet as well.
4: Everything AI generates, whether it's text, image, or sound, is stolen from living people. The database needs resources to generate stuff so the corporations scrape (or "harvest") data from living users. The scraper bot epidemic on A03, Discord's hidden server-based AI bots that take every message and image you send. They've stolen crayon drawings from literal children. Being "on the side" of AI will not protect your things from being stolen. It just helps it grow.
5: AI will never be able to create the feeling and pure joy of making /doing things yourself. Learning to quilt, sew, dance, draw, paint, hike, skydive,,,, even something like making a friend is so much more fun when it's real. Because it has soul. Allow yourself to be flawed, allow the end product to be ugly. Focus on enjoying the process of making instead of consuming.
6: if you have paranoia or anything of that sort, this does not mean it's the end of the world. It is not hopeless. There are still ways we can help protect nature and regrow what was lost. As for what you can do to help: look up stuff like local community service, buy some plants (indoor or outdoor) and take care of them, if you have some spare cash maybe consider donating to wildlife sanctuaries!
And finally, 7:
Please remember that you DON'T have to singlehandedly save the world. If you know you can safely powerhouse the entire list of conservation activities, go ahead! But if you have a disability or a stressful job or you live in an unsafe neighborhood or anything of that sort, it's okay to not do huge activism things. It's okay to just survive and try your best.
One of the best acts of peaceful protests you can do is be present in reality. Technology and the Internet are amazing inventions, but they're also heavily stressful and full of intentionally addictive, false, or frightening media designed to put you in a chronic state of fight or flight. Maybe pick up a busywork hobby like embroidering, learn to fold origami penguins or just-- i dunno man. Insert hobbies you wanna try here.
I know it's absurdly difficult to reduce screen time. But it's worth it. And there is hope!! If you need help getting started, look up (wether online or in a book) the psychology of "skinner traps" (essentially how your phone works and why it's so addicting) and "how to get out of a dopamine hole" (i used a video by newel of knowledge, but be sure to do your own research)
and to anyone who feels stuck/trapped in AI use: i have hope for you. It's not too late to back away. The whole "being tainted" nonsense is silly. You're still a person. And people can improve. So don't give up 👍
