My friends condemn my use of AI; I’m ashamed that I like using it.

At a party with friends last weekend, the topic of AI came up – as it always does these days.

A friend said: “I refuse to take water from a low-income family. »

He was, of course, referring to reports that AI data centers use millions of gallons of water per day. Everyone in the room nodded.

Meanwhile, I remained silent and tried to hide the shame written on my face. Little did everyone know that I downloaded the ChatGPT app on my phone and used it daily.

I understand everyone’s concerns about AI

The future of AI is murky and worrying. I can admit it.

Beyond environmental concerns, I often wonder what impact AI will have on my job as a journalist. Will this soon make me useless? What other industries will AI destroy?

I worry about Generation Alpha, who will grow up knowing only a world where they have access to instant answers and beautifully written essays in seconds. Will they ever learn to write on their own?

Even for those of us who are older, I worry that we’re relying too much on AI to answer questions that we once would have worked hard – before search engines – to discover for ourselves. Are we going to lose all critical thinking skills?

For me, the benefits of AI outweigh an uncertain future

On the other hand, AI has become part of my daily routine. Instead of Googling, I now turn to ChatGPT for a much quicker and more comprehensive answer.

Recently, for example, I was traveling from Denver International Airport and the roof fascinated me. It looked like the tarpaulin from a circus tent, and I wondered how it could withstand the storms. I asked ChatGPT what the airport roof was made of.

I quickly received a full explanation of how the airport roof works. In the past I would never have bothered to Google this question, I would just have to read several websites and watch a few videos to finally get the answer. In a way, I believe that AI allows me to acquire better knowledge.

As an editor, I often receive hundreds of emails per day. I trained ChatGPT to organize my emails from highest to lowest priority. It tells me which ones I don’t even need to open and which ones I need to respond to as quickly as possible.

I also use it sometimes for research at work. ChatGPT does a great job of compiling all the studies on the internet and synthesizing them into understandable graphs. Of course, I have to verify that the information is accurate and that the studies actually exist, but that seems easier than doing all the research myself via a Google search.

But every time I use the robot, I wonder if I’m shooting myself in the foot by training the AI ​​to do my job for me. Yet I remind myself that he can’t do what I do. This can’t be the journalist I was trained to be.

ChatGPT has also helped me in social situations. When a friend recently reached out to me for help with a mental health issue, I asked AI how I could help him through this difficult time. The bot gave me a list of answers and another list of resources to send.

AI has helped me in many ways over the past year and I can’t wait to see how it changes my days in the future. But I know that people in my life would view these benefits with judgment, and I have to live with that shame.

I hate hiding this part of my life from most of my friends. I wish we could have a more open and honest conversation about the benefits of AI.

I will always carry my shame, but I hope for a better future

I don’t see the dynamic between my friends and I on this topic changing anytime soon.

Instead, I hope we can change course and find a way to integrate AI into our lives without allowing it to disrupt entire industries and generations.

This is easier said than done, and I know people will say I’m being willfully naive or willfully ignorant of the real concerns.

But this is not the first major technological advance in history. From the printing press to the industrial revolution, the dotcom bubble and now AI, humans have always taken over.

Hopefully this time will be no different.