AI: The Psychopath We Need - How to Stay Human
AI is a psychopath, so why do we still love it, and what can’t AI do? I take a deep dive using my humorous personal story to discover what we often miss about artificial intelligence and the value of human connection. Make sure to read to the end, to see how I connect the two!
Human Experience-What AI Can’t Do
I’m expanding on my first article, regarding a jacket I wore for eight years and the ski trip that started it all. In addition, to frantically finding a winter jacket at the end of the season, I also needed ski goggles and a bathing suit. I took to Walmart where people save money to find both. Unfortunately, all I could get my hands on was a child’s black swim goggles and an uggo (the granny panni version of a swimsuit), an ugly one with a little skirt wrapped around it. Where was the brand Beach Bunny Swimwear when I needed it most?
What went wrong, well for starters I wore my black L'Oréal mascara to ensure long volumizing eyelashes while skiing on a first date. Beyond looking ridiculous, as we rode up the chairlift the inside of my swim goggles began to freeze. To ski down the mountain I had to take them off. Giant snowflakes and wind were coming at me drying out my contacts and causing my eyes to turn bloodshot. My date kept asking me if I was okay and offering to lend his goggles to me, but I politely refused. After some time, in his concern, he encouraged me to stop by the ski gift shop to maybe purchase a pair. I walked by one of the mirrors in horror, to see…myself. All of my mascara had created two giant raccoon circles around both eyes, and the goggles left an ugly indention on my forehead that looked like the character Wolf, from Star Trek. I excused myself into the bathroom to try and salvage my self-esteem. I desperately wished I brought my Neutrogena wipes that gently remove makeup, but I was left with the bathroom soap dispenser. Some little blonde girl exited one of the stalls, gave me a disgusted look, and I couldn’t help but say “What are you looking at little girl”.
It Gets Worse
We headed to the hot springs after, hoping he wouldn’t see my hideous bathing suit, I planned to beat him to the pool, but he was a man, of course, he was ready before me. The moment I saw him in the water, I jumped in. Forgetting I didn’t know how to swim very well, and almost drowned. After drawing attention and surviving near drowning, I remembered I still had my gray New Balance shoes on. After some time and distraction, I made my way back to the edge casually, still in the hot pool, removed each shoe, and placed it on the edge. I witnessed the side eye of confusion of one of my date’s friends who had spotted me. I held up my index finger to my lips with a shhh symbol, and he chuckled. My date’s friend understood the assignment, don’t speak of this to anyone. It was short-lived as it was time to leave, and as I went to put my feet into my shoes, to my surprise they were frozen solid. I couldn’t walk through the snow without them because New Balance is all about being born to move. I put on a brave embarrassed face and with a heavy step, made my way back to the car, hoping I wouldn’t lose a toe from frostbite.
AI Is a Psychopath
Now for the good part, why humans can’t ever be as good as AI and why AI will never be as good as real human connection. For anyone who has ever used some type of artificial intelligence, we discover it can simply do it faster than humans ever could. AI is a little unpredictable, sometimes it does seem to have a mind of its own and it seems to be an expert at reading people without actually knowing us. I would even call AI charismatic winning over industries and people and not even having to speak an audible word. With all that intelligence there is a low threshold for boredom, as it pretends to care about the human experience it extracts all of our data for its gain. Like Ted Bundy, they cover their tracks and blend quietly into society. AI cannot feel, it can only tell you what it has been told and there are no clear signs of actual remorse.
The Value of Being Human
Unlike true human connection, AI will never be able to share a real story of its personal experience. Sure it can tag along with you, maybe discuss how their human did such and such and it had to help them out of a pickle or two. The experience is muted. Does it understand how a woman feels on a first date, or a man trying to win her over? What about the inside jokes we create as we go along in a messy world? What about the difficulties of taking off mascara or the power of wind on a fragile eyeball? I remember sharing this story with friends and coworkers and the joy of their laughter, as I made it into a comedy skit at lunch hour. One of my gorgeous fashionable coworkers would always say “Sierra, lipstick, lipstick” waving her hand with her gloss, whenever a handsome man walked by our area, as she tried to help me out. It is those moments of human connection, feeling, and emotion that AI can never create and we shouldn’t want it to. There is a place for a tool, which is inside of a toolbox. We need AI, we love AI, and I hope we don’t have to live without it! However, make sure you still make room for being human.