What AI Can’t Do

In February of 2023, I attended a think tank event on the West Coast where AI was the THE talk of the event.

• Would we love it or hate it?

• Would it be the demise of society as we know it?

• Were we being smart enough to integrate it as a useful tool?

To be honest, at that point in time, I wasn’t super well versed in AI.

(and, maybe, I’m still not as well versed as I could be…)

With its rapid rollout in the months following, I quickly became attune to its power.

It left me wondering:

• What jobs could AI replace?

• Are we, as a society, being sensible about how AI is being used?

• Do we realize the pace at which it is evolving and accelerating?

• Do we, collectively, conceptually even understand what is happening?

Some form of AI is being integrated into nearly every tool we have.

(and, yes, those of you using ChatGPT for your content creation, we know!)

So, what’s the differentiating factor?

How can we make sure AI is a tool and not a takeover?

The humanistic component of living: Storytelling.

AI cannot tell stories with the real, visceral emotional experience of living those moments.

• AI hasn’t fallen in love.

• AI hasn’t held the hand of a dying person.

• AI hasn’t experienced the wonder of birth.

• AI hasn’t felt the deep pang of betrayal.

AI does not build the humanity we experience as we live our lives and gain wisdom, empathy, and understanding.

It is a surface level duplication, not a revelation.

This is why NOW is a time for artists to leverage their skill sets and creatively empower people to share their messy, organic, full of life stories for everyone to hear, through whatever medium they choose to pursue.

Think of the beloved story How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

If AI is The Grinch, we, the people, are the Whos.

While we can welcome the efficiency of AI to the table, we cannot allow it to steal our heart, or our art.