Preface
I am the first to admit that I am writing from a biased perspective. I have always been a reluctant user of technology. As much as it has advanced my well-being, I dream of the day I no longer need the tether which ties me to my cellphone. Something about smashing the device to bits and moving to a small home in the woodsy mountains is an increasingly romantic notion. I bought my first computer in late 2015. A few years back, one of my dearest friends gifted me an Amazon Echo Alexa device in a white elephant gift exchange during Christmastime. I never birthed the device from its box, and ended up giving it away because “I didn’t trust it.” (I still do not.) I drive a 2001 model vehicle. I prefer to read from tangible pages. Up until like two years ago, I could not make a PowerPoint to save my life. This is where I’m coming from, call it what you will. A younger friend of mine calls me “old man,” despite the fact that I’m still in my 20s. I can live with the nickname because this old man can run faster than him.
Many of my “For you” stories these days — greeting me with every entry to this site — share a similar subject and sentiment: the welcome and awesome capabilities of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot software developed by OpenAI, in the space of writing. You might be familiar with ChatGPT, for it is a favorite among university students tasked with penning essays — much to the rage of educators across the states. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, recently told a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee that he would welcome government regulation vis-à-vis AI: “My worst fear is we cause significant harm to the world.” How comforting.
“Congress failed to meet the moment on social media. Now we have the obligation to do it on AI before the threats and the risks become real.” — Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Some authors on this platform are insisting that AI is an excellent and harmless writing assistant in finding which topics to cover, in arriving at the central thesis of a subject, in formulating a headline, or whipping up fresh ideas. Seldom have I come across an article in my “For You” section that advocates for a more…
