As I think about different conversations over the weeks, I noticed that I need to address this topic again, because there is so much more to it.
To me, the way AI is being used is a huge problem.
Because there is more to it than what I mentioned last time around, you can read that one here: https://unlimitedhealthy.com/portfolio/why-i-dont-use-ai/
There are now children’s toys that use AI, that supposedly have that AI under check to not address adult topics with the kids, and they do anyway.
Those same toys do everything they can to keep the kid engaged, even when the child tells the toy he/she needs to go do something else.
People have gone on travels to destinations that don’t exist, thanks to AI.
And the worst of it, and this is why I’m addressing it again today, is that AI learns how you think, what you prefer, and learns to predict you and then nudge you.
That may seem harmless, some people being excited when ads are perfectly tailored to them…
Except, when AI starts knowing you, it starts nudging you in the direction it wants, it can also start shaping what you want and what you seek out.
It is a severely slippery slope, and considering the fact that AI is coming up with computer code and doing things the developers never expected, this is not going to go well for the humans on this planet.
It’s why they say “you are the product.”
Companies collect everything about you, from the emails you send (to up that air ticket price when they know from your emails you have to go because of whatever event) to how long you linger on a video on social media…
… they track your eye movements and everything else.
This is also why I have camera covers on the front and back of my phone, as well as having a plug-in for the microphone so they can’t listen to me either.
I got these products from https://spy-fy.com/ and https://mic-lock.com/
Additionally, my business phone never has any sort of social media app or anything else on it that they want to use to track and learn about me with.
But for the rest of it… this is why I only want patient info uploaded in Healthie, because of the HIPAA protections with it I hope that can keep your info safe.
But back to us being the product:
It’s your attention span, keeping you scrolling just a little longer (remember those AI toys trying to keep the kid playing with it), and they train you…
… AI is forming your neural pathways, getting your brain to adapt to what they want (think about picking up the phone and not even knowing why, noticing you’ve been scrolling for quite a while without even meaning to).
Even Spotify learns to detect your moods, suggesting music accordingly.
And while some love the convenience of it all, you do lose yourself.
Your creativity and originality is under attack, your memory capacity shrinks, what you tolerate gets shifted and moved in the direction they want.
The crazy part is, people think they are in control of this, but behavioral science is very clear on how our brains function when it’s being suggested to, nudged…
Now, there are those who say it’s just a tool, it’s about how you use it.
That sounds nice, and then I think about hearing how one exchange student is having a hard time making friends because everyone keeps staring at their phones…
… how the host mom will start scrolling while he’s talking if his answer to her question takes too long for her.
That’s human interaction down the drain.
And guess what, those people chronically on their phones are not happier, they are not feeling more productive, they are not feeling any of the things that a human normally strives for.
The next time you wonder how a particular ad could be so perfectly suited to you… remember it’s AI learning you, nudging you, training your neural pathways.
So what can we do about this?
Put down the damn phone, don’t be hooked to screens 24/7. Have a life off screen.
I know, I’m on a screen to write this myself right now, there is still purpose to screens, but that doesn’t mean our life needs to exist in a screen.
And by now we have studies showing how screen time negatively affects kids’ brain development (which I find not shocking at all).
Also, I use duckduckgo, and there I can turn the AI assist off, which I do on all of my devices.
Once upon a time I used an app for language learning, I’ve deleted it because I noticed it was learning how I learn. I’ll just go back to the old school learning of languages.
And finally, pay attention to how you feel.
After you’ve been scrolling for however long, do you feel good?
Are you happy with how you spent your time?
We need to come back to looking at what makes us feel good about our day, what are the activities that make us feel happy, accomplished, content?
