I’m Still Human (And No, I Wasn’t Kidnapped by Aliens)
Hi readers! It’s me Nicole aka thrideyemom. I am just here to prove that I’m human and not some AI robot.
I was not kidnapped by aliens. I am still me and thankfully I don’t have an AI chip implanted in my brain!
When Technology Goes Wrong
My last blog post, “10 Responsible Travel Tips to Reduce your Impact”, which I worked so hard at, was sent out to my readers via email as a complete garbled up mess!
Horrified, I opened up WordPress to see what caused the blog post malfunction. As an “OG” (“original gangster” aka someone who has been blogging forever) I tried to use new WP technology to make my workflow faster. Yesterday I tried to use the more powerful Block Editor that also has some AI features to help organize the behind-the-scenes structure of blog posts.
I did not want to suck all the water out of the Mississippi River to help cool the AI datacenter by using a couple of AI features such as the AI title and meta description tool (more on that later). Yet, quite frankly, I was curious to try it out and see if these AI tools help my content be found in searches. I had read all the news that “the blog is dead” and “no one can find your content in AI searches anymore”. I wanted to see if this was true, and if this AI tool helped.
A Formatting Disaster
What happened was this (see screenshot below): an absolute formatting malfunction which ended up taking me hours to fix. It was not a result of the AI tool I used. It was all a HUMAN error. I didn’t know how to use it. I made a mistake, and guess what, AI makes mistakes too. Just like humans, it can be wrong. Very wrong. So search results and AI chat garb must be, I repeat must be, further researched for its validity.
Screenshot of my WordPress email of my blog post. Wow, what a mess! It cut off half my blog post and garbled it all up!!!!!
Lesson learned
After wasting hours trying to fix my formatting disaster, I learned an important lesson. Tread lightly and first learn how to use new technology rather than diving in full speed ahead. (Thank you WordPress “Happiness Engineer” who helped me from somewhere off in the world via chat to fix it). I also learned the obvious: AI is not the end-all-be-all solution to all our needs. It alone can wreck more havoc than fix. It sucks a tremendous amount of energy and water that contributes to climate change. And last but not least, AI can be and is often wrong. It is not human nor does it replace human thinking and emotions. (At least not yet).
I also learned a thing or two about my life as a content creator……
But this experience taught me something. Something that has been keeping me up at night driving me crazy. The thought that “the blog is dead” and AI is taking over the content and the world, It is not entirely true. At least not yet.
Why Human Content Still Matters
While search engines are creating havoc and killing blog traffic (soon no one will be able to find the real heartfelt content we are creating as a blogger as they will just ask Chatgpt and our content will NOT be found unless we optimize it for AI searching), what we are creating as a creator, a human, still matters. (Read this fascinating piece of research that helped me understand what is happening in the industry).
This proves the importance of why human-created content is still valuable.
Hey there….I still mater!
AI Can’t Replace Real Life
Both make mistakes but human content is real, It is inspiring, silly and whimsical, It is emotional. Real human-created content tells stories about real-lived experiences that we have. Human experiences, not computer-generated ones.
AI is not human, and that is something AI can never be- at least for now (I am not ready to read some dystopian novel about humans having an AI chip implanted in their brains. Too scary! And too real. Imagine what a way leaders and big tech companies could control the masses. A very scary thought that perhaps is not that over the top to impagine).
The Environmental Cost of AI
While data centers have been around since the 1940s (read this incredible article explainer by MIT), the way they are being used to process generative AI is much more intense and extractive.
Data centers – the monstrous buildings used to create the energy for consumers consumption of AI computing – are now requiring as much energy and use of fossil fuels and water to cool the centers down, as countries.
“By 2026, the electricity consumption of data centers is expected to approach 1,050 terawatt-hours (which would bump data centers up to fifth place on the global list, between Japan and Russia).”
Yet, users of AI (I am guilty here to some extent – I try to manage the amount I consume knowing the catastrophic damage it is doing to our planet) continue to not think about, understand or care about their own use of AI.
“But an everyday user doesn’t think too much about that,” says Bashir. “The ease-of-use of generative AI interfaces and the lack of information about the environmental impacts of my actions means that, as a user, I don’t have much incentive to cut back on my use of generative AI.” (MIT research and article cited above)
Furthermore it is becoming almost forced upon us as consumers, with some platforms not even giveng us the choice if we want to use it or not. Our emails are summarized by AI (yes you can manually turn this feature off but for how long? The billionaires are smart when it comes to developing their own products that make them more money and leave us consumers with little choice or alternative).
“Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people”.
I’ve been doing a ton of research on the impact of AI on my work as a professional writer and content creator, and on my passion project of keeping up my 17 year old travel blog, The future is scary, uncertain and unknown.
Right now it feels like AI is the wild, wild, west. There are no real copyright laws, protections, governing body or accuracy. Plus, there is no denying that the insane use of water to cool the giant, ugly data centers (the no one wants in their backyard) and the unimaginable environmental costs may someday lead to the destruction of our planet, life as we know it and maybe even humankind.
Are we not far off from fighting for water rights? Only the richest will get access to drinking water while the masses die a slow painful death? Is this the making of a terrifying distopian novel or best-selling film. Or is this the future we are heading to?
Where the accident happened….
To Use AI or Not
To use it or not to use it, that is the question. If we don’t use AI, it can be argued that we will be lost in the dust, left behind while those early adapters and the masses using it in business and their daily life will thrive.
Yet….Some people have the luxury of that choice and millions or perhaps billions do not.
While I’m not trying to sound all gloom and doom – we do know that AI can help do some tasks (such as calculating, summarizing and other technical things) – bringing us technologically ahead which could improve and save lives.
Perhaps there will be some incredible scientific breakthroughs and medical research thanks to the “help” of AI. But not because of it.
The human brain still does matter.
AI: A moral dilemma
For me, an overthinker, I find myself often at a moral dilemma. To use or not to use AI.
Will I use AI? Sadly, I must at least use AI for some tasks like organizing my notes, researching statistics for my writing and more. Yet I will do so as intentionally, mindfully and responsibly as possible . Each time I click that button, I will think about the vast resources it is using and question my use. It is worth it for this piece of work or not.
I will also be sure to fact-check and double fact check every single piece of content it spits back because I’ve found that so much is still wrong, inaccurate or just AI-generated slop.
At the end of the day, each and every one of us can make small choices to ensure there is a future we want for our grandchildren and generations to come. I am not trying to preach not call anyone out. But it is a lie to think that just you cannot make a difference in the future of this world. If everyone thought that way, think of what a disaster it would be.
Do something. Think before you click. And enjoy this amazing life and planet we have. For it may not be here tomorrow.
Are you using AI to help improve your workflow? Or do you view it as the devil and avoid it like the plague? Do you have a data center near you? Do the billionaires making a boatload of money off AI have a moral obligation to care about the future of our planet?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
AI is undeniably here to stay. But the way it is being used in our daily lives does make me concerned. Now people use AI to search things on the internet, but they rarely cross check the AI results with other sources of information. Not long ago, I tried to use AI to find information about me, and guess what? About 30% of the result was inaccurate. Why did I do this? Because of all people, I am the one who can provide the most accurate answer to that question. I often wonder whether humanity will reach a point where we realize that what we want is less AI but more genuine human connection.
Yes, so true. That is the scary thing! AI is here to stay and we as humans at least for now have the choice on how we use it. I also did some research for my job at GLP Films on finding a certain kind of travel journalist for an upcoming press trip. I prompted it well and it spit back 30 names. Only two were accurate! So yes that is the scary thing. There are people out there not checking the sources for accuracy and believing AI is God.
I also have read that people are becoming more and more lonely in the digital era.Mostly young people my own kids age (late teens to early adults) who have become “screen-agers” in a sense and instead of picking up the phone and calling friends they Snap.
In America where most of us live spread apart (except major cities like NYC), this becomes even more isolating.
Deep thoughts to reflect upon! Thanks for the comment Bama!
Dear Nicole
Thank you very much for sharing your reflections about using AI. We have to admit we used AI quite often without thinking about the consequences. Thanks for your post that changed it.
We use AI for pre-editing our texts before sending them to our editor, for translating and for research. Well, it’s faster. But we don’t need to be quick. Our surrounding is obsessed with speed but we are privileged having enough time.
Anyway, we will change our use of AI.
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment! I am now also seeing the theme of AI and data justice. Just like travel justice, with data justice people who have the time, money and luxury of having the choice to use AI or not, is another interesting angle. Well said!
This is a rich conversation with many pros, cons, ethical, and environmental concerns. I closed my blog “Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua” in 2018 after the political “revolution” in Nicaragua. It wasn’t safe for me to share my blog at that time. Yet, I had over 700 articles I wrote about cultural immersion and our lives on Ometepe Island that I wanted to preserve in a book.
But, how to start? It overwhelmed me. So, I uploaded my entire blog to Claude and prompted the chat box to choose my blog articles that fit into my storyboard, theme, and outline for the book I wanted to write.
Ten minutes later I had an outline and completed storyboard for my book. It amazed and thrilled me. The words and experiences are mine; the organization is Claude’s. I used Microsoft word to edit each chapter, and once compiled, I uploaded my entire book to Claude for suggestions for improvement (mainly changing from blog format to a book format). Then Claude complied my 300 page book into the format for Amazon. My cover was designed by ChatGPT after describing a detailed cover I wanted. It took me a month to complete my book. It is now on Amazon, “The Monkey Lady’s Gift.”
Claude helped me create a website for my book, too. It is an easy way to market my book and it has been quite successful.
I use chat boxes regularly. They help me create websites for the sale of our home on Ometepe Island. Now, Claude has developed a plan for us to sell our TN home FSBO, step by step. I am cutting out expensive commissions for realtors with the help of AI.
Chat boxes assist me in our itinerary for our world travels. With the help of AI, I created an app to find the lowest prices for airlines when I put in a date. Claude and Google Notebook make maps for me, plan accommodations, and even notify me of changes to my itinerary or when to book a special event.
Claude organized all of my digital files for me. ChatGPT images restores old photos for me. The uses are unlimited. I am a proponent of AI. And I use Claude the most because the Antropic developers created an 80 page constitution for Claude to follow when training it. It adheres to the Constitution and will not stray. It helps it make judgment calls, and develop a sense of right from wrong.
AI is here to stay and it will change the world. We need to be prepared and use it wisely. My concerns about the environment are real, but instead of saying no more data centers (because it will be a losing battle), we need to work with the data center companies to develop a power and water system that we can use in our communities instead of using all of our community resources. It is very realistic for these centers to design solar and water systems that we can all use. We need to be prepared to say, if you want to build these centers in our communities, these are our requirements. No exceptions!
When ATMs first came into existence, the banks and people were so afraid they would take away their jobs of dispensing money. So, banks had to change and create new jobs for their employees. AI will definitely take away many mundane jobs like accounting, real estate commissions, simple wills and other documents once prepared by lawyers, and software development. We can all do that now with a touch of our fingers. But, meanwhile AI will create many new jobs. It is our future.
OMG Debbie! It is you! I wondered where you went. Remember us meeting years ago when I was in Nicaragua headed to Chicabrava surf camp? Here is the blog post which shows us together! https://thirdeyemom.com/2016/03/03/highlights-of-a-week-in-nicaragua/
Yes! That was so much fun! We are in Nicaragua preparing our house for sale. We had an offer yesterday and hope to sell soon. It is definitely bittersweet. But, our life centers around our grandchildren now. Cory and Tina (you met them in SJDS) both work and live in Yosemite National Park. They have a two year old niño and another little niña on the way in October, so we are selling both houses and moving to CA. Exciting times. I still read all of your blog articles. We lead amazing lives, right?
Ohhhh congrats on the grandkids! How precious! My kids are now 19 and 21 – both in school.
Do you use Instagram? I don’t do Facebook anymore. If so, let me know as I would love to keep in touch. Paul and I were in Yosemite just last fall hiking after dropping off our daughter at her first year of college at University of California – San Diego. Small world!
And on another note. Yes, it is extraordinary how fast AI can work at summarizing, editing and outlining text. I have started gingerly using it for my work at GLP Films to outline stories and a little (not much) on the blog. I have tested using it to summarize my trip notes and overall it is very good and can do what I do in a split of a second verses hours of work. Yet, I still find lots of very very bad sources and inaccurate junk. What scares me is the people who use AI and prompt it to write something for them or answer a question without giving any sources. Or even worse, people who believe and trust AI at 100 % level and believe it is the truth without ever checking the sources! It can be soooooo wrong!
On an environmental level, that is what keeps me up at night. The level of water it takes to cool the data centers and the fossil fuels it burns makes me very very scared, sad and angry.
I agree that governments and wealthy billionaires developing these technologies and managing the data centers SHOULD do something to make sure they are environmentally sound or improved. Yet, I look at what is happening in regards to climate change and not a single governmental body with power or a billionaire agrees to do a thing.
It is all about the bottom line.
My son is a 21=year-old aerospace engineer and he just laughs and laughs at the stupidity of Elon Musk thinking you can put a datacenter in space. Nonsense.
But here I am back at the moral dilemma. AI is here to stay like we all know. It won’t go away. It may improve it may not. Consumers may want to read AI generated content they may not.
I think I fall somewhere in between. I will use it to help when I can but not full steam ahead at this time knowing its environmental impacts.
Thank you so much Debbie for sharing your story! It is amazing what AI can do to help but your example shows the creative human touch (the personal editing of your personal experiences) cannot be replaced.
Cheers and hope you are well!
PS. This is GREAT debate Debbie. Thank you again for such a rich conversation.