I don’t want to be THAT guy.
The person who is always complaining about how things used to be and how better things were in THEIR day.
People hear me dis AI and I know they think I’m just scared about my job or think I’m just one of those knuckle-draggers who refuse to move forward with the times.
But AI is different.
You have to admit when the “A” stands for “artificial” it adds a layer of “ick” that social media never had.
I’ve never been closed off about new innovation.
In 2009, I was one of the founding members of Social Media Breakfast Toledo that helped introduce the Toledo business community to social media use and best practices. Back then, social media was new and exciting. It still had a relational feel even though businesses were starting to see its value and engage.
Social media was supposed to connect us; make the world smaller. Indeed, it did in my case. As an introvert, social media helped connect me to people who I never would have met, launch a business I had no experience in and expand knowledge in areas I never went to school for. Those were real connections that resulted in physical meet-ups when possible.
When social media became less authentic and became more highlight reels, photo filters and influencers it lost its magic. And now we have people who are more “connected”, but also more lonely, anxious and depressed.
A Renaissance of the Real
One of my personal values is “authenticity”. I love authentic people. REAL people. People who don’t sugarcoat or run things through filters to impress you. And I like being real to those around me as well. I find authentic people more relatable. Being relatable connects us as people.
And I think that other people want this too.
I feel that there is a growing renaissance for the real:
- Real food with no artificial or processed ingredients
- Real clothing with less unbreathable, synthetic fibers and plastics
- Real work with meaning bigger than C-suite bonuses
For sure, AI has some benefits, but I think when we start replacing the people made in God’s image with something that we can make in ours, we’re going to end up with serious problems.
One of the things I hate about these times is not knowing what is real or fake. People pick apart every word or photo, label it AI and then ignore it. There’s cynicism and doubt that comes into every online interaction. Someone is probably reading this now and determining I didn’t write this… But this blog will always be me and you. No AI at all.
It then embeds into our every interaction so that there is a gentle push by literally everyone for you to go to AI because they don’t have time to grapple with your questions themselves. Which, I’m not going to lie, when you live in a world that is more and more isolated, sometimes you feel like the only one who will listen and respond is AI…
Is AI and the information industrial complex nothing more than a golden calf in our lives? Where we turn for direction instead of the Word of God?
Maybe I’m just getting older. Or maybe that uneasy feeling inside is something we’re all feeling.
I’m not saying to ditch AI altogether. If you really think about it, we’ve all probably been using light versions way before it became a buzzword. I am saying to be strategic in developing real, authentic relationships with the people around you. I think for digital authenticity to survive, we’re going to have to take it offline at some point. Relationship is going to be the real currency of our interactions moving forward. People are still hungry for what’s real. And I pray that hunger leads us into the arms of a very real God.
In the meantime, I hope this blog serves as an authentic corner of the internet that puts a smile on your face and helps you realize that you’re not alone and that you should show yourself some grace.
