A 9 minute read exploring how to navigate life in this AI-saturated world with humor, heart, and a touch of weird.

I have to be honest. AI helped me write this. I’m alright with that, and I don’t think it would be much different if I did not use it. I use ChatGPT to suggest changes and it finds grammar issues, spelling mistakes and run on sentences. Some suggestions I use – most I do not.

The issue here is not that AI is bad – yet. For me it’s like friend who can proofread my writing. The point is we must keep it in check… we must be capable of recognizing it and have parameters in our lives to guard against it when necessary.

Regarding parameters, do you know the paperclip theory?

The Paperclip Maximizer thought experiment simply demonstrates how a superintelligent AI could consume all resources to achieve a simple goal like making paperclips. This includes consuming even the whole planet. It would do so while ignoring human well-being. It illustrates the danger of AI pursuing goals literally without limits or understanding human values.

This experiment shows the importance of defining clear parameters. We need ethical constraints to ensure AI aligns with our best interests as a society. It is also important for each of us to maintain parameters with AI so it does not take over and consume our time. Companies like Facebook are working hard to suck you in as much as possible with emotionally engaging content using strong AI algorithms.

Recognizing AI-generated content is becoming crucial

Perfection is a red flag.

AI often produces text or images that are polished but can lack genuine depth, personal nuance, or specific details that only a human would naturally include. This will change soon.

For now, look out for overly generic language, strange phrasing, or responses that feel emotionally flat or too perfectly crafted.

Developing a healthy skepticism and pause to ask who created the content – and why – it can help you spot AI before it shapes your beliefs or decisions.

Here’s the image I asked AI to generate for this article for the home page. I wanted it to be about AI contemplating itself.

Our Hyperreal lives.

Welcome to the world of the hyperreal.

Philosopher Jean Baudrillard described it as a place of simulations and signs. These signs no longer point to anything authentic… Just vibes, pixels and sponsored content.

We’re not in the Matrix world. We are not like Neo who suddenly learned martial arts instantly through a direct brain upload. Our lives are more like The Truman Show but the cameras are algorithms. Your semi-private thoughts are turned into ad copy and then sent to you. It’s a world where AI-generated influencers on YouTube are reinforcing your beliefs. As you may know YouTube is owned by Google. Your searches are used to understand you, your needs, and desires and then sell you want it *thinks* you want!

Models in ads wear pounds of makeup, then get photoshopped. We’re told to be inspired by them. We are encouraged to buy that product to be like them and feel whole. But it’s not real – it’s hyperreal. News outlets blur journalism with sponsored content. You’re never quite sure if you’re consuming news from a real headline or consuming a corporate or government-written pitch instead.

“We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.”
— Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation

The truth is we’re drowning in information but starving for meaning. Everything is smooth, shiny, and corporate. Plastic authenticity. As Marshall McLuhan warned: “The medium is the message.”
And right now, the message is engagement, not connection.

So… what’s the antidote?

We don’t have the luxury of a red or blue pill.
But we do have the ability to make smart choices – if we slow down enough to see the options.

Step 1: Slow the Scroll and Breathe

We are all getting content like… “5 Ways to Level Up Your Art/ Writing/ Golf” and so on. But we are glazing over and seeking more… that’s your brain begging for stillness. Scrolling isn’t research. It’s digital sedation.

Consider putting down the phone more often or shutting down the computer.
Touch a tree.
Write a poem or make art.
Watch your cat for five minutes. No cat? Watch birds fly.
No birds? Just watch some trees sway and breathe deeply.

Step 2: Ask Who’s Benefiting

Before you like or share something, ask:
Who made this – and why?

You Googled camping. Now you are getting ads that pitch you a water purifier.

A relatable celebrity is selling you water purifier as they stand next to a waterfall… and they look so happy to drinking some nice cool and clean water. Is it real interest in helping you or slick emotional clickbait designed to sell you something. Marketing isn’t evil. But manufactured sincerity isn’t connection.

Not-so-fun fact: Make the problem and sell the solution!
Pur – the water purifier – was created by Procter & Gamble. This company is one of the world’s largest plastic polluters. Their self-reported plastic footprint: 714,000 tons a year.

Step 3: Make Real Stuff. Badly if Needed.

Perfection is a red flag when recognizing AI.

I encourage you to make something with your heart and hands: a collage, a playlist, a wobbly mug, a half-burnt banana bread. Have fun for the sake of fun. The image I painted and used for this article is not perfect in any way but I made it.

Raw is rare. Raw is good. Raw is authentic.

Share your mess or your masterpiece – just make it yours.

As the Wachowskis reminded us in The Matrix, the real world may be messy, uncomfortable, and hard—but at least it’s real.

Step 4: Don’t Outsource Your Voice

I’ll admit it – I asked AI to write a song about my brother in the style of his favorite band. And yeah, it was kind of fun. Clever, even.

But here’s the thing: AI doesn’t know my brother. It doesn’t know the way our voices go hoarse after one of their concerts, or how just one guitar riff can take us back to a road trip years ago. That feeling—the messy, specific, irreplaceable stuff – that’s where the magic lives. And no algorithm can fake that.

Your voice matters. Not the polished version. Not the AI-enhanced version. Yours. Write like only you can. That’s what makes it worth reading.

Step 5: Reclaim Boredom

Boredom isn’t failure. It’s a feature. It’s a luxury. Relaxation is productive. Boredom is where your soul stretches its legs – where real ideas start forming.

Stop filling every gap with a podcast, a ping, Instagram or a TikTok.
Be still. Consider letting your mind wander without a map.

So, what now?

Go play. Make dinner with friends. Meditate. Go for a walk. Paint an Ensō.

Return to the phone or computer cautiously. Set healthy parameters and maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. Question the creators of the content you are consuming. Like our food is getting highly processed, so is our news, information and social media content. Be careful and enjoy.

A Wake-Up Call from an Expert

Geoffrey Hinton is a leading computer scientist and cognitive psychologist, he is widely recognized as the ‘Godfather of AI’ for his pioneering work on neural networks and deep learning. He received the 2018 Turing Award, often called the Nobel Prize of computing. In 2023, he left Google to warn people about the rising dangers of AI. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024.

In the enlightening interview below, which I strongly suggest you watch, Mr. Hinton was asked (at 1:24:15 ) for a closing message about AI safety – he did not mince words. He said, “There is still a chance that we can figure out how to develop AI that won’t take over from us and because there’s a chance we should put enormous resources into trying to figure that out because if we don’t it’s going to be too late.

In another interview he says, “If the public realized what was happening they would put a lot of pressure on governments to insist that the AI companies develop this more safely, that’s the best I can do… It’s it’s not very satisfactory but it’s the best I can think of… and more safely means more resources from those companies toward safety research.”

Wonder, Weirdness, and a Sharp Knife

We’re not powerless in this new world – we just have to stay awake, aware, and a little wild. Keep your wonder, your weird and your voice. Use AI like a sharp knife: carefully, and not for everything.

Make things, break things, touch grass – and as Sting told my wife when he was asked for the best advice he could share, “Enjoy the joy.”

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