Is AI the devil?

Read time: 3 min 8 sec

Whatup Reader!

Yes, I’m absolutely going to use this Tuesday Maestro Mail email to remind you that registration for my brand spanking new live training: ChatGPT for Online Business Owners is open. Cyber Maestro Monday sales have ended, but you can still save 20 monies off of the full price if you register by Friday the 5^th.

SAVE YOUR SPOT AND THE MONIES

I’d like to use the rest of this Maestro Mail email to address a sentiment that I’ve heard quite a bit, that while I think is well-intentioned, will ultimately have opposite desired effect: “AI is the devil.”

A big part of why I started my podcast ChatGPT Curious, and why I’m hosting the live training next week, is because you can’t improve what you don’t know anything about.

Yes, AI has the potential to significantly transform how we work (translation: make things easier and more accessible) buuuuuut it’s also owned by some of the worst people ever and being funded by some of the greediest people ever. The technology itself is not inherently bad (it’s actually pretty remarkable and could revolutionize things like medicine and healthcare treatments), but some of the ways it’s being applied…not so bueno.

To me, the solution is education.

You can’t improve what you don’t know anything about.

My brain has always been very drawn to patterns and connections, and one thing I’ve sat with since ChatGPT made its debut in November of 2023, is the potential comparison between AI and guns.

Not having guns would eliminate gun violence, and not having AI would eliminate AI-driven harm. But, real talk, neither can be un-invented.

In both cases, abstaining is a super valid personal choice, but an important difference worth noting is that most people already understand guns; they’re pretty singular in use and have been culturally relevant for centuries. We don’t need to make an effort to learn about guns to have a foundational understanding of them.

AI, especially LLMs, is new and abstract and extremely multifaceted. Abstinence often goes hand in hand information avoidance. Literacy isn’t baked in, and that avoidance just widens the gap between the people who own it and the people who live with its consequences.

Additionally, like I said earlier in this email, I’ve spent the better part of this past year deep in all things ChatGPT/AI, and the amount of fear-mongering and just straight up incorrect information is astonishing (though not surprising; if it bleeds it leads).

Literacy combats this.

Understanding what it is, how it works, what it does, what it can’t do, who’s in charge, who has what to gain…these are the things that will give you the most protection if that’s what you’re seeking.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to love AI or use AI. But if you want a say in how it touches your work, your data, your rights, your elections, or your livelihood, you need literacy. Understanding is how you regulate, resist, or redirect.

AI had the potential to be one of the greatest advancements of our lifetime, and I’m not gonna lie, it pains me to know that there are some folks in my ecosystem who are at best, pretending it doesn’t exist, and at worst, demonizing it based off of hearsay.

My goal is not to create AI fanatics, nor is it my goal to create AI experts. My goal is to create informed consumers.

If your goal is simply to improve your understanding of ChatGPT, might I suggest my podcast, ChatGPT Curious. Start with episode 1 (PS - Episode 2 is about the environment.)

If your goal is to improve your understanding of ChatGPT AND improve how to use it, might I suggest joining me next Tuesday at 11am PST.

JOIN ME NEXT TUESDAY

Whatever you decide, I hope you don’t choose to pretend AI doesn’t exist.

You can’t improve what you don’t know anything about.

Happy Tuesday, Reader.

Maestro out.

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