My personal preference is to enjoy life with people, not computers. Shared suffering with a friend is greater than flourishing alone with a machine. However, digital tools are handy. Here is a starting point for AI as a tool:
- For private/NDA work, explore local AI with Open WebUI & Ollama. (Get some hard drive space or a flash drive to store your models)
- Experiment with tools like Cursor or LM Studio.
- Try Grok, ChatGPT, and Claude.
Try AI as an informed individual and treat it like a tool; the real risk is in the hands wielding AI (not to deflate the risks).
I recommend using AI to handle the drudgery and “dehumanizing” tasks. Use it to do more work. I believe that work gives purpose, but taking that purpose from a person and giving it to a robot or AI requires consideration.
Gain Understanding & Peace
This talk by John Lennox is a wonderful example of wrestling with AI and where to find peace (in Jesus).
Prepare for Disruption
See the disruption AI is bringing and prepare. The disruption from AI and the shockwaves are real. Evaluate the impact you will be taking and take action by learning the skills needed to adapt and deepen your network with people preparing for AI disruption.
Have empathy and understanding toward people impacted by the changes AI brings. A world of people helping people is greater than a world of people being served by machines. Remember this as you navigate AI, which is thrust upon us all. AI is here, and there is no going back at this point.
See the crushing wave approaching; don’t stand on the shore paralyzed.
AI Ethics
Consider the ethics of AI and autonomous robotics. My many concerns with AI (approximately) boil down to its origins and use.
In my opinion, in its origins, AI has been trained using material by people who think it is ethically acceptable to infringe on copyright for the greater good. This line of thinking, “infringe for good,” is very likely programmed into all AIs (implications of that bias are not small).
On the use front, AI is being used for various purposes, good and bad, and we all have very little control over this. Nor do we have control over who uses it. Will our nation’s progress be constrained when another’s is unconstrained? What is the risk associated with a delay in progress when another outpaces us? What would happen if the Axis powers made “the bomb” before the Allied powers?
Manipulation
Because of the billions of dollars flowing into AI, those investing in AI will want to protect their investment. You need to know how to spot manipulation used to justify and guard that investment.
- We will be told AI is “just a tool” to deflate the dangers.
- We will see forums demanding “ethics” and “good” from AI. However, really, these forums will be a tool for calming public concern and not a tool of action.
- We will see taboos developed around specific questions regarding ethics and anti-agenda topics. We need to see the significance of what is not said.
AI Is Not a Fad
When ethics are set aside, and progress is paramount, you should get the feeling something bigger is going on and take notice. A sense of fear is not unwelcome, but don’t be paralyzed.
We don’t know what the future looks like. We don’t know how AI will grow, if it will stagnate, or if it will hit impassible knowledge gaps. We do know what it is today: a disruptive and powerful tool.
Leave a Reply