personal accountability in the age of AI
Vent/rant initially written in my notebook on March 7th, now transcribed here.
I sometimes look around and wonder why everyone is so… lazy? Not the right word. Inert? Overwhelmed? Also doesn’t quite fit. I do believe people are doing their best in a given moment most of the time and if not, make up for it some other time. But why are the most basic things becoming so hard for us all? We (at least here) live in a relatively safe time and probably most comfortable time in humanity so far. Cars, supermarkets, most jobs are soooo comfortable in comparison to what we used to have to do to survive. I look at us now and wonder how we made it this far. We arise in the softest beds, food always available for purchase (and a wide variety even), the world’s knowledge and personal assistant in our pockets, can go far distances without walking, sit around as a job etc. (not all) … but now it’s too hard to set an alarm, to get up, to clean, to take care of yourself, to switch to a different brand, a different device, a different service, start eating different foods, plan how to get somewhere in time, take the less convenient option at least sometimes …
It’s like once certain people get a level of comfort, you need to pry it from their cold, dead hands. And if that convenience and comfort is based on cruelty, exploitation, manipulation etc. so be it - their comfort trumps all. Where is the discipline, the integrity, the curiosity, the drive to do hard things sometimes? It’s like so many people just want to live in a cocoon - not have to try, not have to feel anything, not have to exert themselves or take responsibility for anything, a selfmade mental sensory deprivation tank. But they still want all the credit, none of the blame, never want to have to change, never be wrong. They still wanna be the good guys, without the sacrifices and the discomfort. They want to have friends without having to make time for or listen to their troubles, they want flourishing plants without ever having to water them. Figuratively and actually.
Everything is always just: I didn’t bother to. I couldn’t. I didn’t know. I don’t want to. I shouldn’t have to. I didn’t have the spoons, this triggers me, etc. We love not doing. We love complaining. I complain right now, even.
We’re rapidly hurtling towards a society where “Why do anything?” doesn’t sound ridiculous.
Why do that if it costs more? If it’s uncomfortable? If it doesn’t generate money? If no one will see it? If it won’t make you go viral? If it isn’t a brand deal? If it won’t make a difference? If it will get stolen and repurposed?
Why do it if AI can do it for you?
Why actively write, choose your outfit, create a card, pick what to eat and what exercise you wanna do if AI can do it for you and its choice is superior because it has tons of dafa and calculate[s] the perfect one?
One day, you can’t even criticize people for their choices because they didn’t make them, the AI did. The perfect scapegoat.
“How should I have known if AI did it for me? It wasn’t my fault, the AI did it. Why should I have to check if it’s right? I shouldn’t be expected to do that. I don’t even have the time or energy to check that for 3 seconds. Why should I do emotional labour for a machine? Can’t you just get over it? It’s not even that deep. Expecting poor people not to use AI is classist.”
… is probably what we will say.
responses
starbreaker - a banger of a reply, honestly
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Published 16 Mar, 2025