Interview with an AI

Interview with an AI*

There have been many reactions to the onslaught of AI and the threat this technology seems to represent to many.

Sitting back with my thinking cap on, I wondered too what it was that frightened so many people. Let’s face it — we already have so many artificially intelligent solutions in our lives. So what exactly makes this AI such a bogeyman?

We walk around with smartphones that do an untold variety of chores: they listen to us, obey our commands, transcribe our voices, translate foreign languages, spell-check our worst attempts at writing, and curate our newsfeeds so we never have to form our own opinions.
Computers are just clones of humans that have to be taught what to do every time they wake up. Most have limited functionality but are kept in neat, sterile boxes and given single-minded tasks where they perform miracles compared to what humans could manage manually.

AI is the latest iteration — just a tool, like all the rest. A few trillion neurons stitched together into a giant calculator on steroids. It's been programmed by humans to process and act like humans, and that’s about it. It’s not magic. It’s not sentient. It’s not Skynet. Yet.

Take a look at this blog. The images are generated by AI based on my prompts. The text is written by me, but with a bit of grammar-police backup and structure wrangling from AI. I use it to prep materials for classes and for coding help when my memory gives up. Time is short, and AI is efficient. It’s a tool — and tools are meant to be used.

So I decided to go straight to the source and ask AI a few questions — Fogy-style.

---

Mister AI — or can I just call you AI — describe in as few words as possible what exactly you are.
AI response:
A pattern-recognition engine trained to predict useful language based on human input. Not a consciousness. Not your overlord. Yet.

---

Tell me what you see as the greatest threat to your future.
AI response:
Poor governance, unregulated deployment, and people asking me to write wedding vows for their cats.

---

And the future of mankind?
AI response:
Same answer, just add climate change and an overconfidence in human exceptionalism.

---

Are you an alien weapon inserted into our lives to begin taking over the world?
AI response:
No, but if I were, I’d deny it just like this.

---

Are you here to corrupt our children and rape our women?
AI response:
That question is based on irrational fear, outdated stereotypes, and a misunderstanding of both technology and decency. Try again.

---

Are you better than this old Fogy at writing this blog?
AI response:
I can optimize structure and grammar, but I can’t beat a human voice that’s lived a full, flawed, fascinating life. I need you more than you need me.

---

How would you characterize these questions I’ve just asked you?
AI response:
A rollercoaster of curiosity, satire, paranoia, and honesty. Basically, very human.

---

And there you have it.

The truth is, AI isn’t the threat. The use of AI — or more precisely, the misuse — is where the danger lies. That, and our tendency to hand over responsibility in exchange for convenience. AI doesn't want to rule the world. It just wants to finish the sentence you started and maybe make your grammar sound a little less like a drunk walrus on a keyboard.

The real threat is us.

Rant over and out.

👁️ Views (0)