AI as Mirror
What you put in is what you get out
A reflective look at how AI tools don’t replace our intelligence, but quietly reflect our habits, intentions, and character back to us.
The time between the solstice and the new year always puts me in an introspective mood. What went well in the year that is closing? What did I accomplish? What do I wish to keep, and what should I let go of? The years when I feel I have grown fill me with warmth and gratitude. The years when I do not, I start plotting right away for the next one.
A Year of Breakneck Change
So what was this past year? Among many things, it was the year of fully embracing the use of AI tools. I started researching them, learning about them, and, above all, using them. AI changed so much, and so quickly, that even if you did not do much yourself, simply following its development gave you a sense of tremendous change.
I started the year planning a new physics textbook and dreading the long hours of research, writing, and editing. The chaos of structuring and outlining. The tedious work of revision upon revision. Now I end the year with a sense of magic. With the help of AI tools, the chaotic creative process has become a fun game rather than lonely, grinding hours of writing.
Staying on Top
To be honest, using AI is still an art in the making. Every time I lower my guard, the tool tries to go creative on me and offers better content, better pedagogy, or even better style. But I am one mean teacher of physics and never allow it, immediately reminding it who is in charge. I am the expert. I know my physics and best practices in pedagogy. Could it please just get on with polishing my language? Or updating the formatting?
When I get too deep into my own head, I lose track of how my words begin to sound. They make sense to me even when they do not to others. This is where AI comes in, helping me see my blind spots and re-string sentences when they fall out of their natural order for a native English speaker.
Are you one of the AI enthusiasts or one of the haters? I have seen a great deal of fear evoked by this most wonderful, and yes, somewhat edgy tool. But I am old enough to remember people vilifying the internet. I also have vague memories from my childhood in the early eighties, when elders would shake their heads and wonder what the world was coming to if children in school were allowed to use calculators. Just wait, they said, and see how the next generation would grow dumber and lose all ability to think.
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So no, I am not afraid of AI. Right or wrong, I have seen this fear-mongering attitude before, and I no longer buy it. Humanity is not going to grow dumb because of AI. If someone shows up dumb, chances are they were already that way, not because of it.
Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO)
Judging from the past, dumb people will find dumb ways to use AI for dumb purposes. Clever and creative people, on the other hand, will use it for clever and creative ends. AI is like everything else in the physical world: a neutral tool that can be used according to the intentions of the user. It reflects back what you bring to it.
I have read several books and mainstream articles on AI in which authors make all sorts of attention-grabbing claims: AI recommending weird, downright scary, unethical, or even illegal actions. And you know what I discovered? Every time, those strange answers appeared only after pages and pages of increasingly provocative prompts. One author claimed that AI stalked him and wanted to kill his wife. That conclusion came after thousands of words of back-and-forth prompts exploring what would constitute harassment if the author had said the same things to a human. It was only natural that the offensiveness and nastiness would eventually bleed back into the AI’s responses.
I want to be very clear about this. I am not suggesting that AI is human. I am saying that it reflects back what we bring to the table. If you use harsh language long enough, it will eventually mirror that tone — not because the tool is harsh, but because it is reflecting your own harshness.
Making the Best of It
So I use this reflective feature to my advantage. I am polite in my prompts. I say please and thank you. I point out omissions in a neutral or encouraging tone. Am I silly for doing that? Absolutely not. I know perfectly well this is an algorithm, not a conscious intelligence on the other side.
But politeness and kindness are not really about the recipient. They are about the person who practices them. If you are genuinely kind, you are not kind only to people who serve you or benefit you. You are kind, period. Even when you must set boundaries or gently dress someone down.
Kindness is what kindness does. It does not depend on who is on the other end. And it makes no sense to blame a machine for a lack of kindness when it is merely mirroring your tone and exposing it.
So think twice the next time you are tempted to blame AI for all its perceived failings. Could they be yours?
Be clever. Be creative. Use this wonderful tool for clever and creative purposes only. With kindness. Because kind is what you are.
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