There’s a narrative circling that doesn’t sit right with me. That if you're not using AI, you’re being left behind. If you're ignoring AI, you’re an idiot.
My insecure-and-anxious-self agrees: of course we should be paying attention to AI. After all, it’s going to take over all of our jobs. (Which raises the question: if it’s going to take over our jobs, what’s the point of paying attention anyway? But I digress.)
But then my rational-self believes this is bullshit. As soon as someone talks in absolutes, it’s a warning sign that they haven’t thought things through properly.
I think of my friend Dave Smyth who runs a solo design studio. He doesn’t use generative AI, nor does he work with organisations pushing LLMs. He’s working in alignment with his values, and I love and respect that. He knows his skills and experience make the work valuable.
Or I think of someone like Andy Bell, a top-tier frontend developer. He’s not using AI, either. He’s taking a strong stance and talking about it openly.
Or David Bushell, another excellent developer who isn’t using AI for professional work. His AI policy is worth a read.
We were oblivious of the effects of social media in the early days, but now there’s mounting evidence of just how damaging social media is to our health. The negative impacts of social media have been likened to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. I believe AI will be considered just as, if not more, dangerous to our health.
I’m convinced we are going to see a mainstream anti-AI movement. Freelancers who stand up and say “I’m proud not to use AI.” And there will be plenty of organisations who feel AI conflicts with their own values and will happily hire these people.
So let me say it here: you don’t need to use AI for your work. The pressure to use AI is coercive, but there are practitioners choosing to resist.