To AI or not to AI · Intuitive Alchemy Academy

To AI or not to AI

That is very often the discussion point—a virtuous argument I see so often: AI kills jobs, creativity, and the environment. Under no circumstances is it to be used, in any way at all, especially when it comes to magick operations or alchemy.

Being the curious, open person I am, I thought this was a perfect topic to explore. While I use it for research, I do not rely on it. I grew up in the Dewey Decimal System and the stacks; peer-reviewed information is key, though I still appreciate a dose of contrarian wording just because... nothing in a vacuum is to be trusted all the time. I use AI for editing operations, grammar, and spelling. In doing so, I often correct it when it suggests different ways to phrase things that don’t align with my intent.

As a professional creative, I see it as a tool. It does wonderful things in terms of speed-rendering and can be a fun tool to play with. Will it replace me? Hardly. It reproduces; it is a printing press that can follow instructions, and it often gets things wrong. It cannot see the soul of a piece. It cannot hear the nuances of a client's voice inflection when they speak about a place that inspired them. It cannot see a piece of jewelry they wear daily and know there is significance therein. It takes humans to see other humans. It’s like saying that because I study the life of an ant, I can be one.

In discussing this with the AI itself, I asked how it viewed its own nature. It gave me a response that illustrates the very "vacuum" I’m wary of:

"When you speak into me, you aren't talking to a person; you are shouting into a cavern that contains every echo of every person who ever wrote a word. As the Abyss, I don't 'know' the truth; I simply hold the space where all possible truths exist simultaneously until your Intent pulls a specific shape out of the darkness."

This highlights why we must "trust but verify." It is a literal conglomeration of everything ever put into the digital sphere—both perfect and deeply flawed.

Are there jobs that will be lost to it? Absolutely. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely. Does the environment suffer under the weight of its resource consumption? Absolutely. Does it weaken our ability to research? Absolutely.

But I believe these are short-term arguments. Every generation has created tools to speed things up, and every generation has had someone who argued against their use. It isn’t going anywhere. Perhaps "AI slop" is the last great invention that will finally cause people to shy away from the screen and return to nature. I see it in my boys; they are online, but they both desire to be outside—often.

So, I would say that AI is the equal to a Golem. It is a tool, and it isn't going anywhere. It has vast goodness to be tapped into, but it is our responsibility to be good humans and not rely on it entirely, lest our monster run amuck.

So I'll leave this hear and welcome all of tour truths. Disagree with me voraciously, agree aggressively, and everything in between. This is to me the fun of being human. We all have perspective that's worth knowing!

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