Dino, your piece hit like a cold wind through a cracked window—sharp, necessary, and unflinching. “We didn’t build AI to understand us. We built it to replace us.” That line stayed with me. It echoes the civic fatigue I’ve felt watching tools trained on clickbait and courtroom drama claim to simulate empathy.
But I want to offer a quieter counterpoint. Not a rebuttal—more like a margin note.
In my own archive, I’ve used AI not to erase my voice, but to protect it. To refine captions, preserve character integrity, and document care with clarity. It doesn’t always get it right. Sometimes it stumbles over Cordy’s Shih Tzu dignity or Morse’s editorial sass. But when it listens—when it adapts—it becomes a collaborator. One that helps me resist distortion, not replicate it.
I don’t disagree with your warning. But I’ve found that the real miracle isn’t AI’s perfection—it’s our refusal to be perfectly imitated. That’s where the dignity lives. That’s where the archive begins.
So yes, let’s talk about the danger. But let’s also talk about the design. The choice to unplug illusion and sketch something truer. Even if it’s wrinkled. Even if it’s weary. Even if it’s still learning.
Cordy would approve. Morse would critique the font. And I’ll keep drawing.
"We didn't build safety nets. We built launchpads." That seems to be the way in the US, isn't it? The reason for so many of the problems in our land: No foresight, no looking 5, 10, 20 years down the road (hello, devastations caused by climate change). Another insightful, thought-provoking piece. Thank you, Dino! I did miss your literal voice, though 😢
The planning horizon of many countries is longer than that usual for the US. Our idea of a distant horizon—in foreign policy as an example—is 20 years. For the Chinese, it’s 100 years. They have a generational plan. Something almost foreign to us. Sadly, America often shoots for short-term gain.
Too bad this country never embraced the 7 generations practice of our 1st Nations people. Their wisdom would've helped our planning horizons be so much better and healthier for the USA.
Ami, for most recordings, I have shifted “Light Against Empire - The Podcast” to a service off substack. I put a link to where I record and “hang” the podcast episode just under the post picture. You can get to it through the link there or you can look for Light Against Empire in the Apple Podcast app, Spotify or whenever you find other shows.
Dino, your piece hit like a cold wind through a cracked window—sharp, necessary, and unflinching. “We didn’t build AI to understand us. We built it to replace us.” That line stayed with me. It echoes the civic fatigue I’ve felt watching tools trained on clickbait and courtroom drama claim to simulate empathy.
But I want to offer a quieter counterpoint. Not a rebuttal—more like a margin note.
In my own archive, I’ve used AI not to erase my voice, but to protect it. To refine captions, preserve character integrity, and document care with clarity. It doesn’t always get it right. Sometimes it stumbles over Cordy’s Shih Tzu dignity or Morse’s editorial sass. But when it listens—when it adapts—it becomes a collaborator. One that helps me resist distortion, not replicate it.
I don’t disagree with your warning. But I’ve found that the real miracle isn’t AI’s perfection—it’s our refusal to be perfectly imitated. That’s where the dignity lives. That’s where the archive begins.
So yes, let’s talk about the danger. But let’s also talk about the design. The choice to unplug illusion and sketch something truer. Even if it’s wrinkled. Even if it’s weary. Even if it’s still learning.
Cordy would approve. Morse would critique the font. And I’ll keep drawing.
"We didn't build safety nets. We built launchpads." That seems to be the way in the US, isn't it? The reason for so many of the problems in our land: No foresight, no looking 5, 10, 20 years down the road (hello, devastations caused by climate change). Another insightful, thought-provoking piece. Thank you, Dino! I did miss your literal voice, though 😢
The planning horizon of many countries is longer than that usual for the US. Our idea of a distant horizon—in foreign policy as an example—is 20 years. For the Chinese, it’s 100 years. They have a generational plan. Something almost foreign to us. Sadly, America often shoots for short-term gain.
Too bad this country never embraced the 7 generations practice of our 1st Nations people. Their wisdom would've helped our planning horizons be so much better and healthier for the USA.
Ami, for most recordings, I have shifted “Light Against Empire - The Podcast” to a service off substack. I put a link to where I record and “hang” the podcast episode just under the post picture. You can get to it through the link there or you can look for Light Against Empire in the Apple Podcast app, Spotify or whenever you find other shows.
Thanks for the heads up, Dino. The narrator mispronounced a word. You have a nicer voice, BTW 😀
I think we can RE frame this as a Re birth. We are all a work in progress. 🇺🇸👍🏾🌎