AI Can Also Mean “Appreciate Individuality”
Hello AutismWorks Community,
Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now.
People use it for work, school, writing, pictures, research, entertainment, and all kinds of everyday tasks.
I use AI too.
Sometimes I think the best way to think about it is simply as a toy.
Something to experiment with.
Something to ask strange questions.
Something to play around with when you are alone.
Something that can help you explore an idea or satisfy your curiosity.
That can be fun.
But I also believe there needs to be a line.
AI should not become a replacement for your own personality, your own expression, or the real people around you.
And because the letters are already there, I have another meaning for AI:
Appreciate Individuality.
To me, that may be the more important kind of AI.
AI can be fun
There is nothing wrong with enjoying technology.
You can ask AI silly questions.
You can explore fictional scenarios.
You can experiment with ideas.
You can use it to learn something new.
You can see what it comes up with just because you are curious.
Sometimes playing with technology by yourself can be entertaining.
For someone with autism, it may even provide an environment where there is no immediate social pressure. You can type something, think about the response, try another idea, and move at your own speed.
That can be enjoyable.
Not everything has to be serious.
Sometimes a toy can simply be a toy.
But not everyone appreciates AI
This is important too.
Some people enjoy artificial intelligence.
Others do not.
Some people are fascinated by it.
Others are uncomfortable with it, distrust it, or simply do not want it involved in their lives.
That should be respected.
You do not need to convince everyone that AI is wonderful.
And someone else does not need to convince you that you should never touch it.
Technology is a choice.
People are allowed to have different opinions about it.
That itself is part of appreciating individuality.
Your voice should still belong to you
This is where I think the distinction becomes important.
If you are trying to express something personal, I do not think AI should become the person speaking for you.
Your feelings are yours.
Your experiences are yours.
Your humor is yours.
Your interests are yours.
Your mistakes are yours.
Your way of putting words together is yours.
It may not always be polished.
That is okay.
Human expression is not supposed to sound perfect all the time.
Sometimes we pause.
Sometimes we choose the wrong word.
Sometimes we explain something awkwardly.
Sometimes it takes three attempts before another person understands what we mean.
That is still communication.
And sometimes those imperfect moments say more about who we are than a perfectly written response ever could.
Social situations are supposed to involve people
Social situations can be difficult.
I understand that.
Sometimes you do not know what to say.
Sometimes you misread someone.
Sometimes a joke does not land.
Sometimes you say something embarrassing.
Sometimes you walk away and think:
“Why did I say that?”
It can be tempting to imagine having AI tell you exactly what to say every time.
But I would be careful with that.
If every conversation becomes something generated for you, at some point the other person may no longer be getting to know you.
They are getting to know the response.
There is a difference.
If I am having a difficult social moment, I would rather learn from another person, ask someone I trust, think about what happened, and try again.
AI can perhaps help explain a general idea.
But it should not replace the human learning that happens between people.
Asking a real person for help matters
There are times when you genuinely do not know what to do.
Maybe you are having trouble with a friend.
Maybe someone said something you do not understand.
Maybe you need help apologizing.
Maybe you are nervous about talking with a teacher, parent, coworker, or someone you care about.
Those are situations where another human being can offer something technology cannot fully provide:
relationship.
A trusted person knows things about you.
They may know your tone.
They may know the other person involved.
They may understand what happened before the situation.
They may notice that you are upset even when you have not explained it perfectly.
And sometimes they may challenge you.
That matters too.
A real person may say:
“I understand why you feel that way, but you probably should apologize.”
Or:
“I think you misunderstood what they meant.”
Or:
“You need to talk to them directly.”
That kind of human guidance is valuable.
Awkward moments are part of being human
I have come to appreciate something about awkward social situations.
They are uncomfortable.
But they are real.
And I would take those embarrassing moments over replacing them with AI anytime.
Why?
Because awkward moments teach us.
You say the wrong thing.
You notice the reaction.
You think about it.
Maybe you apologize.
Maybe you laugh later.
Maybe you do better the next time.
That is how people grow socially.
If technology protects us from every uncomfortable interaction, we might also lose some of the opportunities that teach us how to understand each other.
I would rather have a real conversation that gets a little messy than a perfect conversation that was never really mine.
AI: Appreciate Individuality
This is where I like my alternative meaning.
AI can stand for Appreciate Individuality.
Look around.
There are real people everywhere with abilities that no computer should make us forget.
Someone can draw.
Someone can sing.
Someone can repair an engine.
Someone can tell a great story.
Someone can make another person laugh.
Someone can cook.
Someone can teach.
Someone can listen.
Someone may simply know how to make another person feel welcome.
Those abilities deserve recognition.
Not because they are perfect.
Because they came from a person.
Celebrate real talent
Technology can create impressive things.
But I do not want that to make us stop noticing human effort.
When somebody makes something, tell them you appreciate it.
If someone draws something you like, say so.
If someone plays music, listen.
If someone cooks something good, thank them.
If someone helps you, acknowledge it.
If someone makes you laugh, let them know.
Appreciation does not have to be dramatic.
Sometimes it is simply:
“That was really good.”
“Thank you for doing that.”
“I like what you made.”
“You helped me today.”
Small signs of appreciation matter.
They remind people that their effort was seen.
People are more interesting because they are imperfect
Artificial intelligence is designed to produce responses.
People are much less predictable.
That is part of what makes relationships difficult.
It is also part of what makes them interesting.
People surprise us.
They misunderstand us.
They make us laugh.
They disappoint us.
They teach us things.
They have bad days.
They change.
They grow.
They have personalities that do not always make sense.
Neither do I.
That is individuality.
I do not want technology to smooth every human interaction until nobody has to deal with anything uncomfortable anymore.
Some discomfort is simply part of sharing the world with other people.
Use the tool without losing the people
I am not saying artificial intelligence should disappear.
I am saying we should know what it is.
It is a tool.
Sometimes it is a toy.
It can be interesting.
It can be useful.
It can even be fun.
But it should not become a substitute for:
-
your own creativity
-
your own voice
-
asking someone for help
-
learning from awkward experiences
-
real friendships
-
real talent
-
real human connection
Those things are worth protecting.
The more technology develops, the more important I think it becomes to notice the people standing right in front of us.
Use AI if you enjoy it.
Play with it.
Learn from it.
Be curious about it.
But remember another kind of AI too:
Appreciate Individuality.
Appreciate the person who made something with their own hands.
Appreciate the friend who stayed and listened.
Appreciate the teacher who explained something again.
Appreciate the person brave enough to speak even when the words came out awkwardly.
And appreciate your own imperfect attempts to connect with other people.
Because I will take a real, awkward, embarrassing human moment over a perfectly generated one anytime.
Thank you for reading.
With appreciation,
Tyler McNamer
Founder, AutismWorks
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