Substack essay satirises AI reliance, warns of sterile human connection
In a satirical critique published on Substack, writer Shawn Smucker contends that using artificial intelligence for meal planning, trip preparation, and speechwriting produces sterile results that lack the imperfections inherent in human experience.
A recent essay published on Substack has ignited discussion regarding the integration of generative artificial intelligence into daily life and creative processes. Titled "Please Use AI," the piece by Shawn Smucker employs an ironic tone to critique the growing tendency to outsource personal and creative tasks to machine models. Smucker, writing from the perspective of someone in their 50th year, argues that algorithmic convenience comes at the cost of meaningful human interaction and personal craftsmanship.
The author advises readers to utilise AI for mundane activities such as meal planning and trip preparation, explicitly suggesting that doing so allows individuals to avoid difficult but essential conversations with friends. Smucker illustrates this point by describing scenarios where one might bypass a call to a friend who loves to cook, thereby missing out on hearing about personal struggles, such as a family cancer diagnosis, or the simple joys of gardening. Similarly, the essay suggests using AI for camping trip logistics to avoid texting a friend with extensive outdoor experience, which might lead to deep conversations about life changes or shared struggles with alcohol.
Beyond social interactions, the essay targets the creative domain, arguing that AI-generated content lacks the emotional weight of human effort. Smucker posits that using algorithms to write wedding toasts or speeches strips away the "poorly written words" of a parent who has experienced the physical and emotional toll of raising children. The piece contrasts the "sterile words of a machine" with the messy, imperfect reality of human expression, suggesting that the latter holds the true beauty of life.
The critique extends to the broader cultural landscape of art and writing, where Smucker questions the value of mastering a craft when competency can be achieved through a simple prompt. The essay references specific large language models, including Chat, Gemini, and Claude, in a darkly humorous reflection on how future obituaries might be generated by feeding an individual’s digital footprint into these systems. This scenario is presented as a loss of authentic legacy, replaced by "sanitary sweetness" that fails to capture the complexity of a lived life.
Smucker grounds this technological critique in personal reflection, describing the physical and emotional realities of ageing, children moving out, and the fleeting nature of family moments. The essay concludes by asserting that the longing for improvement and the clumsiness of early attempts are part of the natural order. It suggests that the beauty of life is found in these subtle imperfections and the effort required to create, rather than in the effortless output of artificial intelligence.
