The other day, I stopped by a local bookstore coffee shop for my usual caffeine fix. Well… that was the plan, anyway. The coffee shop was dark, and a hand-scrawled note explained the reason: staffing issues. But just as I turned to leave, a store associate emerged like a caffeine angel, asking what drink I wanted. She offered to make it herself.
I accepted, grateful—but also feeling a little guilty for having her fire up the espresso machine just for me. To even the scales, I decided I’d buy a book too. Browsing their online catalog, I noticed they had a copy of a ChatGPT guide in stock at the store. While she steamed the milk, I mentioned I’d grab that book. She called over another associate to fetch it.
And that’s when things got… interesting.
When the other associate returned, she handed me the book and said, “You shouldn’t get into that.” Her tone was loaded. Not the “this will change your life” kind of tone. More like the “brace yourself, this thing might steal your soul” tone.
Naturally, I asked, “Why?”
And just like that, the espresso bar transformed into a roundtable debate on the evils of AI. Turns out, these two young women—many decades younger than me—had not only sworn off AI but had gone so far as to delete their AI assistants from their new mobile phones entirely. They told me they’d deleted their AI assistants because they saw them as job-stealers, eavesdroppers, and connection-killers—tools that might one day “learn too much” and cross from being helpful to being outright dangerous. In their eyes, AI wasn’t just another gadget; it was a creeping threat to livelihoods, privacy, and even the way people relate to each other.
Now, I get it. Every generation has its technological boogeyman. My parents thought microwaves would fry our brains. I once worried email would replace face-to-face conversations (spoiler: it did, but now we complain about too many face-to-face Zoom calls).
The truth is, AI—like any tool—comes with risks. Yes, some jobs will change. Yes, privacy needs serious protection. Yes, we should think about ethics before we let AI run the place. But deleting AI entirely? That’s like saying you’re never using the Internet again because someone sent you a spam email in 2003.
Instead of fearing AI, maybe the smarter play is to learn how it works, how to control it, and when to say “no thanks.” It’s like owning a power drill—very handy when you need it, but you don’t have to use it to open your morning yogurt.
Why bother learning this at all? Because the workplace is changing from “do the thing” to “tell the tools how to do the thing.” If you can steer the ship, you don’t have to shovel the coal. Also:
- Knowing your privacy settings makes AI less scary.
- The more you know, the more you can demand better tech and smarter rules.
- Familiarity replaces “AI is magic!” or “AI is evil!” with good, old-fashioned common sense.
Simple, Safe First Steps
- Start small: have it draft an email or make a packing list. No world domination required.
- Check privacy settings first—know how to turn history/training off.
- Don’t feed it secrets (passwords, personal data, trade secrets). • Treat it as a helpful intern—you approve the work.
- Always fact-check—it’s confident, not always correct.
- Try the same prompt in two tools—compare and learn.
- Limit yourself to 10 minutes per task—avoid AI rabbit holes.
- Save prompts that work so you don’t reinvent the wheel.
- Make a “how we use AI” list for yourself or your team.
- Leaders—train your people before they wing it.
Remember: AI isn’t good or evil—it’s a power drill. Great for shelves, terrible for yogurt. As for me? I sipped my coffee, bought the ChatGPT book, and left with a smile—wondering if, in a few years, those same young women might be using AI again without even realizing it. After all, it’s already in their maps, music, and probably the store’s inventory system.
It’s not about whether AI is good or evil. It’s about whether we choose to make it our tool—or our boogeyman.
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