As a proud member of Generation X, I’ve seen technology evolve from the days of dial-up internet and floppy disks to the sophisticated artificial intelligence systems we have today. The journey has been nothing short of incredible, but like any relationship, my interaction with AI comes with its own set of challenges. In many ways, it’s a love-hate relationship, much like the one we often have with our spouses or other women in our lives. Let me explain.
The Love: AI as a Productivity Powerhouse
There’s no denying that AI has significantly boosted my productivity. Whether it’s writing blog posts, setting up websites, configuring servers, or managing virtual hosting, AI has been an invaluable tool. What once took hours of manual effort can now be streamlined into minutes, thanks to AI. It has empowered me to tackle complex tasks with ease, providing solutions and suggestions that I might not have considered on my own. The convenience of having an AI assistant that can help draft content, troubleshoot issues, and even offer coding advice is something that I couldn’t have imagined back in the early days of computing.
The Hate: AI’s Inherent Laziness
But as much as AI can be a great help, it can also be incredibly frustrating. AI, at its core, is inherently lazy. When I ask it for specific details, especially when I want nice, clean, executable code that I can simply copy and paste, it often defaults to single-line command entries. These single-line commands are fine if you’ve got the time to spend hours tweaking and testing, but when you’re aiming for efficiency, they just don’t cut it. A task that should take five minutes ends up dragging on for hours, all because the AI didn’t provide the comprehensive, streamlined solution I was looking for.
In a sense, dealing with AI is like dealing with my spouse or other women in my life. The frustrating part is that with a computer, I expect perfection. When you code, you expect perfection because the computer itself is perfect—it’s the code that’s not. So when I’m using a tool like AI, I expect that same level of precision. But when I find that the AI’s coding is lazy by default, it’s a real letdown. Sure, it can be nice when you press it, and it eventually gives you what you need, but you constantly have to remind it that you want everything in a nice, compact package—executable and ready to go.
For instance, I like using AI to set up my LAMP web server with multiple sites. The AI-generated code is often well-done and executable, but it always seems to leave out one little thing. That one missing piece can cause significant issues, often leading me to do a complete wipe and reinstall. It’s such a pain to go through, especially when you’re expecting everything to work out of the box. This is where the potential of AI shines—experimenting and trying new things—but it’s also where the letdowns happen more often than I’d like. Most times, the results aren’t exactly what I was expecting.
The Necessity: Double-Checking and Reality Checks
Another critical aspect of working with AI is that you always have to double-check the work it gives you. AI might sound confident, but that doesn’t mean it’s always right. Whether it’s code, articles, or any other content, I’ve learned that it’s essential to give it a reality check. You have to ensure that what it produces actually fits your needs and is accurate. If not, you’ll find yourself spending more time correcting mistakes than you would have if you had done it manually.
The Silver Lining: Orchestration Made Easy
On the flip side, AI is really good for someone like me whose typing skills are pretty poor. For any project, I can basically just be the orchestrator or dictator, and AI fills in the blanks. I can then go through it, tweak it, dictate some more, and end up with something that sounds extremely polished. The beauty of this is that I don’t have to know the internals or the minutiae of the process. I just provide the outline and framework, and AI can take it from there. This part of using AI is so awesome—it allows me to focus on the big picture while it handles the details.
The Bias: AI’s Left-Leaning Tendencies
Another aspect of AI that I’ve found challenging is its apparent bias, particularly on today’s hot-button issues. When discussing topics that are politically or socially charged, AI often seems to lean to the left. This can be frustrating when you’re trying to explore a balanced perspective or when your own views don’t align with that initial slant. However, I’ve learned that if you keep pressing and drilling down with questions, AI can eventually offer a more centrist or even right-leaning perspective. But that initial leftward bias is something I’ve noticed time and time again.
Conclusion: A Complex Relationship
In the end, my relationship with AI is much like any long-term partnership. There are times when it’s incredibly helpful, making my life easier and my work more efficient. But there are also times when it drives me up the wall with its laziness, forgetfulness, and bias. Yet, much like in any relationship, the key is persistence and communication. With enough persistence, I can get the AI to deliver what I need, whether it’s clean code, a balanced perspective, or just a reminder of something I mentioned earlier.
As a Gen Xer, I’ve learned to adapt to the quirks of technology, understanding that perfection is a myth. AI is a powerful tool, but it’s far from perfect. And like any relationship worth having, it requires patience, understanding, and a little bit of grit to make it work.
