I’m not a fan of Generative AI. In fact, I can’t stand it. There are numerous factors as to why and there are people better equipped to explain side effects of regular use. If you’re interested in learning more about these areas, here are some articles to start with for environment, emotion, and mentality respectively. That’s not my focus.

I see a lot of people talking about how “everyone else is doing it” and frankly, I’m not addressing those people either, it’s giving, “if everyone else jumped off a bridge…”

This is for the people who feel like they don’t have other options. If you are on the fence about how to keep up in a content heavy world where AI seems to bridge the gap between corporations and the everyday technology user, this is for you.

What many people don’t realize or haven’t thought of is the age old idiom, ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’. In this case, that is especially true. While you may not be paying something out of pocket to use AI, there is a cost. Even if that cost is theft  of intellectual property from your peers. And make no mistake, just because you’re not stealing from them directly, doesn’t mean it’s not theft. Think of the AI platform as a fence, you know you’re buying stolen goods even if you don’t know who they were stolen from.

But content isn’t the only thing it’s stealing from the community. AI is also taking from you. Every time you use it, you’re being robbed a little more. What is it taking from you? Opportunity and connection.

What opportunity? Specifically the chance to learn and try new things. 

What connection? The ones you could have with the people around you and your peers. Using AI is robbing you of the opportunity to connect.

If you’re thinking, that’s great, Chandra! But I still have to make my content. What do you expect me to do about that?

This is why connection is important. Near the end of 2025, I needed a logo. Now, I enjoy design, but I’m not particularly good at it and I’m also busy. I didn’t have time to teach myself how to design a logo right then. I was working on so many projects, but my website really needed it to look more cohesive.

I was also working on projects with one of my writing partners and she needed a website. We’d talked about it a lot and there was just so much on her plate. There was going to be a steep learning curve to change platforms so it kept getting bumped down the to-do list. She didn’t have time to teach herself everything she would need to get it done, so we had an idea.

I’ve designed a bunch of websites. She’s a talented artist and has designed a bunch of logos. So we did a swap.

It seemed so obvious to me, but I realized it’s not obvious to everyone. As a community, we’ve gotten away from the barter system, from going to the village square and trading what we have for what we need with our neighbors.

If you’re thinking, “I don’t have anything to trade.”

This is an opportunity to learn and try new things. Evaluate what you are good at and see how you can contribute with your strengths.

A friend and mentor once gave me some good advice when I was struggling to fit in at a new workplace. She told me that I didn’t see the value in what I was doing because it came so naturally to me and I found it easy. I didn’t realize that my skill was something that other people were struggling with. Easy for one person isn’t always easy for another.

So while you may not know everything or be good at everything there is something that you are good at, something you can offer. Using AI is never going to replace that. But it just might rob you of the chance to find and use your passion to connect to your community and be of service. It might keep you from finding and connecting with your tribe. It might leave you feeling like you’re isolated and not enough. 

The truth is, you don’t have to use AI to keep up and be a part of the community. The lie is, that if you don’t use it, you will be left behind. While there are lots of uses for AI that are beneficial to human kind, tasks like making marketing images and videos or using it to write for you, are not worth the water and energy spent on generating the content. And if you can’t be bothered to make the content, why should anyone be bothered to engage with it?

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