I saw a TikTok a few months ago of an influencer promoting an AI tool. Normally, I skip these videos, but something striking caught my attention. It has since stuck with me to this day, and I could never forgive myself if I don’t talk about this horrific issue. This influencer, whose account was geared toward BookTok (a space to recommend and talk about books of any kind), claimed that she had read over 100 books that week. I thought to myself ‘okay, just clickbaiting, no big deal.’ Boy… was I WRONG.
Artificial Intelligence has become a safety net for millions of people. Individuals belonging to different generations have turned to AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to edit their essay, solve a math problem, create a short presentation about a topic, or provide talking points to touch on during a business meeting. However, over time, its use began to expand outside of school and work. People used it to create a healthy grocery list for the week, or to receive movie recommendations based on what they already enjoy. But slowly, it started to creep into territories that border a dystopian world. The amount of medical AI programs for patients and providers to ask questions and receive a quick answer is absurd. These programs are pulling information that exists on the Internet. We should all know by now that not everything we see online is accurate, so therefore, ChatGPT can be wrong. Using AI to diagnose a medical condition, a mental health issue, or even using it as an online relationship sounds like the plot of a Black Mirror episode.
I will admit I’ve used programs like these in the past. In college, I’d ask for a quick review of an essay when family members weren’t able to proofread it for me. I have used it to create a workout plan. But I have never used it to write for me, and I most definitely have never asked it to read a book for me.
The TikTok influencer shared an app that allows you to read hundreds of books in days like she apparently did. She shows that all we have to do is plug the title into the program and it will summarize the entire text. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not an idiot. I know websites with the same exact purpose exist. Yes, I used SparkNotes for my AP English Literature and Composition class because reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky in a week is a little psychotic, especially when I had five other classes to worry about. I don’t fully claim I’ve read this book though. It’s one that years later I still have to go back and read on my own time to understand it. Which is why I think this AI reader is bizarre. No one should be using this, let alone claiming that they read x many books when really all they did was succumb themselves to insanity.
Have you read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradberry? If not, don’t worry, you still have time… hopefully. This incredible book, published in 1953, explores a dystopian world in which books are banned. They’re illegal. Isn’t that crazy to think about? We could be living in a society where we’re not allowed to pass time by jumping into another world. You know what’s crazier? We’re already living in this society. Each year, more and more books are criticized and removed from public libraries. Popular titles such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and yes, even Fahrenheit 451 has been challenged many times and has since been removed from hundreds of school libraries. Notice how all of these books include sensitive, but crucial topics? When books are banned, we’re losing access to connections, a sense of being understood, and the opportunity to understand different walks of life.
Hypothetically, if it became illegal to own any type of book in America, over time, it’d become so much easier for the government to control the population. With no books, we’re not seeing how things can be different, how our lives don’t have to be a certain way. And since plenty of books are banned or are reaching that fate, it’s all the more important that we continue to read. By read, I mean with our own eyes, not through a system that is beginning to replace our creative minds. I understand that AI can help improve our work lives, but the separation between work life and the human mind is beginning to crumble. While we let AI do whatever we need it to do, we should be practicing skills that it supposedly cannot replicate, such as emotional intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving. Nowadays, it seems to be doing the opposite. We’re working two jobs to make ends meet while AI is making art. All of these essential human skills falter when we let AI think for us.
I want to point out a possible rebuttal to my opinion. You could be reading this and think, ‘So what? We can just buy these books on Amazon.’ which is completely true. Yes, there are certain books that shouldn’t be in elementary schools because the topics are too sensitive for young ages. But, my issue is when book banning makes its way into public libraries. Say a first grader goes into her town’s public library and wants to check out The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It’s easy for the librarian to suggest she grab a different book. But that doesn’t mean this book should be wiped from the shelves. What if a college student is trying to read it without having to spend 10 dollars? Not everyone has the technological access to Amazon — or the money for it. This is a huge reason why we should be supporting public libraries in the first place. Mark Twain’s book has been criticized for its use of racial slurs and general racism. Yet, this is what is so important about reading it. We read it to understand why using these words or enabling this behavior is morally wrong.
Books are little pieces of life. It lets us escape our current situation and fall into an imaginary world. They allow us to feel entertained, creative, emotional, motivated. I absolutely believe everyone should be reading everyday. It doesn’t even have to be a classic that some loser made you feel guilty for not knowing. At the end of the day, we should all be curling up in bed with a book that makes us think and feel. Allowing AI to read for us sounds like we’re willingly plucking our own brain cells out. By refusing AI tools like these, we’re showing those in power that we have brains, we have emotions, and we are human. It’s showing that dividing and forcing us to do what they want isn’t so easy. Do me a big favor tonight and read a chapter of a book. Any book… it’s your pick. Just read.
Comments
Post a Comment