AI
Note: I will be using the term "AI/artificial intelligence" throughout this page to refer to large language models, chatbots, and generative so-called "artificial intelligence" tools for sake of ease. I am aware this is semantically incorrect.
In 2019, while I was still studying software development at SAIT, I used a program now known as AI Dungeon for the first time in Google Colab. The program had GPT-2 under the hood. It was incredibly frustrating to use, clunky, and looped endlessly. Yet it could generate original ideas and thoughts and synthesize what you input with what it already knew.
I like to think because of my experience as a web developer, in combination with my writing career, grants me a unique position in understanding both the technical aspects and emotionality of AI.
To begin, I try my best to avoid using AI tools as much as possible, but not completely. There are existential concerns regarding a variety of factors, and I have serious concerns about how they're reshaping human communication and creativity.
As of writing, there are 14+ documented deaths linked to AI chatbots encouraging suicide and murder, including the first documented murder linked to AI influence. Hundreds more people have experienced psychotic breaks or hospitalization after extended chatbot use, with estimates suggesting 560,000 people weekly show signs of AI-related psychosis or mania.
In late February 2026, OpenAI struck a deal with the United States Department of War and the Pentagon, with “safeguards” after Anthropic’s exclusion. "Human rights advocates have voiced concerns about the unregulated use of AI models by militaries, including the Israeli army in its genocidal war on Gaza.". By continuing use of AI, the consumer is complicit.
What I Use AI For
Development Work
In the past, I have used Windsurf, a VS Code fork with AI integration, starting in July 2025. I used this tool for syntax edits and organization while building knowledge vaults, project scaffolding, and code structure.
I found AI helped with grunt work, being able to replace the need for manually writing Python scripts or RegEx patterns. AI would never replace my architectural decisions or editorial judgment. AI would never replace my understanding of what I was building and why, or my responsibility for the final code.
Starting in Late December 2026, I transitioned to only using Sublime Text 4 as my working IDE. Although the help with grunt work was helpful, I had come to realize I valued trying to work AI-free, particularly for personal projects such as this. I did not feel comfortable returning to VSCode, as it was owned by Microsoft and had branded itself as "the open source AI code editor".
Writing and Research
In the past, I have used AI to analyze and organize large bodies of text (like my 1,000,000+ words of journal entries). These tools assist with pattern recognition and summarization, they are not analyzing my words but rather create python scripts that then perform semantic analysis. AI does not make creative or editorial decisions. My own work remains entirely human.
What I Don't Use AI For: No AI-Generated Content Presented as Human Writing
I've written several longform articles on generative AI:
- The Piss Average Problem: The Age of AI is a Crisis of Faith
- Lovebombing, Psychosis, and Murder: I was wrong about artificial intelligence. It's actually so, so much worse.
- Are NSFW AI Companions Actually Just Exploited Workers in Developing Countries?
- No, Moltbook is not the Singularity or AGI. Not even close.
- AI Artists Have No Role Models: Prompt Engineers Lack Any Canon, Don't You?
- Apathetic, Intentionally. Why I don't block AI scrapers on my website
- An Open Letter to Cory Doctorow: Ollama is Part of the Enshittification
- Why is my local city and public library looking to pay $50/hr to an AI Artist Residency?
During my research, I found the following statistic:
"54% of LinkedIn's long-form posts are now AI-generated, representing a 189% increase since ChatGPT launched. On Reddit, AI content increased 146% from 2021 to 2024, with some subreddits like creative writing communities hitting 41% artificial content." Source
I will not be contributing to this. My writing is mine.
The key concerns include model collapse, deaths and murders linked to chatbots, AI-induced psychosis, and the verification crisis. You cannot legislate authenticity back into existence once the technical capacity for verification vanishes.
My Boundaries
There will never be any blog posts or essays authored by me that are generated or edited by AI, likewise I will not automate any personal communication with AI either. AI output is not legitmate research and will always have a hallucination problem.
I will not generate blog posts or essays with AI and pass them off as mine, nor will I automate personal communication with AI. I will not treat AI output as legitimate research, nor will I contribute to "content mills".
I will be transparent and responsible in all my work and take responsibility for everything I publish.
Tools vs. Replacement
I believe AI is a tool and that it has utility. It can correct typos, but it does not write the work. It can do calculations, but it cannot understand the problem. It can search for information, but it cannot meaningfully evaluate the credibility or relevance of sources.
When I previously used Windsurf, I was using a sophisticated autocomplete. It helped me type faster, rather than thinking for me. I'm able to explain every decision in my code and every sentence in my writing, just as I would without the tool.
Related
Notes
This page will evolve. AI tools are changing fast. My thinking is changing too.
If you're wondering whether something I am associated with was AI-generated, email me: mail@brennanbrown.ca. I'll tell you honestly. I am not interested in any additional AI products or companies that are AI-first.
