AI
Note: I will be using the term "AI/artificial intelligence" throughout this page to refer to large language models 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 13+ documented deaths linked to AI chatbots encouraging suicide and murder. There are hundreds of people currently experiencing psychotic breaks or hospitalization after extended chatbot use.
What I Use AI For
Development Work
I use Windsurf, a VS Code fork with AI integration since July 2025. I use this tool for syntax edits and organization while building knowledge vaults, project scaffolding, and code structure.
I find AI helps with grunt work, being able to replace the need for manually writing Python scripts or RegEx patterns. AI will never replace my architectural decisions or editorial judgment. AI will never replace my understanding of what I'm building and why, or my responsibility for the final code.
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 two 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.
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 linked to chatbots, 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 by me that are generated 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
AI is a tool, 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 use Windsurf, I'm using a sophisticated autocomplete. It's helping 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. Last major update: December 2025.
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.