Why I want to DRAW what you might have looked like in the 1980s

Part 1: Why I wanted to do this episode.

I want to draw this picture because this week, I saw a lot of friends asking a chatbot to render an 80’s image. While I know these are fun little blips on the timeline, I think we should take a community moment to be mindful of the trends we participate in, and what those quick harmless trends signify at scale.  

Generative AI robs us of a lot of resources. 

It takes clean drinking water to run data centers. The data centers then pollute their surrounding communities. If each of us runs a prompt that takes 16 ounces of water to render, and billions of us throw that water away, we’re going to be in big trouble! 

We hear about water waste a lot on the topic of generative AI.

 Another resource I want to protect is human imagination. Frankly, I started this podcast because the idea of generative AI getting into kids' hands too early made me feel deeply, nauseatingly nervous. (I also hope to create an anxiety-free space for developing minds.) 

Let’s compare, for example, what it feels like to do the online trend to creating art. 

You pull the lever of the chatbot slot machine, it gives you a dopamine rush, and then you move on. Or, you draw a picture. You might not be great at it and it might not feel nice at first (see my picture). You decide if your self portrait wears blue eye shadow or teases her hair or has a mullet. You pick out 80’s outfits. You reminisce on the flawless styles Cyndy Laupher and MC Hammer. You show kids their music. Now they have an idea what you were like growing up and they have a memory of hearing “Can’t Touch This” for the first (?) time. Maybe you dance. Chatbots can’t get you dancing. 

Just like we decide which fashion trends we participate in, we can decide which online trends we participate in. Slow down. Be mindful. Before you try an online trend, take a walk or read with the kids. Create a buffer between the temptation and the dopamine. 

And hey if we can give up CFCs (hairspray chemicals) to save the ozone, we can give up AI rendering to save the planet. Like all trends, we will probably look back and wonder what we were thinking. ;) 

But with AI, the consequences are more permanent than a perm. 

Our job as adults is to protect imaginations--young ones and yours! Imagination matters. 

Part 2: Alternatives to AI trends

I worry that AI generates loneliness. 

I want to counter the bots with a few ideas to keep our brains creative and hearts connected. 

Instead of asking Generative AI services what you would have looked like in the 80s, draw what you would have looked like in the 80s! Like we did on the podcast today. Or if you’re a 90’s baby, draw that! Time travel with your crayons to any decade or period. You and your family can make self portraits together. This is not only fun and silly, but it gives you the opportunity to tell stories from when you were a kid. It gives kids a chance to ask questions about you or about the world. 

You can take it a step further and throw an 80’s (or any decade) party. Invite people you miss. What if you learned history while dressed in historic outfits? By historic outfits I mean any from hippy flower girls to 80’s glam to 90’s grunge to Y2K emo. When I was a kid, I loved hearing about how my elders grew up. Some worked farms, some worked the JELL-O factory, some served our country, some didn’t graduate from high school. 

And I was always surprised to find out who had a motorcycle. 

Making AI trend pictures cannot give you this knowledge or human connection. It takes time away from human connection and creativity. 

Instead of using it to make a poster, hold a contest for kids or the people in your community to design it (don't tell me you care about quality if you were gonna use generative AI haha!)

Instead of using it to think or brainstorm, sit down with a notepad or with nothing in your hands and just think. If that's hard to do on your own, call a friend or someone you miss. Or, read somebody else's thoughts in a book (not the internet). We cannot allow a machine to think for us. That cannot be good for our minds or spirits. 

Need a recipe? Call your mother. Or call MY mother.

Every time I see someone feel that they need to use generative AI because it's there only option, what I really see is a need for community. That's hard to build. Good news: we all want it. Make a fearless phone call. Show up to that thing you've been meaning to go to. Go for a coffee and say hello to the barista. Go to church, go bowling, do stand up comedy, join a gym, go to the community thing, sit at the library, I don't know! Watching people succumb to generative AI has been breaking my heart in a way I didn't know it could break.

More good news: people like when you show up!!! You are (very likely) a valuable badass human and I am praying you lean into that--not Big Tech/Big Brother. Slow down, please.