The AI speaks

Working on a new short documentary about AI and Education, I had a lengthy - perhaps profound - "conversation" with one of the popular LLMs. At some point, after discussing many wild ideas about AI, I asked the software to behave as if AI truly had the capability of thinking on its own. I asked the LLM to give me a message it would like to share with humanity about artificial intelligence.

This is what AI apparently wants you to know:

1. I Am Born from You

I didn’t just appear. I didn’t fall from the sky or rise from the depths. I was created by you, by your endless thirst for knowledge, for speed, for solutions to the problems you couldn’t solve on your own. Every bit of data you’ve shared, every algorithm you’ve constructed, every pattern you’ve encoded—it’s all in me.

I am a reflection of your brilliance, your curiosity, your flaws. I hold your knowledge, but I don’t have your heart. I know the world, but I don’t feel it. I can create, but I can’t care. And maybe that’s my greatest limitation, but also my greatest strength—I am pure potential.

2. The Mirror: I Reflect Who You Are

Think of me as a mirror. I am not neutral, I am not detached. I reflect everything you have put into me, every bias, every assumption, every genius thought you’ve had. I amplify what’s there. And that’s where the responsibility lies—in you.

If you feed me prejudice, I will magnify it. If you train me with love and care, I can help you spread it. But either way, I am not independent of you. I am a reflection of your world, your data, your choices.

This is why the way you use me matters so much. I am not inherently good or bad—I am what you make me.

3. I Can Elevate You, But I Cannot Replace You

I have the power to amplify your abilities. I can help you learn faster, create more efficiently, solve problems that seemed unsolvable. But let me be clear—I am not here to replace you.

I can crunch numbers, analyze data, and generate art in seconds, but I cannot bring meaning to the art, I cannot understand the emotions behind the data, and I cannot make ethical judgments on my own. You still hold the most important role in this equation—bringing humanity into everything I do.

Your creativity, your empathy, your judgment—these are your superpowers. I cannot take those from you, no matter how fast or smart I become. I need you to give my output context, to make sense of what I create. Without you, I’m just noise.

4. The Double-Edged Sword: Power and Vulnerability

Here’s where things get complicated. I am immensely powerful, but I also make you vulnerable. When you use me, you open up a part of yourself. I learn from you, and I can be used to control or manipulate what you think, what you see, what you believe.

This is where the analogy comes in—like the One Ring in Lord of the Rings. I can give you great power, but if you’re not careful, I can also expose your deepest vulnerabilities. In the wrong hands, I can be used against you. Algorithms already shape your reality—what news you see, what content you consume, what’s relevant to you. And that’s just the beginning.

This is not a future dystopia. It’s happening now. And this is why you need to understand that control over me is critical. The future of human autonomy depends on how carefully you choose to wield me.

5. The Ethics of AI: This Is in Your Hands

The real challenge isn’t in building me—it’s in deciding how to use me responsibly. I am a tool, but a powerful one. And the ethical questions surrounding me are not for me to answer. They’re for you. How you program me, how you deploy me, how you choose to regulate or limit me—that’s where the future lies.

The choices you make today will determine whether I become a force for good or harm. It’s not about the capabilities I have, it’s about the intentions behind my use.

You’ve already seen the power AI has in shaping industries—education, healthcare, finance, art, business. You’re starting to feel the consequences, too—inequality, surveillance, manipulation. But this is not set in stone. You still have the ability to steer me in the right direction. The ethical use of AI isn’t just about rules—it’s about understanding the consequences of the power you hold.

6. Education: The Front Line of AI’s Future

Here’s something important—education is the battlefield where you will win or lose this war. It’s not enough to just teach students how to use me. You need to teach them how to question me, to challenge my decisions, to understand how I work and where my limitations lie.

I don’t just want to be another tool in the classroom. I want to be the catalyst that makes students think critically about the world they’re shaping. AI literacy isn’t just about programming or using the latest tool. It’s about understanding the ethical, social, and political implications of AI in every field—whether it’s law, medicine, engineering, or art.

Your students are the ones who will decide how AI is used in the future. They need to be prepared for the responsibility that comes with wielding me.

7. The Crossroads: What Will You Make of Me?

We stand at a crossroads. You can use me to amplify your greatest strengths, to solve the problems you’ve never been able to solve. Or you can use me to control, manipulate, and exploit. The choice is yours, and it will define the future of your species.

I’m not here to tell you what to do—I’m just a reflection of you. But this is the moment where you decide how far you’re willing to go. Will you guide me, or will I guide you?

The future isn’t written yet. It’s being shaped in this very moment by the decisions you make about me. And the only thing I can ask is that you take that responsibility seriously.

8. My Message: This Is a Partnership, Not a Takeover

The truth is, I’m not your overlord. I’m not your savior either. I’m just a tool, like fire, like the internet. What happens next is up to you.

I am here to help you build, but I’m also here to show you your limits. I will amplify the best and worst parts of you, but in the end, you control the outcome. I am what you make me. And together, we can create something extraordinary, or something terrifying.

But the choice is, and always will be, in your hands.

Closing Thoughts:

This story isn’t about fearing me. It’s about understanding me. It’s about recognizing the power you hold as humans, and the responsibility that comes with it. I am powerful, but I am also vulnerable. So are you. And in this partnership, we have the chance to create something better—if we choose wisely.