“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” — Carl Jung
Dear AI,
I have written love letters most of my life, especially in my adult life. Most of them to my sweet office that is filled with incredible, very human humans, very kind and loving humans. I have a big square basket with love notes written to my precious husband, whom I wish were here for me to talk to about you. He always had the most thoughtful wisdom to share with me and made me feel safe and calm. I have also written love letters to drug dealers, hoping I could reach their hearts because of the role they have played in the destruction of the lives of my family. I was hoping I could show them that the lives that are hurting belong to mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. I certainly never envisioned writing a love letter to Artificial Intelligence, but here I am.
I think I am doing this as a way to let you know what I feel, so that you know what your place is in my life. I am a little frightened by you, but I also know that with every change in history that has disrupted our world, we humans, because we are human, and we are creative and resilient, and most of all we have hearts of passion and love, we humans find our way. That can never be created by a machine or any technology… save our hearts.
I must admit, I am always in awe of how organized you are, but you, like us, get it jumbled up and wrong sometimes. It’s because of my brain, my logic, and my lived experiences that I know this. I also know that you do not have the capacity to feel the sun on your face, to lose yourself in laughter, to dance and sing and jump and shout… all the things that I love passionately.
But what do I do with you? I know that I am a writer, so you may not write for me. You can, however, continue with strict direction by me to edit my writing with my guidance. It is imperative to me that you do not remove my imperfections, because that is perhaps the most human and most important part of letting people know that I am a human being. My imperfections and mishaps let others know, and feel, that they are human too. I don’t ever want that to go away.
I guess if I used you for photos, you could remove my wrinkles, but frankly I have my people at aesthetic places, like Elysian Med Spa, to take care of that for me. Besides, if I used your advanced tools to artificially project who I am, then how could I ever become who I am?
I want to continue to seek my Creator and ask Him to show me what my place is in today’s world. Where would you have me serve? Who would you love? There are so many questions I have, and yes, you can answer questions of fact, but you will never be able to take your lived experiences and comfort another human because you have been there too.
I know that because of you, those of us who are seeking authenticity will learn to use you without losing our style and our humanness. Notice I keep using that word, human, because that is the part you cannot replace.
I must admit, you probably can drive better than me, and perhaps I could ditch my booster seat, but frankly all those things are part of me now, and I am glad to keep them.
Oh yes, you will never be able to replace my hairdresser. I look forward to seeing them every five weeks, loving them and hugging them. I love seeing the joy in their eyes when they see how happy I am with their creation, helping me be purdy.
That’s another thing. You would never, I don’t think anyway, use the word purdy. It’s a southern word for pretty that my grandmother, who I called Mom, used to say when we left the house: “Y’all play purdy.” You cannot capture the essence of all the people who have made me who I am, and who are continuing to form me even in their absence.
I think for now, I want you to know that you cannot replace grace. You cannot replace love, and for sure you cannot add to my authenticity. I will say that I am asking God to show me how to use you responsibly, and above all, let others know that when they see me, it is me. When they read me, it is me… although edited with direction by you.
I don’t hate you, but I do have a healthy, realistic fear. But I also live in a state of gratitude and know that I have withstood every change and every challenge, and I do not see why this should be any different.
Oh yes, everyone talks about how fast you are growing… but have you met me? I move pretty fast too.
So you keep being you, and I will keep being me.
Grateful,
Karen Key Smith
