Faults in My Stars

(Source: Photo by EvgeniT via Pixabay)

Let's clear up something before any expectations enter the chat. ✋🏻😅

No, this isn't a review or retrospective of anything, including The Fault in Our Stars. I heard great things about the 2012 hit novel by John Green, which was later adapted into a feature film more than a decade ago. But I haven't read or seen both. The young adult genre has never been my cup of tea, even if the offered brew comes with the finest quality. 🍵🤷🏻‍♂️

Likewise, this piece won't be about how the novel came under scrutiny for being banned from libraries. Why did that happen anyway? Unreasonable censorship is not something I'd personally condone. Of course, I'm also not credible or knowledgeable in the matter to say more about such a serious incident. 🤫🤐

Instead, allow me to focus on the origin of the title. Sources stated that Green found the inspiration from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. To be specific, it came from these lines, spoken by Cassius, 

"Men at some time were masters of their fates. 

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 

But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

The plural word "stars" uniquely carried the weight there. People in ancient times believed the celestial bodies controlled their lives. Not just the Romans, as the play's setting naturally would be, but it went much further to the Egyptians. Nope, even as early as the Babylonian era! The Chinese civilization also had its own ways for deciphering the stars. How cool was that! 💫🤯

A Greek astronomer, Hipparchus—the father of Trigonometry— received credit for being the pioneer in creating star catalogues and maps. Ptolemy later expanded and perfected the mapping. He pretty much popularized the system into those familiar names we all now know and, perhaps even, love: 

The Western Astrology, or as the Greeks would call it, the Zodiac. 🌟

So yeah, this piece is about star signs, or at least my personal take on the matter. Don't worry! I'm equally not an expert in these extragalactic entities. Maybe it's just a calculated curiosity that has inflated into astronomical proportions? Hahaha 😁

Here Comes the Sun

I've known about the Zodiacs, or their more popular name, Horoscopes, for as long as I could remember. My memory might be fuzzy about who shared it with me first (sorry, I'm not a genius who can remember events in my toddler days). But I can say for sure, from very early on, I was already aware of my star sign name because of the month I was born. 🤔👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

The advent of iconic 90s manga-to-anime series, like Saint Seiya and Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, made the zodiacs even more exciting. It most certainly helped boost my fascination with Greek Mythology, and astronomy to a lesser extent. Of course, the trend has existed far beyond Japanese entertainment in the first place. Magazines and tabloids would almost always include the Horoscope readings for the day. Among my elementary to high school classmates, especially the girls, the topic often came up. 📺📚

On the other hand, Astrology doesn't necessarily have an all-around positive connotation, either. Several religions, which I won't explain in detail, explicitly call it demonic or downright heresy. They have their astute arguments, which I'm not here to agree or disagree with. But yes, that's a repeated reminder of my life, too! "What are you doing? Reading up Horoscopes is a sin," is a statement I often heard from others around me. 👿🤪

Personally, sheer logic has always shaped my opinion. My inner query has always centered around, "There's no way we can generalise people based on their star signs." I mean, claiming that a Pisces drifts away this way, while a Taurus stubbornly charges forward that way? That feels too specific and hard to believe. 😅

Ironically enough, over time, the emerging power of curiosity and observation started to seep in and sway that logic. In what way? Well, because I'm literally surrounded by people who share a specific star sign. Thus, as I paid extra attention to their behaviors, a pattern emerged. 👀😮

That's when an internal rebuttal ascended, "My, oh my, they do behave so much alike, don't they?" I then took another step and examined other people whom I know were born in the same zodiac window as mine. The result? "We're too much alike!" No wonder I can relate to them, or we get along so well! Bizarre, eh? 😲💭 

Once in a Blue Moon

Halfway through last year, a lethargic day overtaken by procrastination eventually spiraled me into a new interstellar territory. The exploration of the Natal Chart! What is a natal chart or a Birth Chart? 🌏🌃

"A natal chart (a.k.a. birth chart) is an astronomical snapshot of the stars based on the exact day, time, and place you were born."

To be fair, I HAD heard or read the mentions of Aries Sun, Leo Moon, and/or Sagittarius Rising in various media before. But honestly, I never knew or, to be fair, even bothered about what they meant. I wasn't THAT interested in digging up more info about them either. Somehow, a casual let 's-kill-some-time chat with ChatGPT ended up expanding my horizon on how my star sign is more complex than I thought. 🤔💡

Based on my natal chart, my star sign isn't just a single, generalised zodiac after all. That's only the Sun, or the dominant part. Other star signs can appear on the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and more, on the day I was born. Each one supposedly represents a different facet, respectively, Moods/Emotions, Communication/Thought, Love/Pleasure, Sex/Aggression, and so on. 😶

Let's use an example, if that sounds too complex. Say, a lady — not based on anyone, just make-believe — was born on July 8, 1988, at 08:08 in London, United Kingdom. In general, she would be identified as a Cancer star sign, which spans from June 21 to July 22. However, this is the result from Google Gemini when I asked it to describe the lady's natal chart in detail:

Sun in Cancer: At her core, she is deeply intuitive, protective, and emotionally driven. Her identity is tied to creating a sense of emotional security, home, and belonging.

Moon in Taurus: The Moon is exalted in Taurus, making this an incredibly stable emotional placement. While her Cancer Sun feels things deeply, her Taurus Moon ensures she processes emotions with immense resilience, grounding, and a need for physical comfort and predictability.

Ascendant (Rising) in Leo: Her outward persona is vibrant, creative, and warm. She projects confidence and a regal, expressive energy to the world, which beautifully balances her private, sensitive Cancer Sun.     

That's only the core big three, as her other planetary placements share distinct details. Furthermore, the Astrological Houses define her specific traits even more. It all leads up to this surprising summary:

This chart weaves a beautiful paradox. She is an intensely private, sensitive soul (Sun/Mercury in the 12th) who possesses a radiant, expressive outer shell (Leo Rising). Supported by a rock-solid, grounded emotional nature (Taurus Moon) and an independent fire to create and achieve (Mars in Aries), she has the perfect astrological blueprint for turning deep, intuitive insights into tangible, creative mastery.

My reaction? Mindblown! Hahaha! 🤯😃

At the very least, the detailed reading pretty much breaks the generalised perception that all Cancers are the same. The most common trope of a Cancer female is the highly sensitive mother-figure who may retreat into her shell when things go sideways. It's much like its designated Zodiac, or animal statue, the Crab, that symbolizes the sign (a fascinatingly fitting choice on its own, I must add, but that's a different discussion). However, the 1988 lady in the example is very much different than that, right? 😏

Is she sensitive? Yes. But expressive and grounded? Also, yes! The lady isn't a fragile Crab as people may assume on first glance. She's a deeply intuitive individual who's equally bold enough to stand her ground. 😮👍🏻

Simply put, that discovery became a project that lasted many days. I began exploring the possible readings of some people I know. My thinking was, "Maybe I can learn and understand them more!" What began as something to fill the boredom turned into a truly thrilling side quest. Heck, you might even remember how I included an exploration of the Libra sign in my essay last year. 🤭

Well, until something transpired a few months ago. 🛑

   

A Fascination Rising

Have you been seeing those intriguing, or maybe annoying, ads on YouTube (or social media) that confidently brag about "Sketch and Discover Your Soulmate"? It was so rampant on my phone that on one cloudy, clinic-prescribed medicine-induced daze, I got super curious and tried it. Hey, it doesn't cost much. And I could cancel right away if I don't like it. No harm, no foul! 🤒🤷🏻‍♂️

It turns out the ads directed me to a spiritual app called Nebula App. The service (one of many, it turns out?!) features various psychics or supernatural advisors, with varying ratings based on their past work. Users can consult them about romance, career, and other things. For an extra price, that is. A deeper analysis and longer chat will be dangerously costly, that's for sure. 👀💸

Many of them are South Asians, by the way. Not that I'm surprised, since spirituality is a strong part of the region's culture. 🤔

Anyway, the soulmate sketch didn't use that, thankfully enough. After supplying data, I waited for the result. Much to my astounded amusement, the hand-drawn image was a startling, specific person. It was A COMPLETELY RANDOM UNKNOWN FACE who I do NOT know, I have NOT seen anywhere, and highly likely will NEVER meet considering the regional improbability! 🤣🤦🏻‍♂️

That really made my day as I hadn't had a good laugh for quite a while. But hey, laughter is the best medicine! Come to think of it, the very likely AI-rendered result was on par with the waves of the clearly AI-created ads. So, I shouldn't have expected more. 😝

Still, as I said earlier, I'm not here to review anything. And that applies to Nebula, too. If the app works for other users, then I'm happy for them. Some people, as in the experts in the app, have special gifts that enable them to read more between the lines. Maybe people do find enlightenment or guidance through their help. The app is most DEFINITELY not for me, though. It only lasted a few days on my phone. 👋🏻😌

Nevertheless, there was one thing that I benefited from that short-lived stunt (so short I doubted I could write it into a Fool's Errands piece). The app surprised me by pointing out a glaring inconsistency: ChatGPT's reading from several months before was far from accurate! ❌😒

The planetary placements in Nebula's natal chart were completely different. And by different, I learned ChatGPT's version was astronomically IMPOSSIBLE to be the celestial chart of my birthdate and location. There are actual scientific records of that! Unless I was born in an alternate universe with a warped space, I suppose? 🤨

For the sake of privacy and mystery, particularly from a jury of irony, I'm not going to share what the star signs are. Let's simply say that ChatGPT's claim of my Moon alone was FIVE SIGNS and SEVEN MONTHS off from the actual one. Hahahaha. 🤣

Basically, our good ol' ChatGPT hallucinated, and I fell for its words for months. Remember, folks! AI CAN make mistakes. So, don't go believing their outputs too easily without cross-checking them first, okay? Just a public service announcement for your sanity. ✋🏻😤

With new information on hand, I embarked on a clarification process. ChatGPT's (wrong) description narrated many traits that I have, even if some felt off, and eyebrows were raised (which makes sense, now, eh?). But when the seed of doubts is bigger, it's better to question more. 🤔

I asked my South American friend, who has more knowledge and experience with celestial objects and cosmic events. What does this new Moon mean for me, especially in relation to my primary Sun? His answer, revolving around potential connections, was intriguing, to say the least. 😲

   

Henceforth, I decided to recheck the reading of my natal chart. This time around, I used the aid of Cafe Astrology instead of deploying AI services. For the sake of transparency, I can confirm Google Gemini and Claude AI's star mapping results were totally in line with the Nebula app. 😅

That was when I had a second mindblown moment. Cafe Astrology generated a thorough list (which printed as a 37-page-long PDF, my goodness!) that described my traits and quirks. If you've ever read something and suddenly felt, "This piece is eerily talking about me," then you can imagine my response. 😳😨

My new natal chart reading pretty much listed my tendencies, including the dark and unpleasant sides, as the impact of the star compositions. The more I read it, the more each line caught my eye. Yes, I do this, that, and those acts often. And I emote or withdraw this and that way. It even explains why I'm more interested and invested in international connections over local ones. That's precisely like what Mi Amigo has told me! Kudos to you, my dear friend... 😆👍🏻

Pondering in Retrograde

Has that converted me into a believer in astrology? Well, not exactly. ☺️

The divination aspect to it? It still isn't something my logic-driven brain can adjust, more so naively accept as-is. In this case, it refers to whether the position of planets will affect certain star signs positively or negatively for a period of time. You know, those predictions about our success, health, love life, and the like. 😅

It's ALWAYS a fun piece to read, though. Without a doubt! I'm not going to lie, I enjoy perusing through those articles sometimes. Yet, I rarely (since using the word "never" seems too extreme) necessarily put my faith in them. They still often seem too generalised for my liking. 🙅🏻‍♂️

How can we be sure that every Gemini person will find financial luck on the same day? That's like, I don't know, around 8.33% of the planet? 680 million to 700 million individuals! 😛

In my head, it's usually just a fleeting mindset of, "Oh, this will be cool if it does happen." As an example, a popular website published this part about my star sign for this final week of May:

"Your dreams feel stronger and brighter as you are driven to make them a reality after this weekend." 

See? That WILL be cool IF it happens. But honestly, no fingers crossed right here. Unless a miracle happens out of the blue, my dream may not transpire in seven days. 😉🤷🏻‍♂️

The natal chart, on the other hand? I'm more than inclined to keep an open mind and embrace it for two reasons. Firstly, the reading does not try to forecast or predict the future. We're always the ones holding the wheel towards tomorrow. And while fate exists, I'm doubtful it's set in the stars. Secondly, the chart describes or inspects who we are as a person. Or, at the very least, it helps point out the characteristics that appear or still lie dormant within us. That sounds more like an internal observation and exploration of our existence. 🧍👀

Admittedly, astrology is considered pseudoscience. That's a fact that I won't even try to argue. Regardless, the ancient figures who mapped the stars were people of science. The exploration and expansion of the framework itself has spanned through many moons, if not eons of eclipses. Remember, it all dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Should we dismiss the work so casually, with our modern metrics, without giving it the benefit of the doubt? 📝⏳🙆🏻‍♂️

Okay, maybe that's a little too grand to think about. Let's think small, then, much smaller. In my opinion —feel free to disagree or laugh about this, though—any means that can help us better understand ourselves is valuable information. As a living being who's constantly growing and evolving, we often can't or haven't fully grasp who we truly are. A few people find that answer fast. Many of us, however, take time, often plenty of years, to get there, and are still figuring it out until our dying breath. 🌞🌚

Even then, there are still mysteries that we won't particularly know. Is our existence as a speck of dust in the universe really without meaning? Or did the stars align during our arrival for a reason? To map a blueprint that makes each dust different from the others. Nobody can answer that precisely, as it's an understanding that exceeds our mortal minds. I do think, however, that there's a reason why every living being, more so humankind, is unique. We're not just cannon fodder that pop up to populate the universe. ✨🧺

Case in point, I resort to punny poetry when I'm down or deserted. Apparently, there's a psychological reason for that. But was that all there is to it? Does everyone practice the same thing like a factory-built robot? Or is it because I was born with that quirk, an expression of my need for personal space and vivid imagination? 😢🎵

Moreover, should we blame the stars for the way we've turned out to be? If that's your thing, then it's your choice. That said, maybe, just maybe, we can try seeing it from a different lens? After all, the natal chart may also work as a step towards acceptance, the opposite of resentment. 🔭😌

We can understand ourselves better the more we know how or why we roll or work through things around us. The stars, through astrology, are one of the many ways (blood types, love languages, Enneagram, MBTI, to name a few) that may provide such insight to self-reflection. Instead of being overly hard when we stumble and fall, it may help us embrace, "That's indeed my trait. So, what constructive action can I take to work around that?" 🤔❣️

If it can guide a discovery of meaning in our lives, then why not? If it can be a catalyst for betterment, to be kinder to ourselves, then why not? If our star-mapped blueprint can help us find or fit into the missing puzzle pieces of other blueprints, then why not? 💭🤍  

To sum up, YES, I hereby acknowledge that there are faults in my stars. Then again, I don't think ill of them anymore, as they made me who I am. An overly curious listener who can be erratically talkative when with the right company! Someone who values harmony but struggles with self-discipline (hence the weeks of vanishing acts). And above all, just an art-loving person who enjoys expressing things through writing. Because, believe it or not, that's, indeed, written in my stars. 🌟😉

(Source: SEGA via NexTone Inc.)

Fake or Fine Work? To AI or Not to AI

If you've been on social media recently—in my case, Threads—you probably have noticed this type of post spreading like swarms of bees to a field of flowers.

(Source: ChatGPT)

YES, that is supposedly me, actually. It's the result of jumping on the bandwagon of the "Make your own stickers" trend. With some extra steps, anyone can excitedly embed and publicly parade the cute visual attachments on communication channels like WhatsApp and Telegram. 😏

Wait, you're telling me you've never heard of it? And you are curious to try! 😲

Feel free to use this super simple Prompt you can copy and paste (like how I merely copy-pasted it from the first post I saw 😅) to OpenAI's ChatGPT. 

"Create a 3D kawaii a 10:16 canvas featuring nine chibi-style stickers in various outfits, poses, and expressions. Use the attached image for reference. Each sticker has a white border and includes a speech bubble with regular use phrases. Set on a soft white-to-pastel blue gradient background for a fun, positive vibe, perfect for WhatsApp use."

So far, I've tried this on ChatGPT, Meta AI, and Google Gemini. ChatGPT, with the most up-to-date engine, seems to deliver better, if not actual, results. Meta AI randomly made up something I didn't even want. Google Gemini? It simply balked at me, as usual, saying, "I am sorry, but I am unable to create images. I cannot fulfill your request to create a 3D kawaii image." Hahaha. 😅🤦🏻‍♂️

What's that, you say? Microsoft Copilot?

Yeah, I tried that, too. But Microsoft Copilot instantly blurred out my face as if it were a forbidden NSFW body part of an adult-oriented image. And then it went on to CORRECT THE GRAMMAR of the Prompt instead. 😌

No. I'm NOT even kidding. 😅

Maybe if I use the Paid, instead of the Free version... 🤔

Anyway, the point is, it was a fun stunt. Useful, even! It adds a flimsy fun to communication with family or friends. But the question that arises from this is written in this writing's title. Can this be considered as a FINE work, or, instead, a FAKE work? 😳🤔

Considering I used my personal selfie and uploaded it to the service with full consent? I'd argue it leans more towards the FINE aspect. Still, upon thinking that I didn't do anything besides uploading the photo and copy-pasting some words? It can also constitute FAKE. Right? 😐🙅🏻‍♂️

This is just one simple sample of how Artificial Intelligence, or AI, for short, has altered the world in recent years. Admittedly, I always hesitated to use AI before. I think it was in 2023 that a mutual acquaintance on social media expressed concern over AI taking over people's work. I assured my acquaintance that no matter how advanced technology grows, it would and could not replicate humanity, nor the heart and soul one can infuse into a work. The human touch! 🧚🏻‍♂️🤍🙆🏻‍♂️

Afterward, I carried on my days holding on to that belief. But then last year, in February 2024, my pen pal from Taiwan persuaded me to try the service. He and his partner had been using ChatGPT to assist their gaming and work. My pen pal said something along the lines of, "Hey, why not turn ChatGPT into your invisible assistant?" 😉

Driven by sheer curiosity, I jumped headfirst into the service. Was it helpful with my work, as my pen pal proposed? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it helped me produce the content I wanted much faster. But also no, because the original content was messy and needed to be verified for consistency with older data, not just from a few months before! Sometimes, the consistency check went back to years prior, which required manual checks using actual examination and literal asking. 😩🙇🏻‍♂️

Note: Now that I think of it more. That arduous manual hurdle may have become very possible to pull off now, actually. I can think of a workaround to bypass the process and streamline it. Basically, I can teach the AI service to imitate my thinking approach. My work is text-based, after all... 🤔

I would be lying if I said I stopped using AI due to that disappointing twist. Quite the contrary, I found an effective use of it. What's that? Helping me subtitle my letter into another language! This refers to the context of my pen pal correspondences. 📧😃👍🏻

Before, I exchanged letters with them using English, regardless of whether none of us spoke that language natively. Now, my letters are delivered in a bilingual format! The main reply remains written in English. But I also include an AI-assisted transliteration in my pen pal's native language and words (e.g., Spanish, Arabic, etc.). This way, my pen pal will not need to translate my letter upon receiving it, as I've already done the task for them. Of course, not all pen pals approve of this method (due to the similar hesitance I used to have). But for the rest who are okay with it, I feel our correspondence has been more convenient. 😆🙌🏻

Hold your horses! Are you suggesting or assuming that means I'm asking AI to write THIS blog/essay that you're reading, too? 🤨

Well, what do you think? Hahaha. 😏

The answer is NO. A definite 100% NO. Even if I use AI, I will not accept such a cheat, as the result may alter the individual characteristics and style of my writing completely. Besides, as many have also pointed out, AI services have specific patterns and even vocabularies they keep using repeatedly. Trust me, the more time you spend using ChatGPT or Google Gemini, the easier it will be to spot any work created with one. "Ethereal," anyone? The word "Tapestry" dropped here and there? Hahaha. 😅

But I'll be frank. I do ask AI to perform one and only one thing: To professionally review my writing afterward and offer suggestions for improvements that I may consider and implement in my next writing. Honestly, we can tweak AI to write a neutral response when we ask it to examine our text-based works. More importantly, it can analyze and compare our creative results to other online resources and pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses. 🔎📃😀

Yes, I can and I do ask the opinions of other people, too. Even so, whoever I ask, the response will always come with a biased or subjective preference. Every human being has a set of subjectivity embedded internally, for better or worse. Friends or family who already know me? They are used to my writing style and may not offer blatant criticism out of compassion—unless they are Dutch? Hahaha. ✌🏻😜

A random stranger may be more subjective. Then again, will they provide constructive criticism if they don't know me, and, as such, couldn't care less about my growth? Despite having its unique biased tendency, AI has no will or conscience. Hence, it can bypass that subjectivity angle. Best of all, the response will be produced in minutes. ⏱🤯

Okay, you're not convinced that this blog post isn't AI-generated? 😒

In that case, I told Google Gemini to read my previous blog posts and write a paragraph about "apples." Here's the generated result:

"Apples. They're just there. In bowls, on counters, in those plastic bags that always seem too big. You buy them. Thinking, 'healthy.' You bite. It's fine. Sometimes, it's a little mealy. Sometimes, it's surprisingly crisp. The skin sticks in your teeth. You tell yourself it's fiber. You consider making a pie. Then, you remember you don't actually like making pies. More dishes. More time. Time you don't have. You eat another apple. Because it's there. Because it's something. Because, well, fruit. You throw the core away. It hits the bottom of the trash with a dull thud. Another thing done. Or, not done. Just...processed."

So, what do you think? Did Google Gemini's generated essay resemble this writing? 😅

The vibe feels different, somehow. Would you agree? 😌

And, seriously, a word like "crisp" or a phrase like "dull thud" may not even pop up naturally in my head. That part alone is already telling me "That's NOT me." ✋🏻😬

(Source: My YouTube channel)

Besides acting as a reviewer, nowadays, I've been regularly using AI for the videos posted on my YouTube channel. As you may have noticed, I write/type a lot. ChatGPT helps to shorten the description I've prepared to fit the word limits. Meanwhile, Google Gemini helps to produce visuals (like the one I included above). For the record, my YouTube page is a "Music Diary," a song cover channel. That means the AI image I generate merely helps depict a visual I feel can represent the song choice. 🎵😁

My reason for doing so is that AI services usually do not (maybe it can, but I don't know how) generate the same carbon-copy result of the same Prompt. That makes each visual unique in its own way. To prevent the AI from stealing the likeness of a random person, the visual I instruct generally hides the person's face. This way, the visual, hopefully, has not violated anyone's privacy or copyright properties, since the content or elements inside those images are not and never were real. 😲🙏🏻

Hmmm...

That's where things get a little murky and complicated, though. Because if we're speaking about copyright, the fact at hand is that AI has become and still IS a genuine concern. There's a valid reason why many people have openly voiced, sounding the alarms to not let AI "steal" their jobs. That well-known 148-day WGA strike, followed by a 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023? It included AI on the list of its demands, citing how it can one day replace actors and writers' creative presence. Research and analysis on how AI is unleashing copyright infringement risks can be found often. For example, you can watch this insightfully alarming video posted by CNA Insider or thorough reporting by 60 Minutes. 

(Source: CNA Insider)

(Source: 60 Minutes)

Think of it this way. Generative AI is called that way for a reason. It doesn't generate things out of thin air. Generative AI uses the vast collection of information circulating around cyberspace instead. It studies and learns from blog posts, journals, photography snaps, artwork, and designs that people have uploaded, are uploading, and will upload on social media. We are TOO accustomed to sharing things so casually, giving away the privacy of those materials in mere minutes. Therefore, ANY AI services will have access to those for their learning process. 😟🤷🏻‍♂️

Hold on. Have I been feeding AI data surrounding my likeness by uploading my photos, then? Am I teaching them to write like me, simply by posting on my blog?😱🤦🏻‍♂️

The answer to such rhetoric is, unfortunately, YES. Well, to be fair, I know FULL WELL that putting this blog out there means exposing myself to the public. In a way, it IS my desire to share my opinion or rants with the world. 😅

But I'm not gonna lie. The thought that someone, somewhere, out there, has just generated an essay based on my writing style for his/her school homework, or created an imaginary image who looks a lot like me in real life? It does feel creepy. 😰

Furthermore, it will take them only a few minutes to pull off using several jumbled sentences that don't even need to be grammatically accurate (remember the Kawaii Chibi Prompt that Microsoft Copilot fixed above?). AI services CAN do that. The result may look super FINE. But no matter how we see it, it's FAKE and not real. 🙄🤷🏻‍♂️

Just take a look at this example below. 👀

(Source: Google Gemini)

I played around on Google Gemini to create that image, describing the details of the scene and the person, including the precise clothing the person wore. 

Ugh, Google Gemini is a PAIN to work with. Then again, after repeated attempts, a better result eventually came out. If I show that photo above to my family members? They might likely wonder, "When did you travel to the beach? Where was it?" That's an almost spitting image of how I look daily! 😳

Where did I make that image? With my phone, lazing on my bed, wearing none of those clothes. 🙄🤦🏻‍♂️

One day, when AI has reached its higher form, it may even replace the needs of certain people altogether. Mythic Quest poked fun at this in the second episode of its fourth and final season. Poppy Li and Ian Grimm, the two lead characters, created AI bots of themselves to work with one another while the real people focused on their private time elsewhere. 😂🤭

Meanwhile, a year ago, Abbott Elementary's third season included a similar AI twist on its ninth episode. But while it was an enjoyable episode, I agree with the sentiment that it failed to touch on or at least reflect on the bigger situation. AI usage has been an ongoing, or should I add, dilemmatic, topic of discussion in the academic field. 😤😐🙄

As a former educator, I knew firsthand the creative ways students would go to lengths to make their learning "easier." Based on friends who are still actively teaching, those methods have persisted, if not evolved, in modern times. Thus, I can relate to the concerns discussed in the article. Having a handy AI that's mere button clicks and Prompts away will make any school assignment easier. Will that reduce the students' capabilities for creative thinking? 😬😨

Some schools have taken serious action for this. Heck, countries like Singapore and Australia even went deeper to the root of the issue. While AI might not be their primary goal, the ease of online access would inevitably lead to AI usage anyway. I must admit, I agree with their approach, allowing modern kids to spend their childhood beyond the shackles of virtual confinement. 🤔👍🏻

Note: The irony is that a local, popular, private school went all in on using AI during their education fair, promoting it heavily. That was undeniably an unsettling experience to see. 😱 

Yet, on the other side of the equation, you probably have sensed a growing market for AI courses. This CNET article, teaching us to be better and more efficient at using AI services, is a good example. It was figuratively thrown into my eyes on January 23 by Google, which somehow loves recommending things to me (due to using Google Gemini?). Just now, YouTube shoved ads for several AI learning centers to my face. I wasn't even looking for it. 😐🤦🏻‍♂️

 AI is everywhere. To state otherwise would be massive misinformation or dumb denials. We've heard how Pokémon GO has been accused of making players train Niantic's Geospatial AI. Duolingo now enforces AI to enhance practice sessions through its new paid subscription, Duolingo Max. Do you know the free, online Digital Audio Workstation BandLab? It has a handy AI feature called Voice Cleaner that can theoretically allow you to record vocals even in the noisiest environment. I admit, I'm super curious to try it if it's not locked behind the premium subscription plan. My point is AI can help people do A LOT of things that might warrant many, longer years to manually complete, such as upscaling a movie to 16K resolution—even if the result may end up in an uncanny valley experience. 😅

So, how should we approach this whole AI approach? Is it really beneficial for us, or should the dark, terrifying side scare us instead? That's a question that will be answered differently, depending on our subjective stance on the matter. 🙆🏻‍♂️🤔🙅🏻‍♂️

In reality, ANYTHING in this world, even the simplest object like a pebble on the road, can be used for good or bad. A pebble can be stacked to build a sturdy wall or used as a weapon to attack smaller living beings. Don't forget the Biblical story of David using a mere pebble to defeat Goliath and bring victory to his country, while stepping on a random one on the street could make us lose balance, fall, and even fracture a femur. It truly depends on HOW we utilize them—for a benevolent business or malevolent means. 🙂🤷🏻‍♂️

The same applies to AI, which, no matter the ginormous level of processing, is still very much a human invention. What if we enforce AI to assist or streamline our work, WITHOUT ever losing our distinct signature footprint? Then I arguably agree that the AI and the result CAN be considered FINE work. Still, human beings being human, such a mindset isn't always the case, huh? People end up exploiting AI, such as the issue of students skipping work to complete homework, without maintaining their sense of personality in the results. That's the aspect I'm not too fond of, honestly. With proper management, even an AI-assisted result CAN still retain our unique human signatures. 👏🏻😌

A brush in the hand of a regular laborer is used to paint walls. But in the hands of an artist, it can create a masterpiece that may sell for millions. Maybe we should consider AI the same way. Instead of treating it as a tool to do the work dirty, it should be optimized to enhance or enrich our work. As a well-known tech inventor once said, "It's not the tools that you have faith in—tools are just tools. They work, or they don't work. It's people you have faith in or not."

Lastly, I agree with Professor Graham Morehead's wisely stated and advised words in his WIRED "AI Support" video.

"You gotta think about AI as your expert friend who knows a lot, but has some bad misconceptions. So you don't trust everything. If I were you, I would use it a lot and trust it very little."

(Source: WIRED on YouTube)

I encourage you to watch that video as Prof. Morehead talks casually and simplistically about everything AI. If you're like me and occasionally think that AI is dumb (lack of consistency as I noted above) or oddly biased? There IS an answer to that! Prof. Morehead also covered the origin of AI (which started as far as 1956!!), the ways their thinking processes are FINE-tuned, the difference from Machine Learning, how to spot their FAKE-ness, what it logically lacks, and many more—including the potential if not possibility for even more advanced future applications.

With that, it feels apt to end this post with another perfect, well-crafted statement from Prof. Morehead (he had so many, it's hard to choose. Did I just become his fan? Hahaha 😃).

"It's gonna be harder and harder to avoid AI. AI is everywhere... 

You don't have to use AI, you can live your life and write your own essays, do your own homework. And I encourage you to do that."

Yes, I WILL, Professor! Most definitely. 🙋🏻‍♂️

And, well, would you look at that! I didn't even need AI to respond... 😆👍🏻  

(Source: ChatGPT)