I don’t use generative AI for three main reasons:

Number one: Its cost to our environment, health, and communities. Data centers that power so-called Artificial Intelligence are well documented for their problematic energy and water usage, noise pollution, and the subsequent decimation of communities.

Number two: Brain function declines with AI use. An MIT study shows that the use of AI weakens the connections in your brain. Another study shows that AI use undermines your locus of control and your ability to think critically. They even have an ominous name for it: Cognitive surrender. These are only two studies among many, with more evidence of cognitive harm being published every few months.

Number three: Artmaking, writing, and coaching are based on human potential, and all that it entails. AI is marketed to us as a way to “optimize” our time and energy by skipping the messy and sometimes frustrating part of the creation process. But the process is the whole point! The process is where we learn and grow. It’s where things get interesting, and where innovation happens. What kind of coach would I be if I didn’t challenge myself to reckon with my own potential as an artist and writer? How would I be honoring and celebrating the creativity of my clients—and their struggles—if I relied on computer-generated ideas and images?