I recently attended a small 9/11 memorial where a peer of mine volunteered to say a few words during the ceremony. A noble task, yes. But when I saw him reading from his phone after discussing that he’d have AI write it for him, I was disappointed.

Partially because I felt the event deserved more thought out and heartfelt words. But also, because I fear this is becoming the new norm in our society.

“Was there even a passing thought to speak from the heart?”

“Was there any inclination to dig deep into your soul and express your true feelings about what that day meant?”

These are the questions I kept asking myself. And the dead deserve the effort of someone who’s still alive.

I’ve noticed this as a trend with others, who I observe taking the easy route with a handful of things in their lives.

If you know me, I spend a lot of time in the gym. I value my health, and that shows up in my training and diet. I’ve known multiple individuals who’ve asked for help because they see how I eat. But after a week of being on a program, for whatever reason, it becomes too difficult (lack of flavor, more effort to cook and log food, etc.). They decide to jump to the next program because they were impatient, but in reality, they weren’t being honest about the lack of effort going into it.

If you look at this from the bigger picture, it’s outing the individuals who were reluctant to put forth the effort in the first place. I want to be firm when I say this: using AI isn’t inherently lazy, it’s simply making more evident those who don’t even balk at putting in any effort.

The brain, like a muscle, needs to be exercised. As you read books, absorb information, and challenge yourself with deep thought and difficult decisions, you further develop the mental resilience to handle the increasingly challenging tasks life throws at you. It’s quite literally written into our biology. If we retract from facing those challenges, we’re only further going to atrophy our ability to deal with the ones we’ll inevitably face in the future.

I remember when I was in school, getting a good grade on an essay or project that I’d put a lot of time into. It was so satisfying seeing my efforts were worthwhile, and I was able to stand back and say, “I wrote that.” I still feel the same way when I write these newsletters, and when I wrote my story. I want to be proud of the time I put in and what I built, whatever that may be.

I will agree that not everybody is a creative mind. And I also agree that AI has its place and is going to be an integral part of our future. Used wisely, it’s a phenomenal tool. I would be lying if I said I didn’t use it for anything. Just don’t let it destroy your creative process.

So, I ask, where is your pride?

Next time you reach for an AI program, write your own rough draft first. It’ll benefit you in the long run.