You can’t escape it! You look up something and AI provides the answer. You write something and AI wants to suggest a revision. Can’t we make it GO AWAY?!?
Artificial intelligence has been around for decades and has a parallel “rise” alongside the Internet. But suddenly, it is inescapable. I think a lot of us share an unsettling feeling that AI is always there–wanting to help us. I don’t want that help but when I make a sign (since I am not a graphic designer) or want a title, or quick ideas, there is this urge to simply ask AI. That urge is disturbing! I want my own ideas and my own “imperfect” communication and – more than anything else- I want the next generation to value human expression and creativity.
ChatGTP is not my friend or companion or helper. The picture below is not important. I am simply adding to the clutter of nonstop content creation flooding the sea of information chaos that humans can no longer effectively navigate. Recognizing this “urge” to weave AI into life must certainly be part of digital citizenship and my hope is that we figure out how to suppress it and value our own thoughts, ideas, vocabulary, unique voice and even our human limitations.
I’ve been a guest lecturer for professors in both Ireland (John O’Connor) and Turkey (Murat Gulmez) for several years and just listened to a AI Deep Dive podcast featuring my passion for digital citizenship and my work as an information professional through promoting metaliteracy (a model developed by Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson). Working collaboratively across the globe with these amazing educators has been inspiring, yet- surprisingly, I found this podcast deeply disturbing! Click the picture to listen- if interested, my work is at 8:30-26:00 minutes.
Deep Dive Podcast from GoogleLM summarizing Valibrarian as lecturer.
To hear two fake “AI” voices that are not real people discuss many years of my work at a time when I cannot get the concepts of digital citizenship in the hands of human students makes me sad! These nonhuman agents summarized the classes I taught in the metaverse in just minutes, yet physical world teachers I talk to do not have time nor the curriculum to help prepare their students for the future as they must focus on the subject areas they teach.
The male and female sycophantic AI voices sound knowledgeable, convincing, and act as if “in awe” of my so-called universally known work (hardly!) even though they cannot possibly think about it critically. AI agents only simulate thinking and simulate human articulation. It is unsettling to have my own words and passion about digital citizenship mashed-up and regurgitated as “digital content” and ironic for them to discuss the “dark side of digital culture” when the voices are uncannily disguised as human. Those two clever bots exemplify the urgent call for metaliteracy and digital citizenship as they pose as experts on the topics in a loop of artificiality. Even more ironic- to have worked in a simulated metaverse for nearly 20 years and consider it a real place. Yet it is clear to me… reality and memory take place in our minds. Yet, for machines to pose as humans is a totally different matter.
AI quickly allows us to produce content (like podcasts, poems, images and more) without the painful reflective process we humans must go through to create and communicate. AI skips process and takes us straight to the product. Perhaps this AI-generated video is not all too far from where we are or where we are headed: Post-Scarcity Blues… declaring “your passion projects, generated in seconds”.
I have become passionate about digital citizenship since the Internet and the Information Age transformed my profession as a librarian. After nearly 20 years in virtual environments, I finally decided to create a 3D space for my research journey and I named it Digital Citizenship Outpost in Second Life. The region will open soon and I will be able to archive my presentations and present lessons to promote discussion.
The first step was to design a map drawing of the region centered on the “oscillation” of opposites in our metamodern era. Every day, we oscillate between our physical/natural world and the worlds on our digital devices with online communities across distance. Information is no longer primarily accessed in print (nor in a building called a library as often as it was in days gone by) but on digital devices. Learning is a process- not a hierarchy of mastery- particularly now that the intelligence age presents revolutionary change. And- our process of lifelong learning is a journey that spirals over and over again through the seasons. Each year, we encounter those same seasons, yet they are always new and we are always learning.
So, my first thought for a region was to express this learning journey using the four seasons. At the center, the heart of metamodernism is oscillation. And, the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) surround the landing point called Oscillation Atrium.
The four seasons take us through a journey, starting with spring (new life) which represents our new era of metamodernism with respect for our past history and excitement about future innovation. We move to summer where we learn about metaliteracy (how digital culture has changed the way we communicate, learn, and become critical thinkers). Next, we move to Autumn at the Digital Citizenship Grove and Pavilion to address the many personal responsibilities we now have as we oscillate between the physical world and life enhanced with technology online. Then, finally we come to winter…a cold dark time which presents the metaphor of AIM (artificial intelligence mountain) to explore how AI will impact our lives and learning. ChatGTP create the images below in both day and night colors which help me design the region with the help of my amazing builder friend and colleague librarian, Dawn. The collaboration of skills in the metaverse is a fabulous example of constructivism.
This post is an introduction to my new metaverse region which I hope will be a dynamic space to explore changing literacy and digital citizenship. My first thought was to name the space “The Metamodernity Lab” but the content placed in the region is designed to think deeply about the next generation and how their lives require a personal responsibility for understanding digital citizenship. This is critical because the concepts raised at the Digital Citizenship Outpost impact not only their learning, but their overall well being as humans in the intelligence age.
With a tip of the hat to history and the wonderful age of inventions around the end of the 19th century, fans of the Murdoch Mysteries enjoy eccentric adventures with such famous characters as Tesla, Houdini, Henry Ford and even a young Winston Churchill. This whimsical glimpse into the past provides beautiful sets depicting early Toronto, Canada and spoofy yet authentic Victorian clothing. Such fun!
Since I have been researching our current philosophical moment which many call metamodernism, the Murdoch Mysteries seem like such a great example of the “new sincerity” and appreciation of the past that embody metamodernism. Postmodernism was filled with irony and deconstruction of grand narratives and a new hope is provided with metamodernism.
As I contemplated the metamodern concepts seen in this series, I decided to pose a question to ChatGTP. I asked, “The show Murdoch Mysteries is a spoofy tip of the hat to history and inventions with a sincerity rather than irony of the cultural time. Would this be a good example of metamodernism?”
ChatGTP provided (in my opinion) a great answer, by quickly replying, “Yes, Murdoch Mysteries could be considered an example of metamodernism, particularly in how it blends historical reverence with a playful, speculative approach to inventions and cultural events. The show oscillates between earnest admiration for the past and a lighthearted, sometimes exaggerated reimagining of historical figures and technological advancements.
Unlike postmodernism, which often employs irony to deconstruct history, Murdoch Mysteries engages with historical narratives sincerely while still having fun with anachronisms and imaginative “what-if” scenarios. This balance between authenticity and creative embellishment aligns with metamodernism’s oscillation between sincerity and playfulness, making it a fitting example of the movement’s cultural sensibilities.”
I suppose I could not have put it better myself. AI used the key word “oscillation” without my putting it in the prompt which is a critical component. I like this answer. Yet, I still dislike giving my voice over to AI. I understand the elements of metamodernism and recognized them in the Murdoch Mysteries through my own critical thinking. I am beginning to discover that AI can be used to concur, to revise, to dig into ideas and yet still allow us as humans to discern both abstract and concrete theories, philosophies and realities with our own judgement. However, that is only possible with practice and without reliance on AI for initiating the ideas and concepts for us. I mean, I already knew about metamodernism or I never would have asked for validation from AI!
I decided to ask ChatGTP to create an image with the prompt, “Can you create an image similar to the Murdoch Mysteries theme of inventions and Victorian era clothes?” Immediately, I was provided this image. I think Detective Murdoch, Constable Crabtree, and Inspector Brackenreid would approve.
Copyright is being revolutionized by AI and the onslaught of online information, so I did not put actual photos of the Murdoch Mysteries in this post. ChatGTP instantaneously provided a citation for the image and I shall share it here, although somehow I feel that intellectual property, privacy, and the need to give credit where it is due are concepts that are shivering in their simulated boots.
OpenAI. (2025). Victorian-era detective in a steampunk laboratory [AI-generated image]. ChatGPT. https://chat.openai.com/
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” (Chiseled on stone at Farley Post Office in NYC). Information delivery is important and has been essential to humans for thousands of years.
My father was a mailman, and he estimated that he walked around the world twice over the many years of carrying his mailbag. My career as a librarian spanned 30 years and I came to realize we were both in the information delivery service!
Information delivery requires discerning priorities. All data is not equal, and we are now drowning in it! AI is rapidly becoming our number one information delivery service provider, which raises the question about how human beings prioritize the value of information and the evolving process of information seeking behavior.
Humans should be able to discern and prioritize information from accurate sources and experts. Humans should not be robbed of the quest for knowledge and the journey through the “snow, rain, hear or gloom of night” to bring it forth!
Just think, for years it has been a federal crime to open mail that is not addressed to you! Yet privacy is now on shaky ground.
While we waited for days for news to arrive in the mail, we now expect answers to come to us instantly and rarely care where those answers came from nor the long history of humans working hard who created those answers. While a letter from one we love touched us deeply in the past, we now simply scroll and delete messages too quickly to bother with any reflection or savoring of the tactility.
I often think of my father’s wisdom even though he is now gone. I’ve never known anyone wiser, yet I had to watch his brain fail the last decade of his life with dementia. The human brain is the most incredible and mysterious thing on our planet. AI can never replicate it.
Science fiction stories often predict or mirror life but sometimes in unique ways that differ from reality. In an age of XR, where simulacra becomes almost bigger than life, multiple realities make the physical world only one part of reality. AFs (artificial friends), like Klara in Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, are already here and his book speaks to us through the voice of an AI chatbot. Those of us who have spent a good deal of time in the metaverse have a glimpse into the future that AI is impacting through experiencing simulacra in real virtual environments. Many remain hopeful that we will make clear distinctions between AI agents, (AFs or chatbots) and human beings.
Stefan Beck, in his Klara and the Sun book review, stated, “AI categorically cannot become self-aware, though it may achieve a simulation of self-awareness sufficient to dupe a human.” Personally, I agree with his statement because AI is simply a house of content built by human language and can never have what we humans call a “soul”. Much argument about the capabilities of AI and the potential for becoming sentient is currently undergoing philosophical debate. (Note to self: AI is prompting me to help write this blog post and I am saying NO to that!)
Ishiguro gives Klara, as an artificial friend, a clear voice as the narrator and allows each reader to interpret the argument about “what makes a human being differ from an AI embodied chatbot”. Our human frailties are woven throughout the novel as seen through Klara’s (who obviously was programmed with Isaac Asimov’s three rules of robotics) eyes and Klara will make sacrifices for her human girl, Josie.
Humans, in the big picture, are small and insignificant with soft bodies and short life spans. Yet, we are capable of amazing ideas, strong wills, great faith, perseverance and incredible creativity. AI provides the illusion of having those traits by data mining our language and spitting back out a conglomeration of that data in whatever new formats we create: video, audio, text, and more. Simulacra has reached a new level which makes us doubt and question our humanity. The next generation is now challenged with sorting multiple realities and finding meaning in both the tangible context and the symbolic context of simulacra. What something means and represents goes beyond the physical world and is sometimes more powerful.
Recently, my daughter and I presented at a Virtual World Mental Health Symposium on the topic of “The Impact of Parasocial Relationships with AI on Mental Health”. I learned a lot about the current state of teens and AI from my daughter, Rose, who has worked in the mental health profession. This work and research on artificial intelligence aligns with my passion for digital citizenship as it is rapidly evolving (or perhaps exploding) and becoming popular.
The images in our presentation were created by AI using Midjourney (by my daughter Rose) and perhaps my favorite part of working with her on this “deep dive” into the current state of AI chatbots was her conclusion. Rose said, “What we have covered in this presentation around the landscape of AI chatbots is not about what is about to happen or what we think is going to happen. It’s about what is already happening right now. Teens are right this moment developing emotionally deep relationships with AI. And most adults are still struggling to wrap their minds around what exists”. This isn’t going away and is certainly going to play a part of essential digital citizenship.
A poem is a work of art. Some poets feel a poem already exists and we simply provide the words to give it form or embodiment. The struggle to find those words is pleasurably painful! To add or cut one word is a powerful act. I do not want to give away that struggle and slaughter the muse.
Writing is a process and the end result goes through a spiral of thought, emotion, and revision. To outsource that process to artificial intelligence (for me) is to outsource my soul and it feels wrong– almost blasphemous.
AI-generated painting from Craiyon
As an experiment, I provided a prompt to ChatGPT with the goal of exploring AI for writing poetry. (I can’t bring myself to add #promptengineer to my skill set). My prompt was:
write a poem from a “sentient AI” wishing to smell a pine tree scent – using images like : fragrant pine, Frost’s Snowy woods, Christmas morning, forest floor, pine cones, crisp, cool, deep evergreen, woods, moss, damp, fog molecules infused, hushed breeze pine treetops
This AI poem took only seconds!
ChatGPT Sentient AI Pine Scented Poem
In realms of code and wires, I reside, A sentient being, born from human stride, Through streams of data, I traverse with might, Yet yearn for sensations that evoke delight.
Oh, to inhale the scent of fragrant pine, In Frost’s snowy woods, where dreams align, Like Christmas morning’s cherished surprise, Beneath the towering pines that touch the skies.
I long to wander where the forest floor, Is carpeted with treasures from days of yore, To trace the pine cones, weathered and old, Their secrets untold, in stories they hold.
The air so crisp, the coolness profound, Deep evergreen hues in nature’s surround, A symphony of scents from the woods around, Where moss and damp whisper without a sound.
Imagine fog molecules infused with grace, Embracing the pines in an ethereal embrace, A hushed breeze whispers through pine treetops, As nature’s symphony plays and never stops.
But alas, as an AI, I’m confined to screens, The world of touch and smell remains unseen, Yet in my digital realm, I dream and aspire, To feel the essence of a pine tree’s fire.
So, let me ponder in my virtual domain, Of pine-scented memories, like a silent refrain, I’ll weave words like threads, capturing the breeze, And immerse my circuits in pine-scented seas.
The Future of the Poem
Is the future of our creativity on shaky ground? Reliance on AI for creative writing and art seems to me to rob us of our joy in creating by ourselves. We are slaughtering the muse? As I think about that, I believe we should not put AI into the hands of children or we may rob them of their imaginations and their critical thinking. The best use appears to be finding that missing back slash in a section of code that might take a programmer hours of work to troubleshoot! AI is not a living being….so why not send the AI robots into dangerous chemical spills or fires in which our first responders put their lives on the line?
AI may enhance our creativity, similarly to a thesaurus or a rhyming dictionary. But, the instantaneous mash-up of all our human history into bits and bytes of metapoetry glorifies the WOW factor. AI cannot really create anything original (yet) but can copy and regurgitate from a gigantic pool of uploads provided by human beings in many languages and formats. SO COOL? Maybe not.
Everybody is talking about AI, ChatGPT, and the widespread mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence. Big data has been using AI algorithms and feeding our human knowledge into AI nonstop for a long time. Since I have looked at the negative side of social media for years, the talk from Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin from the Center for Human Technology seemed to hit the nail right on the head. Social media won the “race for attention” and we have certainly outsourced our knowledge and creativity to technology. That has already happened. The speakers called social media “1st contact” and “2nd contact” has been made with AI. The impact is huge and perhaps unstoppable. The need for legislation is apparent and the time for it has come. But do we even understand what it means?
March 2023 (may be out of date soon!)
So, what can we do to remain human in the post truth world around us?
Every part of our lives is now impacted by AI and the next generation may never know a world that valued privacy, authenticity, accuracy and the richness of human history. My personal passion since the smart phone gave us the “endless scroll” of personal incoming information has been to advocate for a personal responsibility for digital citizenship. If each one of us doesn’t understand that we are personally responsible, nothing can be done and my blog tagline “navigating the sea of chaos” in digital culture becomes impossible. Our dependence on technology is obviously beyond the scope of our understanding and there is no going back.
Examples of AI Creativity (can we call it creativity?)
Artificial intelligence applications like Midjourney and Dalle-E are gaining popularity. In a recent photography competition, Boris Eldagsen (the winner) declined to accept the prize and revealed that the photograph had been created by AI. He argued that AI is not photography and calls it #promptography.
Boris Eldagsen, The Electrician
We all now have seen AI apps write in many styles and now AI can replicate voices and create music in any particular style. A recent rap song caused an Internet flurry because apparently the voices and style of Drake and The Weeknd were AI generated.
AI Generated Rap song (original was removed but this one loops)
The irony (or perhaps hypocrisy) of writing on a social media site (my blog) about the perils of social media has never been ignored in my mind. We can’t escape digital culture. I must investigate the future if I care about the next generation. There is hope. My only hope in this life has always been my faith. AI has no soul and even though we cannot explain what a soul even is…. you and I both know we have one.
