Every new technology introduces both benefits and drawbacks to its users and to the wider culture. The world being what it is, there are always pluses and minuses, so that even as a new tech gives with one hand, it takes away with the other. We are quickly learning that Artificial Intelligence is no exception to the rule.
When a new technology is introduced to society, there is a period of experimentation and negotiation, and in this time, people learn its acceptable and unacceptable uses. Together, they begin to construct the ethics and protocols that will govern its use in the future. Years ago, for example, we corporately negotiated that answering the phone with “hello” was acceptable, while answering it with “ahoy” was not, despite Alexander Graham Bell lobbying for it. More recently, we have corporately negotiated that it is acceptable to speak on your phone in public, but not on an airplane, or that it is legal to take videos with your phone’s camera in the gym, but not in the change rooms.
AI is still very much in the phase of experimentation and negotiation. As it develops, we are learning together how to use it well and how not to use it poorly. We are learning together what constitutes moral use and what constitutes immoral use. We are learning together what it may legitimately add to the human experience and what it may illegitimately take away. In the future, this will largely be codified in law, protocol, and accepted morality. But what can we do in the meantime, and especially as it pertains to creativity? We can use it, but disclose it. (Except, of course, in those areas in which we would violate policies that have already been developed, such as the ones that are now written into student manuals, publishing contracts, and so on.)
Want to use AI to help you with the wording on the anniversary card you are writing to your wife? Go ahead, but be sure to tell her.
Want to use AI to generate ideas for a chapter in your book? Go ahead, but make sure you disclose that to your editor.
Want to use AI to create an outline for your sermon or to help you alliterate your three points? Go ahead, but be sure to tell your fellow elders.
Want to use AI to do the basic coding for a new programming project? Go ahead, but be sure to tell your manager.
Because AI has been created specifically to mimic human abilities, it practically begs us to use it to carry out functions others expect us to carry out ourselves.
Unlike many previous technologies, AI has the ability to mimic the functions of a human being. When the camera was invented, no one was going to attempt to pass off a photograph as a hand drawing, but with AI, every student will be tempted to pass off an AI-generated essay as an original work. When air conditioning was invented, no one was going to pretend they were the ones generating cold air, but with AI, every programmer will be tempted to pass off Claude code as their own. As time passes, some of these will come to be understood as legitimate uses of the technology and some as illegitimate.
But for now, we see that one of the great temptations of AI will be to use it in a deceptive way. Because it has been created specifically to mimic human abilities, it practically begs us to use it to carry out functions others expect us to carry out ourselves. In some ways, we will find that it can do these functions better than we can, or as well as we can, and society may give those uses the nod. But in the meantime, we owe it to others to be adamantly upright and forthright. Thus, to use AI well and not use it poorly, be sure to always disclose rather than cover up or deceive. Together we will figure this thing out.
