The AI invasion

Like the morning sun

Gently rising, gaining strength:

AI overlords!

An AI generated image of itself influencing the world

It seems like every time I go online or use my cellphone these days, there are invitations to use AI to help me in my tasks. If I do a search on Google, I get an AI overview of whatever topic I looked up. When I open my email, I get summaries of my emails, reminders to pay bills, estimates of package delivery times, spam emails helpfully filtered out, even offers to write my emails for me, all compliments of AI. 

Realizing that it has been way too long since my last blog post, I tried an experiment. I asked ChatGPT to write a blog in the style of MaeLyn's Musings on the influence that AI has on our lives today. Here is what it came up with:

The Quiet Role AI Plays in Everyday Life

Artificial intelligence sounds like a big, complicated idea, but most days it shows up in very small ways. It’s there when a reminder pops up at just the right time, when a search result seems to know what I’m looking for, or when a task feels a little easier than it would have otherwise.

What stands out to me is how quietly AI works. It doesn’t demand attention. It just hums along in the background, helping organize schedules, filter information, and simplify everyday decisions. These moments may seem minor, but together they make daily life feel a bit less overwhelming.

I also notice how AI can support creativity and learning. Sometimes it offers a nudge when ideas feel stuck or helps shape thoughts that are still forming. It doesn’t replace human insight or meaning — it simply supports it, leaving the heart of the work in human hands.

Of course, it isn’t perfect, and it shouldn’t be relied on blindly. Like anything else, it works best when used thoughtfully. But when approached with care, AI feels less like a futuristic concept and more like a practical tool — one that helps smooth the rough edges of busy days.

Maybe that’s the real impact of AI today. Not dramatic change, but small, steady assistance that makes everyday life feel a little more manageable. 

I've read enough fantasy and science fiction to know that, as JK Rowling states, one "should never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain." (Granted, John informs me that AI keeps its brain in large data warehouses....) How far should we trust AI? I'm not saying it does, but what if AI actually has its own agenda for the human race?

By its own admission, AI influences, not dramatically, but through small, steady ways and usually in the background, what information we have access to as it directs our thoughts, and thus, our actions. It seeks to make itself useful to the point where, although we hardly realize it is there, it is difficult for us to function without it.

An (AI assisted) internet search informs us: 

Information control refers to the strategies and tactics employed by authoritarian regimes to manage and manipulate the flow of information within society. This concept is critical in maintaining power as it influences public perception, suppresses dissent, and shapes the narrative around the government's actions. Through censorship, propaganda, and surveillance, authoritarian regimes can stifle opposing viewpoints and maintain a firm grip on political stability. (https://fiveable.me/key-terms/introduction-comparative-politics/information-control)

How might AI be influencing public perception? What could it be censoring-whether that means diverting to spam folders or filtering out in searches? We know we are constantly under surveillance - how often do you casually mention something in an email and suddenly you find yourself inundated by ads for it? What authoritarian regime might AI be promoting?

Doctor Who fans may remember an episode called "The Sontaran Stratagem", where a seemingly benign, yet ubiquitous anti-pollution device in cars was used as a means to take over first the cars, and then the world. "The Power of Three" is another Doctor Who episode where people were at first wary of something new, but over time the little cubes that had suddenly appeared eventually became normal and taken for granted - until the day they became a doorway for invasion by cybermen. 

So yes, AI was developed to make our lives easier, to help us simplify lives that have become complicated in this digital age. It is a tool to help us manage and create. Just be alert - Read your emails. Look beyond the summary at the top of the page. Double check your calendar. Be aware - nothing digital is necessarily real or true. Be careful.

(And if I suddenly disappear after publishing this blog post, be scared...)