When you were a child, did anyone ever sing a lullaby to you?
If so, you’re part of a tradition that may be as old as humankind.
Early evidence includes four-thousand-year-old cuneiform writings on clay tablets from Babylon. Sumerian relics overlapping the same period have also survived. Interestingly, the ancient lyrics warned babies not to cry, lest they disturb and ire gods and spirits!
According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term lullaby first appeared in the late 1500s; it originated from two Middle English interjections—lulla and bye—used to quiet a child. If I close my eyes, I can easily imagine a mother softly repeating “lulla” or “bye” while rocking a baby to sleep.
Human nature transcends time—no matter how much times change.
With that in mind, we understand why people of all ages relax when pleasing, calming music plays. But what else lulls us to let down our guards and trust whatever happens next?
How about AI?
An ever-present resource with seemingly infinite knowledge, the machine provides instant answers. “Rest assured,” it implies, “you can use this information as you see fit with utmost confidence.”
However, be it a tune or tonic or AI, reliance on external factors rather than our inner strengths generates a false sense of security that comes with a price.
In fact, if I were to slap a warning label on AI, it would include two cautionary words: hallucinogenic and habit-forming.
Caution #1: AI is hallucinogenic.
If you haven’t already noticed, AI not only hallucinates, but it will also draw you into its fantasies.
For instance, I was writing an article about a unique circumstance and wanted another real-life account of a similar incident for context. I asked AI for some options, and it quickly delivered five different stories. I could substantiate only one of them.
The most applicable and compelling example that I was excited to incorporate supposedly occurred somewhat recently. That made it more appealing. However, I always verify my sources. While I found the cited publication and the precise issue online, no such story appeared. Therefore, I contacted the newspaper directly and learned nothing of the kind ever happened.
AI has also given me fake publications and articles about nonexistent research findings. When my double checking has led to dead ends, I’ve called out the delusional robot: “You made that up!” In response, it has either continued to fabricate with justifications—e.g., the essence of it was true—or quipped, “You caught me!”
How many of us are “educating” ourselves (and others) based on whatever AI gathers and reports from its imaginary journey?
Caution #2: AI is habit-forming.
Once you begin using AI regularly to do certain kinds of work, your dependence on it can be habit-forming.
In many circumstances, such as performing complex computations or sifting through vast amounts of data, the aid is essential. However, overreliance becomes a crutch that deadens basic skills.
For example, if we were aiming to send a punchy email, we could ask AI to suggest a dynamic verb or simplify a sentence without stunting our ability to communicate. In fact, we could apply those insights to future communications. However, if we turn to AI to churn out every word, we won’t sharpen our intellect in ways that happen only while writing. Our audiences will also be hearing from a machine, not us.
Even if we put the output handed to us in our own words, our brains are less engaged if we’re habitually using AI to summarize and simplify information. And is the bot interpreting the information as we would if we went directly to the sources?
The Remedy
The simple solution is not to be so lazily dependent on AI that we get complacent. If we care anything about remaining well-informed, autonomous decision-makers, then we must do our share of the work.
Come to think of it, the well-known “Rock-a-bye Baby” lullaby, first published around 1765, came with eerily similar, cautionary words:
Rock a bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Although the original lyrics were slightly different, the message—the overly confident eventually fall—applies here. Relying too much on AI fuels complacency and deposits a world of consequences.
No doubt, AI could compose and perform a lullaby to beat the band. Nevertheless, we should appreciate it with our eyes wide open!
Sallie W. Boyles, a.k.a. Write Lady
Thoughts or questions? Please contact Sallie Boyles, owner of Write Lady Inc., to exchange ideas about effective communications and gain from professional writing and editing services. Receive monthly tips and insights by subscribing at https://WriteLady.com.
