About AI

I've been an eager user of LLM technology for a little while. I subscribed to Claude Pro in January 2026, and I was an excited user. Everybody was getting into it, and there were some really cool things being generated, and I wondered how could I take advantage of a new tool for my own workflow. But something was turning for me, and I think I figured out what it could be. I was already slightly skeptical of LLM use before, but the impact probably didn't set itself all the way in.

Having used LLMs pretty liberally, I do have concerns about using it.

Just a point of clarification, AI technology is a huge umbrella, and certain subsections have been proven to be fairly useful. Focused applied use of machine learning is absolutely fantastic.

Also, I am not a strict skeptic of LLM technology. I would call myself more a realistic skeptic. I mean to say that the technology is great and there are definitely some spectacular use cases for it. But I am finding that the liberal application of a non-deterministic technology to be concerning, because I feel that when I use it then I grow lazy and divested in my programming work. On one occasion, I found that not caring for my work causes me to have the biggest motivation hurdle to jump and get to work.

But now I've been returning a bit to the grassroots of programming in an attempt to find something significant again, and I have found deep satisfaction in the things that I am doing. I am getting to understand how things work under the hood again, and I feel my expertise is growing. I am prepping for a conference talk where I am forcing myself to learn Canvas API by just exploring the technology and it's been a delightful experience.

And so here I am. I am refining my use of LLM technology as a tool for me and not the main feature of my work. I find that if I am stuck, then I can "consult" with a chatbot on what I am missing. I don't let the chatbot do the whole work for me, because I feel that I wouldn't be helping myself if I do that. I am finding that using LLM technology as a complement to my work is best for my mental health. This has been shown in one MIT study to be a very good use of the technology.

So I will dedicate to not giving out AI slop of any kind. I previously did use AI photos before, but I am not going to do that again. I want to be satisified in my work and I want to encourage myself to be creative and natural. I have canceled my chatbot subscription, but I will use the chatbot to give feedback on what I already have made. And I will use that feedback as a suggestion and I will improve my own work.

I hope that my work quality reflects my intentions.