I Shared an AI Video. What Scared My Family Wasn't the Technology.
- dianna459
- Feb 10
- 4 min read
I shared this video with my family this Christmas.
They were outraged!
“That is a LIE”. “That Didn’t Happen”. “Don’t you see how dangerous this is?”
I was STUNNED by the reaction. I thought this video was magical and glorious! Filmmakers used to take hours to create what we did effortlessly. In a matter of minutes, my husband transformed an ordinary Christmas photo into a spectacular experience of awe, wonder, and celebration. Just like the movies!
How was that not obvious?
A fight ensued. My family argued that the threats of AI are terrifying and people are using them deliberately to deceive. “It’s true!” I exclaimed. “You can’t trust a video or photo anymore.” (Why was this exciting to me?)
They screamed that they can’t trust anything anymore.
“We can’t believe you are OK with this!” “There are so many ways this will go terribly wrong.” “This is BAD!”
And their message was clear:
“If you’re amazed. You’re complicit.”
I was thrust into a world of inner turmoil. How could I right this ship? My family hated my opinions. It was as if they'd declared me a witch and were ready to burn me at the stake for my sins.
Fortunately, they still loved me. We decided to have lunch instead.
In the moment, I didn’t get what was really happening. The interaction unsettled me, more than I would like to admit. As I spent the next few weeks pondering this, I questioned if I was a reckless human, turning over the controls to evil geniuses and not even knowing it. Or, if I was being hopelessly naïve. Most times, I can brush off minor family disagreements. But this one wouldn’t leave me alone. I had watched educated and sane people lose their minds and doubt if they could trust me. They were uncharacteristically freaked out.
Somehow, the stakes felt higher. Their concerns tugged at me like guides pointing out something important. It felt like we’d tapped into something worth exploring.
Gaining more distance, I also could imagine that my family was livid because AI makes them feel irrevocably vulnerable. They envision a world where they have lost control and are no longer safe. They believe AI will help bad guys take advantage of them. And worse, they fear that the tools will take over completely and the consequences will be dire.
What they were trying to tell me was:
AI has put our most valued institutions, systems and safety nets recklessly at risk. And we don’t know what to do about it.
But here’s the problem. When it comes to AI, I’m optimistic. Not cautiously optimistic – enthusiastically optimistic!
I WANT to be amazed.
Why is this?
Perhaps I’m the tiniest bit educated about AI tools and I’ve practiced using them. Even the slightest amount of fluency makes me feel more secure. (Hmmmm….)
I mean, of course I’m worried, too.
‘Experts’ say: “AI might not take your job, but people who use AI will.” This makes me feel expendable.
Security authorities warn that “deep fakes” will eliminate our ability to discern threats to our family and financial stability. This makes me feel trickable.
I’m not getting younger. This makes me anxious that soon I will become obsolete.
However, for right now, I want to keep the goodies, and educate myself about the threats.
When I think of the things I’ve done that were never possible before:
I’ve added illustrations to my poetry when drawing with stick-figures is my greatest artistic accomplishment to date. I created a business plan for my friend’s side-hustle that walked them through what to do next.
I researched companies in-depth for job interviews and uncovered salient talking points that showed I could clearly add value to the organization.
In five minutes, I created adorable poker cheat sheets for our neighborhood Texas Hold ‘em game that delighted all of us!
It was like AI removed barriers between my imagination and the expression of it.
Would a master have done a better job of illustrating my poems? Absolutely! Did our business plan meet standards for a bank investment? Certainly not. But, it made me happier with my invention and it got my friend moving in the right direction – with confidence and clarity.
Masters of their craft will still have their mastery. Maybe they’ll express it even more elegantly. While amateurs get to play in realms they never thought possible – what joy!
So, while the fear is real, I’m placing a bet that literacy beats avoidance and curiosity leads to power.
Refusing to look feels safe – until it’s the reason you’re fooled.
So, I’ve decided to learn out loud and I want to do it with people who might be afraid, but curious. I want us to outsmart the bad actors who would harm us with these tools. I want us to play with AI and experience it playing back with us!
So how do we start? How do we create a world of wonder about AI? One where we use the tools to our advantage for fun, professional gain, and pure satisfaction?
Done well, we can create an Epic Adventure of Discovery and Exploration – for Laypeople! I’ve started calling this posture OutSmarting AI.
It’s not a place to monger fear or hypothesize on dystopic (or utopic) futures.
It is a place where we draw people to share informed opinions, express thoughtful concerns, bring a dash of dignity to inevitable disagreements, and embrace what humans are best at – strength in community. I am thrilled by the thought of all the people we will meet, the many art forms we will encounter, and the mastery we will witness.
Perhaps amazement isn’t complicity. It’s how real literacy begins!
We are at a pivotal moment. The genie is out of the bottle – for sure. But the rules haven’t been defined and the breakthrough realizations about how it all works haven’t been discovered. This is our time. History will reward the society that moves forward thoughtfully and with care. And I am thrilled to be included!
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