Miniature Mind Musings #10:

I never wanted you.

It’s the truth.

But you won’t leave well enough alone. Everywhere I venture—there you are, trying to be ingratiatingly helpful:

ChatGPT. Online Service Chatbot. Copilot. A-friggin’-I.

When a person don’t need you, they DON’T need you.

Lissennnn…I got a dictionary. Cell phone. Library cards. Database access. Creativity. A brain. Family. Friends. Functional short and long-term memory. Three university degrees. A constantly growing vocabulary to be proud of. Expletives that would bury you. Fashion sense. Magic. Fingers and toes. Morals. Taste buds. The ability to say “No.” Operational capacity independent of a Wi-Fi signal. Discernment. Style. Mystery. Mojo. Compassion. A passport. Dance moves. Ancestors. REM sleep every night. Secrets. Numeracy acumen. Teaching experience. A greater persistence to ignore you than your programming can override. The physical wherewithal to leave the building if there’s a fire/flood/bomb threat/etc., while you remain tethered to bits and bytes and face annihilation.

Plus...

A wicked sense of humor. No on/off switch. A destiny. Life plans. Heck—a LIFE. A sense of wonder. Transferable skills. The element of surprise. Facial expressions. A shoulder to lean on. Discipline. Idiosyncrasies (and I can spell that without relying on code someone put in there.) My writing sounds like a human being wrote it.

And yeah…

I’ve got desire in spades. Exponential imagination. I play games of strategy for fun, not because someone logs in. Enjoy watching meteor showers. Relish the luxury of a long hot bath. Have actual flesh and blood children who have at times gotten on my actual flesh and blood nerves, thus can dispense practical real-life parenting suggestions based on experience. Got a built-in B.S detector. Integrity. Can travel. Have travelled. Will pitch to a publisher. Submit to a literary publication.

Not forgetting to mention…

I am beholden to no one. Have a SOUL. The ability to express an opinion. Freedom of choice. Am a unique creation with immeasurable potential. Know how to change and adapt beyond the limits of any preset parameters. Understand AND appreciate nuance. Capability to factor intangible variance into my poetry. The capacity to give or not give a rat’s ass. I function even during a loss of electrical power/grid. Can reflect on my communication style. Receive constructive criticism and choose to make alterations based on feedback for my development. Realize when I’m not wanted and leave people the hell alone. Write a nonfiction piece with nothing but a pen and a piece of paper. Comprehend new slang terms based on the context in which they’re used. Incorporate emotional connection into my writing to foster engagement and a following.

Furthermore…

I got history, genealogy, and backstory. I can repeatedly write circles around you. Pick you out consistently in a lineup as A-friggin-I. Am invested in the future. Can read the room by picking up on subtle cues and respond accordingly. Connected to something greater than myself. Got values. Standards. Joie de vivre. Musical likes and dislikes. I’m able to network and collaborate with like-minded creative individuals. Sure can troubleshoot all by my damn self.

Last and not least (because I could soooo go on...)

I’m able to look in the mirror. Punch above my weight class. Sniff anticipation in the air. Appreciate etymology. Aesthetics. Value the hard work someone has put into writing something. Not allow anyone to use me like a cheap skank piece of cyber-ass to plagiarize, cheat, scam, and spam for monetary gain/fame off the back of some grinding writer’s ironclad work ethic. Got common sense and decency. Authenticity. And not only do I have two sets of cheeks, I’ve had countless loving, kind and luscious souls kiss both of them.

Me: Ain’t gotta like you, know you, or interact with you, but can tear a new metaphor in those who do and are ignorant enough to step on my writer’s toes with that mess.

You: Woe unto ye transgressors! Accept thou destined sore backsides, the scourge that cometh from ultimate disdain."

"Ewww!" and "Arrrgh!" moments...

Author's Note:-

Giving a whopping big Vocal shoutout to D.K. Shepard for starting stories rolling with his well-penned and well-timed feature story 'Help Wanted: AI Vigilante Task Force' that highlighted the realities of AI negatively impacting the Vocal Community. It opened the door to this rant that had been simmering below the surface for far too long unexpressed on the other side.

I can guarantee that no AI's were hurt in the writing of this story because they don't have any flippin' feelings for Pete's sake.

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Sprinkling multi-colored thanks all over your day for taking the time to read this!