Why I'm Not Afraid of AI: The Real Threat Isn't Robots—It's Us

It’s been three years since AI took over the spotlight in tech. Everywhere you look, there’s someone talking about how it’s going to change the world forever. Some say it’s the best thing ever, while others are warning that it’s the beginning of the end. As someone who works in the creative field, I get why artists, writers, and musicians feel uneasy. AI tools are getting better and cheaper, and companies are quick to use them if it means saving money.

But while I do keep an eye on AI’s growing presence in art, I’m not panicking like some people are. In fact, my usually anxious self is oddly calm about it. That’s because when you take a step back and really look at things, you can see why AI might not be the big threat everyone thinks it is.

Let me explain with something I call The McDonald’s Paradox.

McDonald’s is the biggest fast-food brand in the world. It’s everywhere — even in countries with totally different cultures, like China. It makes more money, sells more food, and serves more people than any other restaurant chain ever. If you’re a chef or a restaurant owner, you’ll probably never come close to that level of success.

So, by the numbers, McDonald’s is the best food service in the world.

But here’s the thing — I wouldn’t recommend McDonald’s to anyone looking for a great meal. I know way better places. There’s an Italian restaurant near me that makes fresh pasta and delicious pizza. Back in my hometown, there’s a spot that serves rabbit on mashed potatoes, and I still dream about it even though I’m a vegetarian now. In Dublin, there’s an amazing Mongolian BBQ where you can watch your food get grilled right in front of you.

You probably have places like that too — small, special places with real heart and flavor. These places may not be the fastest or cheapest, but they offer something real. Something human.

That’s the whole point.

AI is like McDonald’s — fast, cheap, and easy to get. But people don’t just want “easy.” We want meaning. We want stories, feelings, and personal touches. We want things made by people who care.

AI can do a lot. It can write essays, draw pictures, even make music. But it can’t truly be human. That’s why we still care more about a human winning a chess game than a robot. Or why we’re more impressed by a handmade item than a mass-produced one. It’s about knowing someone put thought and effort into what they made.

And this is where AI falls short. It’s not just about what it can do — it’s about what people want. Many readers and buyers are already asking for proof that something was made by a person. Some artists even tag their work with #HI — short for “Human Intelligence” — to show it wasn’t made by a machine.

And let’s not forget the legal mess around AI. A lot of companies require creators to prove they fully own their work. That’s hard to do with AI-generated content, because the tools that make it often pull from tons of copyrighted material online — without permission. Some companies, like Disney and DreamWorks, are even suing AI platforms for copying their stuff.

Also, AI isn’t perfect. Even with the same prompt, it can give you totally different results each time. And because it learns from what’s most common, its output often looks the same — safe, average, forgettable. That’s why so much AI art looks like it came from the same bland place. And sometimes, by accident, it recreates copyrighted images — a big no-no in the creative world.

So, while AI might be exciting and powerful, it also brings a lot of risk, especially for people who want to use it in business or art. Why take that risk when you can make something original, real, and truly your own?

But here’s the part that really scares me. Not the AI itself — us.

In just three years, people have already started treating AI like it’s magical or even god-like. There are news stories about people falling in love with AI chatbots. Some lawyers have submitted fake court cases made by AI. Students are using AI as sources in essays. And people are even getting hurt by following wrong medical advice from chatbots.

It’s not that the technology is too smart. It’s that people are too quick to believe it’s always right. AI doesn’t have to improve much to fool us — many of us are already falling for fake images, news, and stories online.

And then there’s the laziness. Too many people are using AI to make things without care or passion. They flood the internet with low-effort content, hoping to make a quick buck. Meanwhile, there are still millions of creative people around the world, full of talent and soul, waiting to be heard.

So no, I’m not worried about AI.

I’m worried about what we’re doing with it