Position on generative AI

Drawing cartoons/diagrams with a black marker on white paper, with colourful sticky notes around the drawing surface.
Photo by Amélie Mourichon on Unsplash

We believe technology should be assistive. Accessible. Affordable.

And make things better for ordinary people.

For clarity, "artificial intelligence" originated as a broad term back in the 1950s. It's been in use in science for considerably longer than large language models and image/video generators have existed. 

Speech to text dates back to 1952, long before Dragon Dictation hit the market in 1990. Text to speech began even earlier, but became mainstream in the mid-1980s, shipping with Mac computers in 1985.

These days "AI" generally refers to generative AI, or genAI, as in ChatGPT, Claude, and similar applications. So things can get a little murky.

Assistive tech is good
There are some folks who use large language models (LLMs) to assist in navigating a world that isn't designed for them: people with Autism and/or dyslexia and/or dyspraxia, for example. It's important to remember assistive tech is not a one-size-fits all and ChatGPT is not a replacement for human rights. 

Extractive, exploitive tech is not good
After following developments since 2023 and using ChatGPT and Claude to gain firsthand experience (which was... not good), generative AI in its current state is a big nope here, for a number of compelling reasons. 

It's built on stolen labour

These tools are a result of extracting human work without compensation or consent. A Microsoft executive admitted it: in news reports published in September 2026, unsealed documents reveal that “Microsoft Director of Applied Science Brent Hecht repeatedly warned in documents that scraping news for AI training was “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,” calling it perhaps the “largest theft of labor in human history ...”

Compensation matters.

Consent is never optional. 

Technology is not neutral.

Sexism and racism by design

In June 2026 UN Women published a media release on sexism in generative AI, titled AI is already rewriting reality for billions of people. It is getting women wrong.

In May 2026 Amnesty International issued a report called Unlawful by design: Exposing the human rights costs of generative AI. 

But wait, there's more:

  • Using genAI erodes critical thinking and cognitive function
  • Dopamine hits from fast, results and an LLM's fawning voice can create dependencies on the tools 
  • It's being deployed for mass surveillance 
  • It's accelerating the climate crisis
  • It gets things wrong. A lot.

GenAI can be a game-changer for people who need assistive technology. If that's you and you want to work together, we can talk about creating a workflow that's a fit for everyone.

Resources to help get you away from (or avoid) genAI

If you want to untangle from generative AI, here are some book recommendations to help you build skills that you can confidently take anywhere, forever. 

Writing and business
Three books from the recommended reading list created by Saffana Monajed. She teaches media literacy online (@saffanabanana) and through in-person workshops.

  • How to Write Clearly: Write with purpose, reach your reader and make your meaning crystal clear by Tom Albrighton

  • The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America's Top Copywriters by Joseph Sugarman

  • Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Graphic design
This title has been on the Creative Operations bookshelf for years because it's such a great foundational resource.

  • The Non-Designer's Design Book (4th Edition) by Robin Williams

This book won't turn you into a professional designer or replace a good graphic design course, but the concepts are explained clearly and you'll learn smart ways to avoid common DIY design mistakes.
 
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