The Machine is Us/ing Us or are we using/it?

"The Machine is Us/ing Us" peels back the curtain on the unsettling reality of how deeply the web is intertwined with our lives. 

        

What started as a tool for connection quickly became something more complicated, as we realize we're not just shaping technology, it’s shaping us.

Watching The Machine is Us/ing Us made me really think about how artificial intelligence has evolved and how we've shaped it to work for us. At first, we built computers and AI to help us with tasks, but now, in my generation, we’ve reached a point where AI is everywhere, helping us with almost everything. Just look at the new iPhone 16 Pro, what used to be Siri is now basically ChatGPT. It’s crazy how much AI has become part of our daily routines without us even noticing. When you look at the educational angle in the video, it does a great job of showing how things have changed and not necessarily for the better. Education used to be about actually learning and understanding, but now it feels like it’s become more about shortcuts. People joke that future doctors won’t know how to operate without ChatGPT, and while that’s kind of funny, it’s also a bit worrying. AI is being used in serious fields like medicine to do research and help with big decisions, but at what point does relying on AI mean we stop learning things ourselves?

There’s also the fact that students now connect and help each other online, finding answers through forums and AI when they can't get help in person. AI has definitely opened up new ways to learn, but has it made traditional education less important? It feels like there’s less of a reason to go to class or buy expensive textbooks when you can just ask an AI for the same information. And I get it, it’s hard to justify paying for something that feels unnecessary. But on the flip side, is that really the best way to learn? Personally, I think the combination of good teachers and advanced technology like AI could be the future of education, as long as it’s done in a smart, balanced way. We’re already seeing it happen in small ways, but like the video suggests, there’s a bigger question at play here: are we using the technology, or is the technology starting to use us?

It makes me wonder if the video should’ve been titled "Are We Working With the Machine?" instead. Because while AI could be an amazing tool, it’s also being developed in ways that don’t always feel right. It’s worth thinking about.

So, what do you think? Are we using AI, or is AI using us?