Being real has a merit beyond measure in today’s world. With talk about AI generated content, AI generated images, and AI generated videos, how do we judge the truth from fiction? Because, that’s what AI generated material comes down to; truth and fiction. On one hand, there is the AI generated content you find at the top of a Google search. Google scans the internet for answers to your search, and summarized content it thinks you want. Then, there is AI generated photos and videos which are truly fictitious. These photos and videos of people, places, and things simply do not exist. They are fictitious. So, in a world that is slowly becoming dominated by artificial intelligence, how can you be the real real, stay authentic, and maintain autonomy?
The need for authenticity
This is probably going to draw hateful comments, but it must be said. Y’all don’t come at me, please! There are bloggers, YouTubers, and writers who are using AI generated content to draw people into their sites, to their books, and to their videos. They give generative tools like ChatGPT a topic and ask it to write content around certain points. Then, they go back in and edit that content to add in a personal touch, as if they wrote it authentically themselves. As a writer and blogger, even I find it difficult to spot sometimes.
What stands out between the real and the fictitious is the personal connection. No matter how ‘good’ this AI content gets, it will always lack a personal connection. Which brings me to my first point. Looking for and being the real real, starts and ends with authenticity.
Ask yourself this question: Would I rather look at pictures of a sunrise that were taken by someone with a camera, who had experienced the beauty, or would I rather look at a fictitious, AI generated image of a sunset? I think as human beings, we long for something of substance; something that has merit and a basis in reality. We desire something that is real and that means something.
And so as we talk about the authenticity we desire, we also have to consider the need to be the real real; we have to be authentic, as well. In a world that increasingly saturated with content that is not authentic, we have a great responsibility to be honest, kind, genuine, and intentional. Let’s lean into relationships, strive for excellence, but accept imperfection, and live with honesty and integrity.
Dedication to purpose
When I think about authenticity, I believe we have to be intentional and act with purpose. Being the real real means we do things for a reason. Maybe that’s stepping outside of your comfort zone and volunteering at a local food bank, or donating time to a local church or mission. Perhaps it looks like reaching out to a neighbor or assisted living resident.
The point is, we can spend every moment of our lives within our own little bubble. It is easy to go to the same grocery every week, attend the same functions, and participate in the same activities and never interact with anyone new. We can get so caught up in our own lives that we fail to touch others. We must have a dedication to purpose and act accordingly.
Ask yourself this question: Who can I reach out to with purpose this week? Is there somewhere I can donate my personal time and attention that will positively impact others? How can I make the world a brighter place this week? This ability to make personal connection is what separates us from the artificial. Artificial intelligence can give us the search results we’ve requested, but it cannot provide what we need: personal, genuine, human connection.
Uphold a standard of excellence
I’m going to get on my soapbox for a minute: Don’t hold it against me. I have noticed recently a serious increase in AI generated images on social media. This isn’t just places like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. I’m talking about AI generated images on Pinterest, as well. In case you didn’t know this, Pinterest is not a social media platform; rather it is a search engine. And so, once again, we have these fictitious images populating searches for real inquiries.
Last week I posted an article on the functional organization of our laundry room closet. As I looked at the photos, I thought to myself how they couldn’t compare with the perfect images of laundry rooms found on Pinterest. And then it also occurred to me that those images are potentially not real. These potential AI generated images can lead us to feel dissatisfied, lacking, or disappointed with ourselves and our spaces.
That leads me to the third point. Along with the need for authenticity and the dedication to purpose, it is also important to uphold a standard of excellence, but with that, allow room for mistakes and for the reality of imperfection. Our imperfections make us real, they make us unique. But more than that, they give us the gift of opportunity; opportunity for growth, for improvement, and for being the real real. Hold up a standard of excellence, and strive to be the best you can be, yes. But do not compare your reality with that of something that doesn’t exist and is fictitious. It is a dangerous road that leads to nowhere good.
Live autonomously
Study.com defines an autonomous person like this: “An autonomous person can make decisions without influence or direction from others. Having autonomy means that one is free to follow one’s heart.” That leads me to my final point. Living autonomously means knowing what is important to you, living life with purpose, and not being at the whim of outside influences.
Now, before we break out the pitchforks, here, I want to quantify my statement. I believe there are good influences and bad influences in our lives. Good influences encourage us to do things that make us better, that create better habits, better health, and better lives. Bad influences encourage us to keep up with the Joneses, follow the latest trends, spend irresponsibly , and live impulsively.
For example, a good influence encourages you to eat healthy, get in daily activity, and save for the future. A negative influence wants you to buy this thing, act according to societal norms, and live according to their momentary purpose.
If you want to be the real real, stand out among the crowd, and make a positive impact on the world around you, then know what is authentic about yourself, and work toward that gift. What are the things in your life that make you, you? To be real, authentic, and autonomously you!
One final promise
And now, friend, comes my authentic promise to you. I find myself so deeply concerned over the use, and overuse, of artificial intelligence, that I make this promise to you: The information you find here will always be written and edited by me. That means you may see photos that aren’t quite amazing, and you’ll often find a typo or two. But those little imperfections serve to prove to you that my content is genuine and real.
Affiliate links for products I post on my site will not come from the Amazon Associate Program Suggestions. I promise not to link products in my articles that I have not found personally relevant and useful. On the occasion a product is no longer available and I post similar products, I promise to always disclose that information.
I guess what I’m saying is that my purpose in this blog is to be the real real. I want you to know that what is written here was written by me, not AI. The products I suggest are genuine suggestions I would offer to you if we were sitting down for a coffee and a chat. The books I recommend have either been influential in my life, or in the life of someone close to me. What you see is what you get, friend. I hope that’s okay with you.
So here’s to authenticity, dedication to purpose, upholding a standard of excellence, and thinking autonomously. Let’s be better than AI. Who needs an artificial intelligence? I’d rather have a real experience any day.
If you like this content, please consider sharing it with your friends. I’m reaching out to like-minded people who appreciate a word of encouragement, a little motivation, some real-life, messy, banged up organization, and maybe an out-of-focus photo or two. At least we know it’s real!
This was great!