Man vs. machine?

“All the chatter these days about artificial intelligence (AI) is enough to make my head spin, if not that of an entire generation of Boomers who still prefer a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation.”
That was the tongue-in-cheek intro I wrote two years ago when I first experimented with ChatGPT, the then-new chatbot known for producing surprisingly “human-like” responses. At the time, I expressed my unease with society’s growing reliance on machines to do things we used to do ourselves — write creatively, brainstorm ideas, even converse. Looking back now, I chalk that column up to a mix of generational skepticism and a little ignorance.
News flash: My outlook has changed.
Today, not only have I embraced some of the new technology, but so has our staff at the ANR. A tool we use regularly now is Otter.ai, which transcribes interviews and provides summaries that help outline the bones of a news story. It’s not perfect, as we’ve learned the hard way in that it still requires human oversight, especially when quoting sources. But, it’s a game-changer for productivity. It also helps us brainstorm headlines, generate interview questions, and more.
I say this not as an AI evangelist, but as someone who sees both the power and the peril of this rapidly evolving technology. On one hand, the possibilities are staggering. AI can streamline workflows, enhance research, organize ideas with uncanny precision, and save businesses time and money. On the other hand, the ethical concerns are no less significant. In an era already plagued by misinformation, AI-generated photos, videos, and even news stories blur the lines of truth even further. Trust and credibility, cornerstones of journalism, are harder than ever to defend.
The tension is palpable. A thirtysomething professional bluntly told me recently that he felt like “a dead man.” His reasoning? AI can already do everything he does, faster, and without a paycheck. Whether or not that’s an overreaction, the concern is real. The fear of obsolescence isn’t limited to one sector. No one, including writers, coders, marketers and educators, is immune to the transformative potential of this technology.
At a different conference, a speaker offered a memorable line: AI may not take your job, but someone who uses AI likely will. That insight felt both chilling and strangely empowering. It’s a reminder that while we can’t stop the AI revolution, we can, and must, choose how we engage with it.
The truth is, AI is already reshaping the pace and practice of business, education, communication, and media. We don’t need a chatbot to tell us that. But we do need a thoughtful, ongoing dialogue about how we use these tools, and more importantly, how we ensure they don’t use us.
The future is not man versus machine, but man with machine, so long as we remain firmly in the driver’s seat.
-- Kurt Johnson