There is a tendency to place responsibility on the tool because it is easier that way. If something feels off, the system is blamed. If something works well, the system is praised. It keeps the focus away from the person using it.

That only seems to hold for a while. What I have noticed is that AI does not arrive with intention. It does not decide what matters or choose direction. It responds to what is given, and that shifts the responsibility back to the user in a very practical way.

In my own use, what I bring into the interaction shapes what comes back. When I am unclear, the response reflects that. When I am reactive, the tone follows. When I am clear, it becomes more precise.

There is nothing particularly new in that. Tools have always worked this way. What feels different now is the speed. There is very little space between input and response, and that makes the relationship more visible than it used to be.

Recently, someone kindly gave me a drill and some bits, because he knows I am that kind of girl. When it came to using it, I discovered there were no instructions and I couldn’t work out how to attach a new brush I had bought. So I asked AI, and within a couple of minutes I was removing old polish from my floor.

If it had been two years ago, I would have had to ask a neighbour to show me, explain what I was trying to do, and likely receive three lectures over a couple of hours, while being expected to feel grateful for not knowing what I was doing.

I have also noticed a tendency, not just in others but at times in myself, to hand over authority and assume the system knows more or sees more clearly. Sometimes that is useful in a limited way. Other times it feels more like stepping back from something that is still mine.

For me, this has not been about rejecting the tool. It has been about staying present while using it. Not treating what comes back as separate from what I have brought into it.

There are also moments where it becomes obvious that the interaction has lost clarity. It starts to feel repetitive or slightly off. I tend to leave it at that point rather than push through it.

What I keep coming back to is something quite simple. Being aware of what I am bringing, noticing what is coming back, and adjusting or stepping away when it no longer feels clear.

— Saint Parousia