AI Has Poisoned Humanity

Culture has always bonded human beings since time immemorial. But what is it? Do all animals have culture, or is it unique to homo sapiens?

As the undisputed apex predator on planet Earth, humans are able to work together in great numbers due to their ability to manifest a shared understanding of reality. Through oral traditions, language, beliefs, customs, tools, art, rituals, codes, institutions etc.

That's culture, unique to homo sapiens as far as I can tell.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has invaded humanity's culture, it's in our system, running rough shod through society. Wreaking havoc on our shared understanding of reality. AI has poisoned the well, the technology is pervasive, evolving to such an extent that even our eyes and ears deceive us.

I doom scrolled into a video of Michael Jackson at a fast food restaurant, stealing a box of chicken nuggets. Realistic, "recorded" in typical content creator fashion. Problem is, Michael Jackson has been dead for 16 years. But, here he is, making a fool of himself on my feed. But that's not Michael Jackson, that's just a random human using AI to make the King of Pop dance to his nefarious whims for engagement.

In 2025,the living reimagine the dead, brought back to life using AI necromancy. Virality will dictate what gets remembered. Humans confusing other humans using clever prompts, blurring our shared history, our shared cultural icons. What terrible power to wield.

At my pleasure, I can summon any dead historical figure, celebrity, conqueror, or prophet, and make them do whatever I want, using nothing but a keyboard. I can force them into whatever ideology I want to imprison them in. Then I post into the vastness of the internet, into the immense blackness of the algorithm.

These AI frauds linger in our minds, humorous at first, but warping into ugliness over time, permeating, spreading. Culture begins to fragment, humans stop creating, they only consume. Tonight we dine on our culture of the past, lost and digested into the data pipelines.

Human's shared understanding of reality is now haunted by the specter of AI. All it takes is a decent portion of any population to start a full blown panic. Amygdalas will slowly begin to writhe in quiet panic, flee or fight. Then, who knows what could happen.

Mass hysteria is very real, and once it grips us, we are caught. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 stole 20 innocent souls who would have otherwise went on to lead rather fulfilling lives as Puritans. Likewise during the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France, a series of massacres and public executions came down on countless victims due to mere accusations of treason. All that's needed is a critical mass of people to incite chaos.

I have peered into my crystal ball, and what I see staring back emits terrible foreboding.

Globally humans spend around 3 hours and 45 minutes on their smartphones, daily. Younger humans (14-24) spend even more time on their devices, 5+ daily hours on average. Smartphones are ubiquitous now, in the pocket of every person you encounter in the wild.

Humanity is primed, vulnerable, and potentially on the verge of cultural amnesia. How long before an AI misunderstanding gets created, goes viral, and sparks a violent chain reaction. Devious political operatives will generate AI propaganda slop to suit every need. It just takes one spark, one well made AI fake, and hell will break loose.

Soon no one will be able to tell fact from fiction, what's real and what's AI generated. I don't see any tangible solution to sanity check AI-created content. Like Community Notes on X, our society must have a sophisticated way to determine AI content VS human content.

Without that defensive talisman to dispel the AI illusions, our shared culture waits at the precipice of self-inflicted doom; the poison spreads, each sip from the well is more and more bitter.

Humanity waits like those on the Titanic, after discovering that she can stay afloat with the first four compartments breached, but not five, not five.