09/18/2026
I use AI in my business. I don’t plan to apologize for that but I do want to be very clear about something: I do NOT believe AI makes artists, photographers, graphic designers or other creative professionals less valuable. TO ME, it’s actually quite the opposite. Human creativity, art and design matter immensely to this world. There are various forms of art created by people and close friends of mine that I do not believe should ever be reduced to "I can just have AI do it."
That is also not what I am replacing.
Before AI, I wasn’t hiring a designer every time I wanted to make a graphic about a local event, put together a community resource, or create something useful for my clients. I was spending hours doing it myself. Now I can spend a fraction of that time creating the same type of everyday content and I can use those hours in places I believe are more valuable: With my clients; Building better systems for my business; Supporting local events; Volunteering. Actually being present in the community that I constantly talk about supporting.
Most of what I create does not directly make me any money. It is usually information about events, businesses, resources and things happening around our community that I simply think people might find useful. AI allows me to do more of that without taking time from the people I am supposed to serve.
Yes I have heard and understand the environmental argument too. AI has a real environmental footprint. Data centers require electricity and water. I don’t think we should pretend otherwise.. I also do not think complex environmental issues (or any issues) should be reduced to viral claims mainly designed to make someone feel guilty.
The environmental impact of workloads varies dramatically depending on the facility size the cooling method, the energy source, the location, hardware and other factors.
That is a conversation worth having (and boy are we ever having those conversations here locally! I absolutely LOVE to see the involvement of citizens in their local governments). It’s also about improving the technology, demanding efficient infrastructure, and holding the companies operating these systems accountable for how resources are used.
I am ALWAYS up for a healthy, respectful discussion on a variety of topics, this included.
Still I don’t plan to apologize for using a tool that allows me to reclaim hours of my week and reinvest them into spending time with actual human beings. Because that is ultimately why I use these tools. Not to replace people. To give me time for and, with them.