Things used to be fun, didn’t they?

Books were thrilling, movies captivated you for hours, and the internet seemed to be filled with infinite possibilities of pursuing new passions.

But now you can’t finish a movie without checking your phone, the pile of unread books keeps growing in the corner, and you rarely do the things that used to excite you.

On top of that, AI is currently transforming the internet in ways we could never imagine. How long until 90% of online content is mass-produced AI slop?

“Fuck AI” is a provocative title for an essay discussing all of the above.

When retention becomes the highest goal, the one who wins is the one who will create the most addictive content.

That’s the competition for human attention, which defines the current state of the internet. And what’s at the center? Artificial intelligence.

Or more precisely – the algorithms.

They are the ones that “decide” what you see online.

But once people figured out the ranking factors, and got access to almost every engagement metric – it was only a matter of time until someone decided to maximize their performance.

And if one person starts optimizing, everyone has to – you either play the game or get left behind.

Let me get something out of the way – I don’t “hate” AI.

What I hate is the way it’s used to make us doubt everything we see, steal our creativity, and overload our already overstimulated minds with an endless flood of slop.

I think AI is the tipping point in the long-standing discussion regarding the effects of social media on our lives.

This essay “Fuck AI” is supposed to bring together those, who are fed-up with second guessing what’s real, losing control of your own attention span, and constantly seeing weirdly disturbing AI generated videos that are unfortunately more engaging than we’d like to admit.

All of that can make you feel pessimistic – but things aren’t as bad as some of you might think.

Personally, I believe in a slow shift towards more meaningful content.

We can already see signs of change:

You can also look at artist’s protests against AI, comments under generated videos, and the conversations happening around you.

People are becoming more aware of the problem.

A lot is about to change – there’s no doubt about that.

Many people are already searching for more meaningful sources of content, saying “Fuck AI”, and working on solutions to live a healthier life in our digital world.

But others are facing difficulties, or are completely blind to the issue – addicted to algorithms, fast-forwarding through life, and giving up their agency and decision-making to ChatGPT.

I want to be part of the first group.

That’s why this article exists – a kind of manifesto, or mission statement.

I’m trying to create a place for more meaningful content.

A place where we create illustrations by hand, and share our own thoughts, put into words after spending hours staring at the ceiling – not typing a prompt.

That’s why I started Unwritten Tomes – a newsletter / media company which highlights great stories, books, inspiring myths, and thought-provoking fables.

“Fuck AI” is the provocative title created to catch your attention.

The essay is a message to inspire some reflection.

So if you know someone who could benefit from this, or just want to share the word – send them this article.

Time to start being mindful about what we consume.

Łukasz Skoneczny, Founder of Unwritten Tomes