Resistance Requires Action
This one is for the writers. The word workers. The alphabet queens and kings.
Repeat after me. A I is not inevitable. (Note: For the purposes of this article, all AI is referring to Generative AI, aka plagiarism software.)
AI is not inevitable unless you think resistance is a passive act. Unless you believe free will doesn’t exist. (Sorry, this one might hurt) Unless you’re too lazy to use your own brain. As a Black American woman, resistance is part of my ancestral arsenal for survival, but not everyone has the same DNA, so let’s review the basics.
Resistance of any kind is a choice, and it requires action, but too many people forget that little nugget of truth. In their minds, Generative AI is a tidal wave, and they are but a tiny mouse, powerless to do anything to stop the destructive wave from coming their way and crashing over them. They see themselves as unable to resist. But that’s the wrong analogy. Generative AI is not a force of nature that humankind cannot stop. Generative AI is a consumer product made by humans – no different than say, a chocolate covered onion. Therefore, it is not inevitable, but it is ubiquitous.
So, let’s pretend chocolate covered onions somehow became some big billionaire’s next big idea and he convinced paid every major American fast-food chain to add them to their menus. Initially they would be free and would come with every meal. I bet most people would reject that free onion and simply stick with the fries and burger. And the billionaire would have to admit defeat and go back to his evil lair and come up with another product idea.
Well, you can do the same thing when Generative AI is dangled shoved in your face for free. Stick with your own creativity, skills, and talent. (By the way, chocolate covered onions are available to purchase in a candy store in Philadelphia.)
The Definition of Resistance
So, let’s review what resistance actually requires, what it can do when deployed as a weapon against tyranny, and why everyday people can resist Generative AI and change the world.
Pardon me for quoting the dictionary, but I want to get off on the right foot and prove that I have the rules of grammar and Daniel Webster on my side.
To resist means “ to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat.”
A second definition is “ to withstand the force or effect of.”
Resistance is therefore defined as:
1. “ the inherent ability of an organism to resist harmful influences ( such as disease, toxic agents, or infection).” Note: I would definitively add generative AI to that list of harmful influences.
2. “the capacity of a species or a strain of microorganism to survive exposure to a toxic agent (such as a drug) formerly effective against it.”
In my honest opinion, there is a lot of hope and inspiration in those definitions. They stand as written reminders of the power we have as singular organisms – that is each individual human being – to resist harmful influences like Generative AI, unchecked corporate overlords, and billionaires who don’t care about humanity.
Resistance Requires Action But It Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
Resistance is a noun, but resisting requires action. Right there in the definition it is spelled out for us: To resist, one must “exert oneself” in order to defeat the enemy. Now, some people may already be overworked, underpaid and tired, and the very idea of more exertion sounds overwhelming. And some people might just be scared by the idea of fighting what seems like an unwinable war against generative AI companies. But honestly, a little bit of exertion shouldn’t be as scary as living on a planet where you get burned alive by raging wildfires or drowned in flash floods, or trampled by your neighbors fighting over the last bit of edible food on the grocery store shelves. To me that sounds way scarier and unpleasant then what is required to resist AI. (Read The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler for a vivid picture of what I mean.)
But let’s be clear, resisting generative AI, is really stupid easy. Trust me, I do it every day. More than anything, resisting generative AI simply means making intentional choices every day not to use it.
For example, resisting AI could be as simple as switching your web browser from Google, which is now officially AI first, to a web browser that doesn’t force AI on you, such as Vivaldi, Ecosia, or Duck, Duck, Go. That simple act of resistance takes less than a minute and you won’t even break a sweat.
Resistance could look like refusing to purchase any books, music, or art created by AI. That level of exertion should feel minimal, almost passive, but it packs a punch because if nobody buys AI-generated art, the AI generated art market would collapse. So easy peasy, a kindergartner could do it.
These acts are so simple and so powerful. Imagine if millions of people around the world simply refused to use ChatGPT and Claude. Imagine if millions of people canceled their Canva account unless and until they removed the AI features. Imagine if millions of people stopped using Google to search the Internet. Google, as a profit-first company, would be forced to change their AI policy if they wanted to regain their customer base. And notice I didn’t say everybody in the world, I said millions of people. A critical mass. That’s all it takes to invoke change when the goal for the company of the consumer product is profit. Don’t buy it. Don’t use it. Resist and watch what happens.
If you’re still skeptical, consider the inspiring examples below.
Delicious Examples of Resistance that Worked
The blueprint for resistance exists. Human beings have resisted and won many times against unchecked capitalism, tyranny, and bad food and fashion trends. Who remembers Olestra and their greasy diarrhea ?
Let’s look at some examples of Resistance Movements that work(ed):
Religious Resistance: The Amish. The Mennonites. Muslims who follow Halal dietary rules. Jews who keep Kosher. Seventh Day Adventists who follow a vegan diet.
I am not here to argue the pros and cons of any religion, I simply want to point out that many of the religious faithful understand resistance is a choice and requires action. As such, they have successfully resisted that which does not serve them as individuals and as a community, for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Despite the trends, influences, and threats of governments, capitalism, and popular culture they have held strong to their beliefs. And what’s more, their resistance has gained them wealth, better health, land, and public admiration. In some cases, laws have even been enacted or changed to support the resistance of some of these groups. Did you know Amish children in the United States don’t have to attend school past 8th grade?
The real lesson here however, is to witness how the resistance of these religious folks has not only been normalized, but it has spread into mainstream society and been embraced if not elevated over the “mainstream option.” Have you ever eaten a 100% all-beef Hebrew National hot dog instead of an Oscar Meir wiener made with pork? Have you ever bought or admired a piece of Amish furniture that was hand crafted with real wood, rather than mass produced and sold at a big box store? If you did buy it, then you know the price was higher than anything you’d buy at Ikea, but you understand the value of craftsmanship so you paid the higher price.
So, the Amish resist using modern technology, as such they retain their abilities to hand craft furniture and toys and other home goods and we as a society respect that resistance to the point where we reward them for it. We line up for their baked goods. We buy their furniture and toys. And for the most part, we leave them alone to live their best Amish lives.
The Natural Hair Movement
Black women clapped back at chemically straightening their hair in the early 2000s and launched a hair resistance movement heretofore unseen in modern times. That movement, The Natural Hair Movement, has since spread to every continent in the world and launched a profitable new segment of the Black haircare industry along the way. This resistance movement is even responsible for new vocabulary words entering the lexicon. And all it took was for Black women en masse to say ‘no’ to a practice that they had been deeply wedded to for generations. Some might say, we were even brainwashed to believe relaxing our hair was the only option.
There was also a real strong marketing campaign pushing a narrative to keep us brainwashed as well. We were told in every way possible that ideal beauty required straight, shiny hair. To reinforce this narrative, the only Black hair products easily found on store shelves were created to manage and maintain chemically straightened hair. Most hair care professionals only knew how to care for straight hair. There were no manuals or books or videos to explain how to style natural Black hair. And yet, one woman chose to say no to relaxing her hair. And she told a friend. And then the next woman did it. And she wrote and published a book about her journey. That book spread like wildfire across the country and more people learned that resistance was possible. And that we weren’t alone in our quest to rid ourselves of our addiction to the creamy crack, aka a chemical mixture that has since been linked to uterine cancer and fibroids in Black women.
The People of Bolivia Against McDonalds
There is no McDonalds in Bolivia. According to the Big MacIndex, “Bolivia is the only country in the Americas without a McDonald’s (except Haiti and Cuba).” Why? Because the people of Bolivia resisted the golden arches. Now this is a unique example where resistance didn’t look like organized protest. The people of Bolivia weren’t throwing chicken nuggets in the streets, they simply stood by their values and chose not to patronize a fast-food chain that did not align with said values. Fast food as a concept is anti-Bolivian. They believe food should be made slowly and with care. The prices were too high, and they liked the taste of their own food better. So, resistance was really just a choice to live by one’s values. And because so many people chose not to eat McDonald’s food, the company took the hint. The Bolivian people could not be convinced that McDonald’s was inevitable. In response, the corporate behemoth shut all eight McDonald’s locations on the same day, and left Bolivia. Never to return again.
From these three examples, I hope I have demonstrated that resistance can be tasty, easy, done in community, and profitable. Also, resistance can be sustained over millennia, can change laws, and is contagious.
But if I haven’t convinced you by now how easy resistance is, let’s see what happens if we don’t resist. If we stay passive and pretend we have no free will.
What’s at Stake if We Don’t Resist
While I could write a whole book on just the environmental degradation that happens with the data centers that are currently being used to support generative AI platforms, I’d rather not. Instead, I will make a quick list with links for you to see the catastrophic results of unchecked Generative AI.
Life as we know it becomes unsustainable on planet Earth. MIT explains why. Here and Here.
Data Centers Will Destroy Your Neighborhood. Read this for a clear explanation for what happens when a data center is constructed in your neighborhood.
Using Generative AI Literally Makes You Stupid. There’s no reason to say this is a nicer way. We’re all adults. But don’t take my word for it, read the reports:
From Time Magazine:
From The Guardian:
Human Created Content and its Creators Disappear
I don’t need a link to prove to you that AI generated content will make musicians, filmmakers, writers, cartoonists, and visual artists, unnecessary and unappreciated. If a machine can make McDonald’s hamburgers faster and cheaper than your mom, why would you need your mom’s burgers or your mom?
HOW TO RESIST – STARTING NOW
At this point, I trust I have convinced you that not only is it possible to resist AI, it is imperative. Perhaps at this point you feel a little bit hopeful, while also equal parts murderous and angry. Me personally, I feel like the Tech Billionaires who are trying to shove AI down our throats are no different than the British who flooded China with opium in the 1800s, just so they could pay cheaper prices for Chinese imports and make higher profits on their own goods. By the mid 1830s, millions of China’s citizens were addicted to Opium, and the Brits could enjoy a cheap cup of tea.
I hate to quote a derivative and mostly unsuccessful public service campaign from the 80s, but since we’re on the subject of illegal drugs, the easiest way to resist generative AI is to ‘just say no.’ Don’t use it. It’s that easy. Make the intentional choice to use human intelligence rather than artificial intelligence. Take your sticky fingers off ChatGPT and Claude and write your own book. Ask or pay another human to edit your essay. Join a writing group to get feedback on your work. Use your own creativity to come up with new story ideas. Save your brain. Save money. Save the literary ecosystem. Save the planet. Save humanity. Just. Say. No.
Writers, Let’s Rewrite this Story
I’ve always believed writers are magical creatures. Well, now it’s up to us to use our powers to change the narrative of this AI story. Fascist governments have always come after the writers first, killing poets and playwrights, arresting journalists, outlawing literacy and burning books. Why? Because we hold the power of persuasion in our pens, and now it’s time to use it.
Let’s write a new narrative about Generative AI. It’s not inevitable. We have the choice to say no thank you. It’s not for me. We have the choice to say, it’s not worth destroying the planet, our brains, and our livelihoods. We have the choice to say, I’d rather eat a chocolate covered onion, please and thank you.
So please, my fellow word workers, DO NOT USE GENERATIVE AI, but also, I’m begging you to go a step further. Use your words to craft a different ending than the one the tech billionaires are trying to sell. Write letters, write articles, write stories, write novels, write poems in chalk on the sidewalk, write songs (like this one). Use your words to resist and let’s save the world.
Thank you for writing this, Lori. This is such a thoughtful and clear essay. And you're right, it has become ubiquitous and unrelenting. But. Like you say, resistance in small ways add up.