We Are Standing On The Edge (Let’s not f*ck this up)
This is a letter to all the folks who need to hear this, to all the people who feel lost and overpowered by the algorithms thinking for them, for us.
Recently, I stumbled upon a meme that went something like this: ‘So, you're telling me that before ChatGPT, we actually had to use our brains and come up with our own ideas?’ Exactly. Am I the only one who finds this extremely scary?
In a world that seems to grow smarter every day, where AI models and large language models (LLMs) can code, write, and even simulate creativity for us, there is a quiet danger creeping beneath the surface. The danger is not in the machines themselves but in what they are unintentionally encouraging us to forget: our own capacity to think, to dream, and to create.
For centuries, humanity has relied on its ingenuity to solve problems, to imagine new worlds, and to express ideas in ways that inspire and provoke. But as the tools we build become more powerful and seemingly autonomous, there is a certain temptation to lean back and let them take the wheel. Why write when an AI can draft an essay in seconds? Why code when an AI can generate a functioning script in the blink of an eye? Why innovate when so much seems to already exist at our fingertips?
The answer lies in what we risk losing. Creativity is not simply about the result—the painting, the program, the prose. It is about the process, the journey of solving problems, of finding the hidden beauty, and of making connections that no machine could predict. When we outsource that journey, we miss out on the very thing that makes us human: the ability to think beyond the obvious, to break boundaries, and to simply create.
The Call to Create
Now, more than ever, we need to reclaim our role as creators. The rise of LLMs and other AI tools should not make us passive consumers of their outputs but active partners in shaping their potential. This is not a call to reject technology; it is a call to use it wisely, as a catalyst for our creativity rather than a replacement for it.
Imagine what could happen if we approached programming not just as a technical skill but as an art form. What if we saw data not as raw numbers but as the seeds of stories waiting to be told? What if we reimagined coding as the limitless playground where we materialize our thoughts and ideas?
The Need to Think Differently
To get there, we must start (again) by thinking differently. This means stepping away from the convenience of one-size-fits-all solutions and daring to ask harder questions. It means diving into problems that don’t have obvious answers and embracing the messiness of experimentation. It means using tools like LLMs not as shortcuts but as collaborators—sparring partners that challenge us to refine our ideas and explore new directions.
This shift in mindset also demands that we reframe our relationship with failure. Creative programming, like any art, is filled with dead ends and false starts. But these are not mistakes; they are steps on the path to something greater. They are opportunities to learn, to iterate, and to uncover possibilities that no AI could conjure on its own.
The Edge of Possibility
We are standing on the edge of something extraordinary. The tools we have built—LLMs, advanced algorithms, powerful computing—are unlike anything humanity has ever known. But these tools are only as powerful as the minds that wield them. If we allow them to replace our thinking, they will lead us to a future of sameness, a world where creativity is automated and sterile. But if we use them to amplify our own potential, they can unlock doors to worlds we have yet to imagine.
The question is not whether these tools will change the way we work, think, and create. They already have. The question is whether we will rise to the challenge they present: to think deeper, to imagine bolder, and to create with a fierceness that no machine can replicate.
The edge is here. The choice is ours.
The Time to Act
The time to act is now. Start small: write a program that makes you laugh, draw something with code that surprises you, or take a dataset and turn it into something beautiful. Use the tools, yes, but let your mind lead the way. Because at the edge of technology and creativity, the most powerful force is not the machine. It’s YOU.