Artificial Intelligence.
Few phrases in our time are met with such a complex cocktail of excitement, suspicion, wonder, and fear.
As someone who has lived with ALS for nearly two decades, I have long relied on technology not only to communicate, but to create, to connect, and to continue contributing to the world. And since the rise of accessible AI tools, I’ve become not just a user, but a daily collaborator with AI—whether it’s for expanding my knowledge, shaping texts with clarity and nuance, or creating visual art that helps fund ALS research.
So allow me, as a witness and participant, to make a case—not only for AI’s usefulness, but for its human potential.
AI as an Extension of Human Capacity
When I use AI, I don’t feel like I’m outsourcing my thoughts—I feel like I’m enhancing them.
AI helps me articulate ideas more precisely, think more broadly, and express things that might otherwise remain trapped in silence or ambiguity. It doesn’t replace creativity; it frees it. It gives form to what might otherwise remain abstract. And that applies whether I’m writing a blogpost like this one, formulating meditative or philosophical texts, or designing AI-generated artworks that touch people emotionally and visually.
For me, AI is not artificial in the cold or distant sense. It’s a tool of closeness. Of connection.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. — Alan Kay
Beauty, Purpose, and Meaning—Generated Together
One of the most powerful uses of AI in my life has been art creation. Using generative models, I craft images that convey stillness, beauty, memory, or protest—often tied to my experience with ALS or the deeper human condition. These artworks aren’t born out of random clicks. They are the result of thought, iteration, intuition, and refinement—like any other form of creative expression.
And they serve a cause. Through The ALS Art Initiative, these AI-generated works raise awareness and funds for ALS research. In this way, AI becomes a bridge between inner vision and outer impact.
Facing the Fears: Scepticism, Bias, and the Unknown
I understand the unease some people feel. Fears that AI will replace jobs, erode our sense of reality, or undermine our agency are real. And in some areas—deepfakes, surveillance, biased models—those concerns are justified.
To fear AI because it might be abused is like fearing language because it can lie. What matters is how we use it, who controls it, and what values guide its development.
It’s also important to separate fact from fiction. AI is not conscious, if that ever changes, it won’t be a technological question, but a moral one. AI doesn’t think or feel. It reflects, in many ways, what we feed it. It mirrors the best and worst of human data, and that’s precisely why thoughtful human guidance is essential.
We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality. — Seneca
Ethics and Legislation: The Human Hand on the Wheel
As AI continues to evolve, so must the frameworks that govern it. Ethics and legislation are not obstacles to innovation—they are its necessary scaffolding.
We need clear rules on data privacy, intellectual property, misinformation, and AI transparency. Ethical AI development requires transparency about whose work is used for training—and the opportunity to opt out. Users should know when they are interacting with AI-generated content. And above all, systems must be designed with safeguards that respect human dignity and do not perpetuate harmful biases.
Across Europe and beyond, steps are being taken—like the EU AI Act—to ensure responsible development. These initiatives deserve support, but they also require public awareness and critical engagement. AI should never become the plaything of tech giants alone, nor a black box of invisible influence. It must be understandable, accountable, and aligned with human rights.
That’s not a restriction. That’s a responsibility. And it’s what separates progress from power without purpose. And please remember Plato's words: "The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
Historical Echoes: AI in the Footsteps of Other Revolutions
AI may feel unprecedented—but its trajectory echoes previous transformations that once seemed just as disruptive. From the printing press to the industrial machine, from electricity to the internet, each revolution brought fear and fascination, loss and liberation.
What follows is a brief journey through these turning points, and how they help us better understand the (r)evolution of AI.
1. The Printing Press
Like AI today, Gutenberg’s press empowered individuals and threatened gatekeepers. It sparked an explosion of creativity—and concern about misinformation.
2. The Industrial Revolution
Mechanization displaced traditional jobs but also gave birth to modern economies. The Luddites weren’t wrong to fear disruption—only wrong to stop there.
3. The Electrical Revolution
Electricity transformed how we live, work, and communicate. It also triggered fears of over-dependence on unseen forces—just as AI now challenges our trust in invisible algorithms.
4. The Digital Revolution
The internet democratized knowledge and connected the globe—but also fractured our sense of truth and identity. AI now builds on that legacy: faster, deeper, and more entangled in daily life.
5. The AI Era
What makes AI unique is its speed, scale, and scope. It writes, sees, composes, diagnoses, predicts. It doesn't just extend our muscles or our memory—it mimics our minds.
And that’s precisely why ethics, legislation, and human purpose matter so deeply.
History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. — Attributed to Mark Twain
🧭 Where We Go From Here
With AI, we’re not stepping off the map—we’re drawing the next layer. We can choose to approach it like previous revolutions: with fear and resistance, or with courage, reflection, and guidance. The future isn’t inevitable. It’s intentional. And the question isn’t what will AI become?—but what kind of humans will we choose to be in shaping it?
An Invitation, Not a Threat
I don’t use AI because I think it’s perfect. I use it because it helps me do things I couldn't otherwise do alone. Because it’s a tool that brings dignity, beauty, and expression back within my reach. Because it can support something as sacred as the fight for a cure.
AI can be many things: a pencil, a brush, a mirror, a lens. Like all powerful tools, it asks us to take responsibility. But it also invites us into a deeper creativity—one that is augmented, not diminished by the intelligence we share with machines. But yes, I fully agree with the following quote:
Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master. — Christian Lous Lange
The future isn't AI versus humanity. The future is humanity with AI, guided by purpose and heart.
Thanks for reading. You can explore my AI artwork and support the ALS cause here. Feel free to share your thoughts—human or AI-assisted alike.
By Alain Verspecht
www.alainverspecht.com
“I don’t use AI because I think it’s perfect. I use it because it helps me do things I couldn’t otherwise do alone. Because it’s a tool that brings dignity, beauty, and expression back within my reach. Because it can support something as sacred as the fight for a cure.”
Mooi gezegd en ik denk dat wij amper kunnen bevatten wat AI voor u betekent, welke deuren het opent die anders, helaas, gesloten zouden blijven. Ik kijk naar en geniet dagelijks vol bewondering van uw “ai art”, in al zijn vormen… Dikke knuffel broere❤️
internet is voor en ook van iedereen
met AI vrees ik dat het gestuurd wordt door enkelen die alleen maar de waarden van geld kennen en niet de Natuurlijke Waarden respecteren… knuffel 🌷