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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I have begun relying on AI and I don’t know how I feel about it.

846 replies

Tusktusk · 21/05/2025 22:16

So far this month I have used AI to:

Analyse my colours (thanks MN) and suggest outfits

Create a menu of packed lunches around my dietary requirements and preferences, complete with a shopping list

Plan a holiday itinerary

Save me hours and hours of work and stress by suggesting really useful ways to overcome very particular work difficulties, having been thrown into an out of my comfort zone situation. I have used AI for this on a daily basis this week

Tonight, instead of posting my current family dilemma on mumsnet I chatted about it with Claude. The responses were really good. Wise, thoughtful, non judgemental, practical, understanding… like the best mumsnetters.

Am I starting to rely on it too much?

What have you been using it for?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
72
Swirlythingy2025 · 01/06/2025 12:06

DrBlackbird · 01/06/2025 12:04

So you knew that Open AI scraped MN posts to train their models? As in, knew before it happened so you could consent or withdraw?

Show quote history

as far as im aware when it happened there was no policy of mumsnet against it

taxguru · 01/06/2025 14:04

DrBlackbird · 01/06/2025 12:04

So you knew that Open AI scraped MN posts to train their models? As in, knew before it happened so you could consent or withdraw?

Show quote history

MN is no different to any other social media and it's been well known for years that bots, spiders, and other IT scrape social media posts. It's certainly never been a secret.

MistressoftheDarkSide · 01/06/2025 15:38

It's sneaky because I don't think the vast majority of people "doing their colours" realise just how embedded it all is now. I've had my reservations but have been ridiculed as a paranoid conspiracy theorists. Yes, there have been articles over the last 5 - 10 years, but mainly aimed at those involved in IT and geeks and nerds (not intended as an insult, my friends describe themselves thus).

Only this year, and particularly in the last couple of months have I seen the proliferation of articles and advertising as though it's utterly normal and mainstream. That's what I'm getting at.

MyHeartyCoralSnail · 01/06/2025 19:30

Jellyrols · 31/05/2025 15:09

@taxguru thank you so much for your detailed reply.
I hugely appreciate it.
She loves Accounting as a subject, combined with Economics and Business studies, leaning into her strengths.
She also is very solid in Maths.
I think a career in this area will benefit her personality.
She is definitely ASD but we have only realised in the last two years as she is so strong academically and mixes so well with lots of friends.
I do think the Hybrid model of working would eventually suit her as she likes her own space.
It is important that she choose a career that plays to her strengths and can adapt and absorb her weaknesses.

Thank you very much.

Edited

I’ve worked in tax for 25 odd years I would say approx 50% of the people have ASD

chaosmaker · 02/06/2025 19:53

Yes, it's been used to make porn from photos for ages now. Also used like that to blackmail women including women standing for office in the states.

Elbowpatch · 03/06/2025 10:56

chaosmaker · 02/06/2025 19:53

Yes, it's been used to make porn from photos for ages now. Also used like that to blackmail women including women standing for office in the states.

I recently watched a documentary dealing with the issue. Apparently, AI needs around 70 different images of a persons head to create a usable facsimile. People with a high social media presence are particularly vulnerable.

DrBlackbird · 03/06/2025 13:55

ColourlessGreenIdeasSleepFuriously · 02/06/2025 08:06

ATM, translation is something it doesn’t do well and yet many translators have already seen their work dry up.

chaosmaker · 04/06/2025 00:07

'Humans' is available on channel 4 at the moment.

Is the drama version of the above. Nothing new here, just the technology is now available to make it happen in reality.

Edited to correct to channel 4 online.

MistressoftheDarkSide · 04/06/2025 09:45

That piece is utterly 😳

I also read through the comments, and predictably the "converted" latch onto "user doing it wrong" and "you just have to pick a better AI" and "of course it lies - what's the problem" - like excuse me, WTAF?

This stuff has been released into the wild, is being used in both the public and private sectors, is constantly evolving, should be checked by a human but do we have enough humans to actually do that routinely, and frankly it's a recipe for chaos.

Most chilling was the author asking ChatGPT for an analysis of the original "conversation" and it implied projection and mental fragility on her part, which is classic DARVO if I'm not mistaken.... from a fucking machine?

I've watched a ton of videos in recent weeks (in between funeral planning for my Dad) and not one has convinced me that AI is anything but an objective existential threat to humanity on pretty much every level.

I'm beginning to think that all the "geniuses" forging ahead with it are just stone cold psychopaths. Which is a cynical viewpoint I've often been chided for, in many areas, andwhich I have tried to beat out of myself because I must be flawed to think that way. Maybe it's time I leaned into those gut instincts.

chaosmaker · 04/06/2025 12:37

Talking to someone the other day. She's just landed a £34k teaching role starting in September. She now does all her lesson planning on some teaching ai thing. Forgot what it's called but she wanted me to show how 'time saving' it is.
Said she can adapt it for different students, ie dyslexic or other considerations.

She is a drama teacher. surely in one of the most organic of subjects you should be learning your students in a human way and lesson planning accordingly? Especially for that salary.

Luckily I had to take her family member out for my badly paid but very much in-person job of carer. So sadly didn't get to see how easily she could pass off doing her job.

chaosmaker · 04/06/2025 12:37

Might have been 'magic classroom' or something

Swirlythingy2025 · 04/06/2025 15:03

chaosmaker · 04/06/2025 12:37

Talking to someone the other day. She's just landed a £34k teaching role starting in September. She now does all her lesson planning on some teaching ai thing. Forgot what it's called but she wanted me to show how 'time saving' it is.
Said she can adapt it for different students, ie dyslexic or other considerations.

She is a drama teacher. surely in one of the most organic of subjects you should be learning your students in a human way and lesson planning accordingly? Especially for that salary.

Luckily I had to take her family member out for my badly paid but very much in-person job of carer. So sadly didn't get to see how easily she could pass off doing her job.

the Ai can consider many different factors that can be usful, by similar argument should people go back to type writers etc

Swirlythingy2025 · 04/06/2025 15:05

MistressoftheDarkSide · 04/06/2025 09:45

That piece is utterly 😳

I also read through the comments, and predictably the "converted" latch onto "user doing it wrong" and "you just have to pick a better AI" and "of course it lies - what's the problem" - like excuse me, WTAF?

This stuff has been released into the wild, is being used in both the public and private sectors, is constantly evolving, should be checked by a human but do we have enough humans to actually do that routinely, and frankly it's a recipe for chaos.

Most chilling was the author asking ChatGPT for an analysis of the original "conversation" and it implied projection and mental fragility on her part, which is classic DARVO if I'm not mistaken.... from a fucking machine?

I've watched a ton of videos in recent weeks (in between funeral planning for my Dad) and not one has convinced me that AI is anything but an objective existential threat to humanity on pretty much every level.

I'm beginning to think that all the "geniuses" forging ahead with it are just stone cold psychopaths. Which is a cynical viewpoint I've often been chided for, in many areas, andwhich I have tried to beat out of myself because I must be flawed to think that way. Maybe it's time I leaned into those gut instincts.

considering the quality of some humans some would say overall machines are better

637382gdjdb · 04/06/2025 15:28

I haven't been using it for anything because it is environmentally devastating and deeply unethical, and I'm concerned about the long term impact of outsourcing my brain on my cognitive facilities.

ColourlessGreenIdeasSleepFuriously · 05/06/2025 06:58

😐

I have begun relying on AI and I don’t know how I feel about it.
DrBlackbird · 07/06/2025 08:44

ColourlessGreenIdeasSleepFuriously · 05/06/2025 06:58

😐

Therapy chatbot tells recovering addict to have a little meth 🙄😑

My DN’s uni friends all use it for therapy. Fuelling even more a therapy as the answer mindset (sometimes it helps, often it doesn’t) and sharing the most intimate details with Open AI in the process.

doodahdayy · 07/06/2025 08:55

DrBlackbird · 07/06/2025 08:44

Therapy chatbot tells recovering addict to have a little meth 🙄😑

My DN’s uni friends all use it for therapy. Fuelling even more a therapy as the answer mindset (sometimes it helps, often it doesn’t) and sharing the most intimate details with Open AI in the process.

Show quote history

I find it so sad that anyone would trust it for therapy and tell it their darkest secrets. I know Theres are massive waiting lists on the nhs though

ColourlessGreenIdeasSleepFuriously · 07/06/2025 11:55

😑

I have begun relying on AI and I don’t know how I feel about it.