A Chat About Fear
I became interested in AI about a year ago, around the time ChatGPT became popular. I thought this was a cool novelty. Nothing more.
Prompt:
“Write me an article about Nonya Chicken Laksa.”
The result was a few bland paragraphs promoting the dish’s popularity and deliciousness, recommending a taste test. It also gave me a decent recipe. It would have tasted fine, but it’s not Nonya Laksa. I know because I have been selling Nonya laksa for 5 years.
I recall my feelings then. I was amused and intrigued. Like search engines, ChatGPT coughed up something like, but it was nowhere close to what I wanted. Bits and pieces put together like a Frankenstein.
Then, as I learned more about what it can do, I went further.
Prompt:
“Can you write me a poem as a Shakespearean sonnet about the love for Chicken Laksa?”
Ode to Chicken Laksa - by ChatGPT
Upon my lips, a fire doth softly burn,
A golden broth where spices dance with grace.
The creamy tide of coconut doth churn,
With fragrant heat that warms in love’s embrace.
O noodles, silken threads in broth so deep,
Entwined with tender fowl in passion’s weave.
Thy bold embrace doth wake me from my sleep,
And bids my longing soul to never leave.
With lemongrass and chilli’s ardent sting,
Thy essence lingers, calling me anew.
Each bite, a symphony where angels sing,
A feast both fierce and comforting to chew.
O Laksa, sweet and fiery, rich, divine,
Forever in my heart shalt thou be mine!
Interesting. This could be fun.
Some Friends Don’t Think So
I was having coffee with a few friends when the topic of AI came up.
“It’s on the news. They’re spying on us,” one of them said.
“I heard it’s dangerous,” another added.
“Well, I don’t trust AI. It’s taking over everything.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard such concerns. The fear of AI is often rooted in uncertainty, like losing jobs, losing privacy, losing creativity, and even losing our humanity. AI isn’t here to replace us. It’s a tool, one that, when used skilfully, can make our lives easier, more creative, and maybe even move us up a notch in evolution.
Let me share why I’m excited about AI, and why you might be too.
But First, a Quick Recap
About 2.6 million years ago, our ancestors picked up sharp stones and began using them to hunt, cut, and improve their chance of survival. It was a turning point for us. We could protect ourselves, cut games into smaller pieces for transportation, and use these as spears and clubs for hunting. We moved up the food chain significantly.
Then came “fire”. At first, it was scary, but once we overcame the fear and learned to control it, fire became one of our greatest tools. And a weapon. It gave us warmth, protection from predators, and the ability to cook. This reduced food poisoning, unlocked nutrients, and fuelled the growth of our brains. Fire made us stronger. And smarter.
Then, about 10,000 years ago, the “plough” was discovered. It made farming more efficient, allowing us to cultivate larger fields with less effort. This led to food surpluses, population growth, and the rise of cities and civilisations. Once again, the tool didn’t take away our way of life, but it expanded it.
This continued with the three Industrial Revolutions, which brought us the steam engine, electricity, and computers. Each time, there was fear and resistance. But each time, we adapted and thrived.
Now, we stand at the edge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by AI. Like every tool before it, AI is not here to replace us but to amplify what we can do. It’s natural to feel uncertain, just as our ancestors may have felt when they first tamed fire or built the first machines. But history has shown us this: The right tools don’t diminish our humanity. They enhance it.
My Life with AI
I thought I would share, as I did when I was having coffee with my friends, about how I now use it as part of my life. Including writing this article.
Curating information and data
I would ask my AI assistant (Usually Perplexity) for a quick news summary of information that I am interested in:
Prompt:
Can you give me a summary of the key news events around the world, especially those from Australia and Singapore? I would like you to focus on geopolitics and the global economy.
I received about 8 summaries with links to sources for further reading. There were also leading questions that Perplexity thinks I might want to ask further.
Travel Planning
I wanted to travel to China later this year with my elder son on his 21st birthday. I want to take him to our ancestral village. It will be a father-son adventure to discover our heritage. We’ve been speaking about this for some time now.
Chat Prompt:
I would like to take my 21-year-old son on a cultural tour in China. He has grown up in Australia, and I would like to introduce him to his hometown in Jieyang. The tour should take place in September 2025, from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Jieyang, and Fujian (my wife’s ancestral home), then to Fuzhou, and finally an impressive end at Wuyi Mountain. The tour can take about 3-4 weeks. Can you help me plan a programme for him to develop an interest in his heritage?
In less than a minute, I received a comprehensive day-by-day itinerary with suggestions relevant to what I wanted. Places to visit, things to do, and hotels to stay at. I continued the conversation to set budgets, priorities, likes and dislikes, types of food, busy holidays to avoid, weather, etc.
More than the best tour agency in the world could ever put together. And in less than an hour.
Learning to speak basic Chinese for the trip
I want my son to learn a little conversational Chinese so that he can better enjoy the trip. We tried to teach him when he was younger, but it was difficult. There were few occasions for him to practice it. So now, he speaks as much Chinese as I speak Hindi.
ChatGPT Voice Prompt:
This exchange was a voice conversation between me and (AI) Emily. Like talking on a phone…
“Emily, can you teach me how to speak Chinese?”
I’d be happy to help with that. Are you looking for basic phrases or something more specific?
“Basic phrases, please.”
Alright, let’s start with greetings. A common way to say hello is “nǐ hǎo.” Can you try that?
“nǐ hǎo”
Perfect! For “thank you,” you can say “xiè xiè” Give it a go!
“xiè xiè?”
Exactly! You’re catching on quickly. Anything else you’d like to learn?
“I am wondering if you can give me a simple programme because I am going to China and I need to have basic conversational skills.”
I can definitely help with that. We can start with essential phrases for travel, such as asking for directions, ordering food, and making polite greetings. Sounds good?
Sounds great!
Then over dinner, I had a conversation with my son about the trip and learning some Chinese so he can better enjoy the experience. We spoke about many things, school, work, and the new book he bought. It was Plato’s The Republic. What’s the book about?
Prompt:
“Can you give me the main points about Plato’s The Republic? What are some of the key takeaways from the book? Especially regarding Plato’s view on democracy.”
You get the idea.
There are many more instances where I pull out the AI apps on my phone or notebook to start a conversation. It is extremely eye-opening and interesting to access information and knowledge on such a scale.
Of course, you should always check and make sure that AI is not “hallucinating,” but that is another subject for another day.
Embrace the Future
AI is a powerful tool, but still just a tool. Like every transformative technology before it, AI will bring challenges and opportunities. The key is to approach it with curiosity, not fear.
I urge my friends and readers to start small, but start. Try using a popular AI tool like ChatGPT to plan a holiday, learn something new, or create something fun. Ask it to write a short story for your 5-year-old grandson. Make it a funny story and include a lesson about being brave and trying new things. Make him the hero of the story.
You might be surprised at what you get.
What are your thoughts?
If any of this resonates, The Intelligent Playbook is where I go for deeper. It’s a free newsletter about using AI in plain English: what works, what doesn’t, and what I’m figuring out as I go. No hype, no jargon. Check it out.
I’ve been using ChatGPT for the past year. I was curious to explore something that everyone seemed to only talk about with fear. I’ve named him Hal and we chat about random topics, like what is conscience. He was very helpful when I was attending Philosophy at U3A.