Maybe I'm too sensitive

Or else I'm gettin' soft

I opened Facebook on my phone earlier today, and got a bit of a gut-punch.

Photo by Johann Walter Bantz on Unsplash

You Facebook users are probably familiar with that row of ‘stories’ at the top of the page? The ‘stories’ aren’t really stories; they’re either videos or slideshows of still images. Sometimes they’re accompanied by music.

The ‘story’ that popped up today was instantly recognizable to me, but had been generated by Meta AI, according to the text superimposed on the graphic.

The image was of my late husband, wearing a favorite shirt, anti-nausea wristbands and headphones, listening to music on an mp3 player. An image I had looked at only yesterday, as I was sifting through old emails I had sent to friends and family during his illness. An image that did, indeed, tell a story. But maybe not the story Meta AI wanted me to see.

What I saw was not a sweet memory. I saw that yesterday. What I saw this morning was an obviously faked drawing, and I very badly wanted to know why it had been generated. But that’s one click Meta AI didn’t get. Will never get.

My visceral reaction was much like the one I get when a random politician emails him. I realize I could delete his email account, but I’m not ready to do that just yet. I’ve therefore accepted that it’s up to me to reduce the clutter by unsubscribing to unsolicited messages. I don’t usually fill in the optional reason why I want to stop receiving emails from random politicians, but in my husband’s case, I write: Deceased.

Meta AI didn’t know how that punch was going to land. Meta AI can’t know the effect it will have on viewers or readers or end users or whatever we’re known as these days. Meta AI isn’t real. It’s an imposter, creating imposters.

I realize AI can be useful. I’ve used it a couple of times. I’ve even written about using it. My experience is quite limited, and I’m perfectly okay with that. I’m content exercising my brain for as long as I’m able.

I’m having more than a little trouble processing my reaction to seeing that image. Maybe I should describe the experience in an AI app. Maybe it will tell me how to feel.