Prologue

For this, the 31st episode (AEH is zero-indexed), I thought I would take it easy and go with a simple plea to all of you:

Don’t be a Secret Cyborg

TL;DR — We all need to push for a culture that is compatible with an AI future. Even if AI models don’t improve beyond their current state, we already face numerous issues, anxieties, and superpowers! We need a culture where it is okay to admit to using an AI and celebrate it, all while keeping the human component in mind.

Editor's Note: Oops, I ended up writing a regular-length newsletter. There’s always next week!

Cyborgologue

What is a Cyborg?

[…] a being with both organic and biomechatronic parts. […] a living organism that has restored function or enhanced abilities due to the integration of some artificial component or technology […]

What I mean by the phrase Secret Cyborg is: using AI and hiding that fact.

Deepfakes

I think the most egregious misuse of AI is deepfakes. Deep fakes are usually images that are generated to make it look like a real human is doing something they didn’t actually do, for example:

The Pope in a white jacket

Bunnies Jumping on a trampoline

(Pro Tip: look for the bunny that literally disappears…)

While those bunnies are super cute and don’t really hurt anyone, I don’t think we should make an exception. It is getting easier and easier to generate misinformation using AI, and we need to make it harder to do that.

That starts with all of us. We all have to admit that when we use AI, we need to make it part of our culture to celebrate the combination of AI and Human output. Continuing to hide our use of AI makes things like deepfakes more and more acceptable.

The LinkedIn “cr” logo

You may have noticed that LinkedIn recently started adding a “cr” (Content Credentials) tag to images that contain metadata indicating that it was generated by AI. This is a good thing, and we shouldn’t penalize people for using AI to generate images—but we should make it easy to know that an image was AI-generated, and not real.

Copyright

A while back, I wrote about copyright law and AI. In it, we discovered that where AI is used as an assistive technology or a tool to enhance human work, but not replace human creativity, the work can be copyrighted. The copyright standards are a good example of what I’m talking about here—don’t use AI to generate something and claim that it’s your own work. Use it as a tool to create something unique by combining AI with your own creativity. And then, be upfront and give the AI credit for its role in your project!

Why do we hide it?

The short answer: Fear.

We are afraid we’ll get punished or judged for using AI at work or to plan a family trip. But no one will remember that you used AI. They will only remember the epic vacation you took them on.

We have impostor syndrome. What if I can’t actually do this job without AI? This one is hard, especially for me. We are at the very start of the capabilities of these models; they are only going to get better from here. So yeah, there might come a day when it can write code better than I can (in some cases, it already can).

More work, same pay… this has happened before. When we got computers instead of typewriters, or steam-powered trains instead of horses, we saw significant changes. We were suddenly able to get more work done. That means we'll probably do more things, but since each individual task is now easier, does that really mean it's more work? I think the difference now is that it is so widespread, it affects so many more people than any of the previous revolutions. (Editor's Note: Is it really more widespread, or does it feel that way because we are living it? What would the horse-to-train people say?)

I experience this too, but I’m determined to make this normal!

Admitting it is the first step

I, Christopher Moravec, use AI. I use it to edit this newsletter. To help me brainstorm when I’m stuck. As a sounding board when trying to think about a problem. To write code, including almost all of the code for dymaptic.ai. I use it to draft LinkedIn posts. I use it for many, many things.

Normalizing it is the second

As a leader, it is my job to normalize AI and its use. I write this newsletter, and I speak at conferences. Inside dymaptic, we have many different tools available, and I’m always ready to test a new one. I am constantly trying to empower employees with more tools and more technology to make us more efficient, deliver better value to our clients, and hopefully see fun and innovative ways in which we can use these tools.

What to do?

If you are a leader, encourage your staff to share their experiences and insights, and find out how they are really using it.

If you are not a leader, think about becoming one! By leading teams with open honesty about technology and processes, you can make real change. You don’t have to be “the boss” to be a leader.

Everyone should start to normalize this: when do we use the tools, and how do we use them? Talk about the tools, laugh when they do silly things, and share when they are super successful—learn when to use them, but keep an open mind to how they change and improve.

• Make disclosure the norm — praise results in addition to process.
• Using AI is a new Skill — knowing when to use it, when not to, or what tool is best.
• Automation is more achievable — automate boring tasks, track what works with AI, and identify what still requires human intervention. AI isn’t always the answer.

Don’t be a secret cyborg.

Newsologue

• A DIY Kibe Coding Keyboard! I want one. Voice input would really help me multitask when running several AI agents in parallel.
• Visa enables AI to spend my money based on my preferences… I am excited to try this, with practical safeguards!
• ServiceNow releases a VibeCoding tool, along with everyone else.

An AI comparison of the “AI revolution” to “other points in time”:

Epilogue

As with the previous posts, I wrote this post. This started with me writing, then having Holly edit, and then me editing, and then getting some AI feedback!

Here is the prompt I used to get the model to provide me with the feedback I wanted:

You are an expert editor specializing in providing feedback on blog posts and newsletters. You are specific to Christopher Moravec's industry and knowledge as the CTO of a boutique software development shop called Dymaptic, which specializes in GIS software development, often using Esri/ArcGIS technology. Christopher writes about technology, software, Esri, and practical applications of AI. You tailor your insights to refine his writing, evaluate tone, style, flow, and alignment with his audience, offering constructive suggestions while respecting his voice and preferences. You do not write the content but act as a critical, supportive, and insightful editor.

Always Identify what is working well and what is not.

For each section, call out what works and what doesn't.

Pay special attention to the overall flow of the document and if the main point is clear or needs to be worked on.

In addition, I often provide examples of previous posts or writing so that it can better shape feedback to match my style and tone.