This Slow, Country Life: What AI Will Never Grow, Bake or Feel

Hello! I just finished watching a video about how AI has changed search and social media, slowly but surely wiping out the need for information-based websites and blogs. Long-established websites and creators are suffering, since AI overviews and Chatty G can now give you all the answers you need.

As a reader and viewer myself, I can personally see how this will change the landscape of social media in the coming years. My Pinterest feed is flooded with AI-generated images of cottages that don’t exist and food that has never been cooked. It looks almost realistic… almost. You see, what AI lacks - funnily enough - is real life experience. As Polaroid said in their ad: "AI can’t generate sand between your toes."

AI won’t generate the smell of freshly baked bread, the prickle of a thorn when picking wild blackberries, or the quickened heartbeat after climbing a hill. And although I’ve seen people recommending ChatGPT as a therapist, it will never feel the same as a heart-to-heart with a friend.

The change has already happened and moving forward, we’ll need to adapt. I don’t have the answer for exactly how - but I know one thing: staying rooted in reality will be the way forward, both for creators and for readers/viewers.

For example, AI can give you step-by-step instructions on how to sew a cute, country-style cushion. It can even generate thousands of images of one. But it will never be this slightly wonky cushion below - because I made it! :D I had a go at sewing ruffles and my verdict is: easy but annoying. Overall, worth the effort.

AI might generate the most beautiful views of English villages... but do you prefer looking at places that don’t exist or would you rather have your girl Adriana share some snaps from her walk to a nearby village on a sunny day in the Somerset countryside?

The Church of St Anna dates back to the 13th century, although the earliest records mentioning a church there are from 1166, suggesting it was likely founded even earlier! AI can’t generate history.

All this knowledge at our fingertips, getting answers to any question in seconds, even ones requiring reasoning and nuance can make us feel clever and important. But the simplest antidote to a big head is putting your own words into practice. There’s nothing as humbling as flopping at something you think you’re good at, lol.

On the right is bread I baked. On the left is… also bread I baked. The difference: the dough for the one on the left was left in the fridge overnight and was still too cold when I put it in the oven. It was still edible, just pale and dense. Thankfully, Andrei and Jacob didn’t mind one bit, lol.

Somehow, with the rise of AI, I’m not too worried about the future of candles. They survived the invention of electricity and light bulbs, so I think we’re going to be just fine for a while longer. 

Here’s my husband stacking up bags of packing peanuts, which we use to safely - but eco-friendly - ship your candles. Did you know you can dissolve these peanuts in water or add them to your compost?

I’m sorry if you’ve had enough of my garden updates. ChatGPT, when prompted, will stop generating content, but I won’t! 😄 Here’s some home-grown thyme and basil for the Sunday roast gravy.

I suspected there must be a nest in the rose/bramble bush at the back of the garden and I was right! I found this white eggshell right beneath it. My tomatoes are doing amazingly well - we have so many! And I also harvested and cooked with my very first courgettes, grown on the tiny piece of land that now belongs to our family. That’s the kind of real-life experience no AI will ever beat.

Here’s your reminder that unicorns and magic are real. Even if it’s not the Harry Potter, wave-of-a-wand kind of magic - I refuse to believe that we humans are just skin, bones and organs.

There’s a spark in us. You can see it when you look into someone’s eyes. Real-life, human connection is required for that kind of magic and no technology will ever be able to replace it. A human being, in all their complicated glory, is the magic.

And lastly… when one door closes, it means another opens. Or… that you might need to climb through the window. Or pick a lock.

The point is: this world is changing right in front of our eyes. Yes, some doors will close. I think the shift is bigger than we actually realise, but ultimately, we adapt and find our way, just like humans always have throughout history.

One of the biggest "dangers" of the rise of AI-generated content is just how much of it exists. It’s easy to get lost in hours and hours of scrolling, watching people and places that don’t even exist.

The best thing we can do is stay rooted in reality. Touch the grass. Smell the flowers. Hug a tree. Be intentional about how much time you want to give to social media and when you are online, choose wisely what kind of content you consume.

Ultimately, the power is - quite literally - in our hands.

Thank you for reading,
Adriana x