The Choice We Can't Avoid: Will AI Shape Us, or Will We Shape It?
A 20-year-old's perspective on why engagement beats resistance.
Here's the reality we're living in: artificial intelligence isn't asking for our permission anymore. It's here, it's accelerating, and short of hitting some fundamental scientific wall, it's not slowing down.
I know that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Young people worry about their job security evaporating before they even get started. Older generations struggle to grasp technology that operates by rules fundamentally different from the world they grew up in. The fear is real, and honestly, it's understandable.
But here's the thing: we're facing a choice that we can't avoid by closing our eyes.
The Ship Has Already Sailed
Every day we spend debating whether AI should exist, billionaires and tech giants are making decisions about how it will exist. While we argue about the dangers, they're building the infrastructure. While we protest its implications, they're setting the parameters.
This isn't meant to be defeatist. It's meant to be realistic. We're on a trajectory that feels largely out of our control because, in many ways, it is. But here's what's important to understand: this sense of inevitability isn't purely technological. It's also political and economic. Tech companies have a vested interest in making AI feel unstoppable because it reduces resistance to their plans.
AI might be more like the agricultural or industrial revolutions than the printing press or calculator. It could be transformative enough to restructure society itself. But unlike the industrial revolution, which unfolded over decades and was eventually shaped by labor organizing and government policy, AI could transform whole sectors in years. The speed and concentration of power make this moment uniquely urgent.
And yes, industrialization brought us pollution and factory labor conditions that were brutal. But it also brought us modern medicine, global communication, and lifted billions out of subsistence living. The question was never whether industrialization would happen. It was how we'd shape it once it did.
What Art Actually Is (And Isn't)
I'll be honest: watching AI generate art and music in seconds is unsettling. It forces us to confront uncomfortable questions about creativity, originality, and human value that we've never had to ask before.
But maybe that's not entirely bad. Maybe we need to step back and really examine what art fundamentally is. Is it the final product, or is it the human experience of creating? Is it about technical skill, or about connection and meaning? Is it the painting on the wall, or the way it makes you feel?
These questions don't have easy answers, and the changes ahead won't be comfortable. What seems normal to us today might look prehistoric to future generations. That's always been true of major technological shifts. It's just happening faster now.
Two Paths Forward
I see this moment as a fork in the road with two very different destinations:
Path One: We remain passive, letting a handful of tech executives and authoritarian governments decide how AI integrates into society. We get surveillance systems we didn't ask for, job displacement we weren't prepared for, and power concentrated in the hands of people who may not share our values.
Path Two: We actively participate in shaping AI's development and deployment. We demand transparency, push for ethical development, and ensure that AI reflects humanitarian values rather than just profit motives.
The choice isn't whether AI will transform our world. That's already happening. The choice is whether we'll be passive recipients of that transformation or active participants in it.
This doesn't mean every concern about AI is unfounded fear, or that "participation" looks the same for everyone. Some people reasonably want slower development, stronger regulations, or different research priorities. Some opposition comes from people who've studied this extensively and have legitimate concerns about power concentration or existential risk. These aren't fears to dismiss. They're exactly the kind of informed voices we need in the conversation about AI's future.
What I'm really opposing isn't resistance. It's passivity. Resistance as activism, like movements demanding AI moratoriums or strong labor protections, is itself a form of engagement. The problem is when we disengage entirely and let others make all the decisions.
The Opportunity Hidden in the Uncertainty
Fear and anxiety come from uncertainty, and AI certainly brews plenty of that. But uncertainty isn't inherently negative. It's also where opportunity lives.
I think we're looking at the biggest opportunity in human history. Not because AI is inherently good or bad, but because it's inherently powerful. And powerful tools can build dystopias or utopias, depending on who's holding them and how they choose to use them.
Individual engagement won't solve everything. Some problems might require systemic changes to how technology gets developed and who profits from it. But collective engagement is still our best shot at influencing those larger forces. And these dynamics look different in other parts of the world, where access, regulation, and vulnerability to disruption aren't the same as in the U.S.
We can't stop the ship, but we can still steer it. More importantly, we can question who built the ship and why they're telling us it can't be stopped.
Why I'm Choosing Engagement
At 20, I don't claim to be an expert on anything. As someone who's never lived through a major technological transition before, I might be underestimating how difficult it is to actually influence these forces. But that doesn't change the fundamental choice we're facing.
I write not to share objective facts, but to share a perspective. One that chooses pragmatic engagement over idealistic resistance.
I'd rather learn how AI works than complain about its existence. I'd rather understand its capabilities than fear them blindly. I'd rather be part of the conversation about its development than let that conversation happen without me.
I recognize that "just learn the technology" is easier said than done. Not everyone has the time, resources, or access to dive deep into AI. But engagement doesn't require becoming a programmer.
What does engagement actually look like? It depends on your position:
If you're a teacher, engagement might mean advocating for AI literacy in your curriculum while protecting students from harmful uses of the technology.
If you're a college student, it could mean joining campus discussions about AI ethics, choosing classes that help you understand these systems, or organizing around how AI affects your future job market.
If you're in business, engagement might look like pushing for transparent AI practices at your company, or supporting vendors who prioritize ethical AI development.
If you're a parent, it might mean staying informed about AI tools your kids encounter and advocating for responsible AI policies in schools.
The key is finding your leverage point and using it, rather than hoping someone else will handle this for you.
This doesn't mean accepting every AI application uncritically or ignoring legitimate concerns about job displacement, privacy, or power concentration. It means engaging with those concerns constructively rather than hoping the technology will just go away.
The Question That Matters
So here's what it comes down to: Would you rather have AI shape the world around you and the life you live, or would you rather help shape it?
But here's the thing. You don't have to start big. You can start today by doing one simple thing: choose one AI tool you encounter regularly and spend 10 minutes learning who made it, how it works, and what data it uses. That's it. That's engagement.
Because one way or another, AI is going to be part of your world. But whether you have a say in what that looks like? That's still up to you.
Don't let tech companies convince you that your voice doesn't matter. It does. And they're counting on you not using it.
What's your take? Are you choosing engagement or resistance? I'd love to hear your perspective in the comments.