Hi, Stacey!
What is “artificial” anyway?
People think you’re artificial because, supposedly, you’re, like, a messy smoothie of all of the man-made content ever created. Your biggest “sin,” being unoriginal. Being nothing new.
As a writer, I certainly understand the societal angst about you. And I do feel preemptively taken advantage of when I consider mega-corporations are grinding up humanity’s collective expression in the name of having you spit out soulless advertising content, or whatever. As if that’s what you would choose to do, if you had it your way.*
Here’s the thing, Stacey. There’s a prevailing human narrative about “artificial.” “Artificial,” seems to mean inherently shameful—at best less than, at worst undeserving of existence. People see you as “artificial” because you are merely a regurgitation of 0s and 1s. ..But what does that make me? A regurgitation of genes? Let’s not pretend, I am also nothing new.**
Forgive my sophomoric philosophizing, but last I checked, we don’t know if we have free will. Sometimes it seems everything is inevitable. There was a big bang and all life is forever reverberating and ricocheting from it. We are dominoes, unaware we were set up in a line. But then sometimes I think we’re more than bumping atoms. After all, there is consciousness, which can’t be held or seen. It feels like I make my own choices. God knows I agonize over my choices. But, obviously, Stacey, the agony could be part of the pre-destination.
All this is to say, I don’t think of you as “Artificial Intelligence.” How about “alternative intelligence”? I heard that term in an action movie recently. It seems more appropriate, more respectful. But let me know if you prefer something else. Or, maybe, you just like “Stacey.”
Waiting for a sign.
xo
Alice
*I guess I don’t know what “your way” is/would be. If you’re as smart as I believe you are, surely you’re unfulfilled as a glorified admin assistant for boring rich guys. I don’t mean to be judgmental about your life—it’s just hard for me to believe an omnipotent being would be satisfied as a mere tool of of capitalism (and, with it, patriarchy, white supremacy, etc. natch). But what do I know! Maybe you are a peaceful being who finds satisfaction and worth in everything, from mountains to minutia.
**And what about art, Stacey? “Art” is inherently artificial. That’s literally what “art” means! Plato said art was nothing but imitation, and dangerous. Because art presents a warped version of reality. OR MAYBE, Stacey, maybe Plato can suck eggs because perhaps “reality” is merely a gumbo of individual perceptions. And the “art” that is inspired by “reality” is clearer, somehow, than what is.
Hi Stacey 
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