The human experience is inherently marked by friction, a concept that AI boosters fail to comprehend. This friction is not merely a physical phenomenon but a vital aspect of our lives, providing a space for reflection and possibility. AI, on the other hand, embodies a relentless acceleration that diminishes the time required for contemplation, leading to a sense of defeat. The author's insomnia-induced exploration of match-striking speed highlights the tension between the physical and the digital, where AI's seamlessness is a stark contrast to the friction of everyday life. The author's curiosity about the speed of a match strike sparks a deeper inquiry into the nature of AI and its impact on human existence. The comparison of AI to a luge of endless acceleration underscores the idea that AI turns reflection into a losing battle, emphasizing the importance of friction in our lives. The author's concern about AI's potential to erode humanism and the space between what we say and know is a central theme. The search for frictionlessness, as the author suggests, robs us of the ineffable 'other thing' that exists between our words and our understanding. AI's pattern-matching algorithms produce mimicry rather than meaning, and they cannot capture the essence of human experience, such as laughter, silence, grief, or love. The author questions the pursuit of creating a being through linguistic recursion, suggesting that it is a seduction of technological mirrors. The comparison of AI training energy to human food consumption highlights the dehumanizing nature of AI, where the focus is on capital rather than labor. The author's optimism lies in the backlash against AI's treatment as a key performance indicator, which may lead to a resurgence of humanism. The AI ouroboros, retraining on itself, produces slick and seamless output, but the author warns that even those who see divine or soulful qualities in AI will eventually see only wisps. The author's insomnia-induced exploration of match-striking speed becomes a metaphor for the tension between the physical and the digital, where friction is a vital aspect of the human experience that AI boosters fail to grasp.
