How Should You Relate to AI: Aversion or Conscious Awareness?
How to work with fear skillfully and use AI without losing your inner abilities
We have an instinct that warns us from danger. Sometimes it protects us. Other times—like with AI—it produces chronic unease. The less helpful response is to wrap that unease in stories and pushback, reinforcing a negative sentiment without clarity. The more helpful response is curiosity: "What exactly am I afraid of? What real risks do I see? And can I enjoy the benefits in a healthy way while minimizing those risks?"
Algorithm Aversion vs. Human Favoritism
Research shows people often prefer human judgment to algorithmic input, even when the algorithm performs better—"algorithm aversion." This is partly driven by perceived loss of agency and the reputational signal that "following a machine" might send. Yet other work suggests that sometimes it's not "AI aversion" but "human favoritism," especially with generative AI—context and framing matter.
AI Awareness: Beyond Fear or Hype
Recent discussions of "AI awareness" explore how increasingly capable systems shift our understanding of what to automate—and what to keep human. Rather than debating philosophy alone, leaders can cultivate practical awareness: where to place human judgment, where to deploy AI, and how to preserve inner abilities while collaborating with tools.
Two Real Risks
- Mental-muscle atrophy: If AI "thinks, imagines, remembers, and decides" for us, we risk becoming passive consumers, weakening attention, intuition, and creative decision-making—the inner abilities that make us human.
- Acceleration of underlying intent: Tech amplifies what's inside us. If we act from fear and ego, AI can magnify chaos; from care and service, it can magnify harmony. The tool accelerates our intent.
A Conscious Way to Use AI (Without Losing Yourself)
- Protect the "heart" of your work. Identify the creative core and do it yourself—then let AI wrap it with polish or speed. Example: write the core message or song lyrics yourself; use AI later for layout, visuals, or light edits.
- Check your nervous system. If your workflow feels rushed, tight, or numb—pause. Align your state first. Use AI from presence, not panic.
- Retain practice. Don't outsource every skill. Use AI for scaffolding, but still practice navigation without "GPS" so your inner map-reading stays alive.
When You Feel Aversion
- Ask: What risk do I see that fans might be missing? Put it into words—bring it to light.
- Then ask: Is there a way—through awareness and boundaries—to avoid those risks and still benefit?
Bottom Line
AI is a force multiplier. If we stay conscious, it multiplies wisdom and care. If we go unconscious, it multiplies fear. Your inner state is the steering wheel.