Why I Still Use AI (Even as a Leftist Who Knows Better)

I care about climate change.
I believe in equity.
I talk about intersectionality.
I criticize the tech industry regularly—and I mean regularly.
And yes, I still use generative AI.

Let’s talk about that tension.

Living in a Society Means Living with Tradeoffs

We don’t get to live in a vacuum.
We live in a society—a deeply imperfect one—and unless you’re planning to go fully off-grid and churn your own butter, chances are you’re making compromises every day.

• Driving to work burns fuel.

• Eating meat contributes to emissions.

• Ordering from Amazon feeds a machine we all complain about.

• Using the internet has an environmental cost.

• Even your fruit, wrapped in plastic, is part of the equation.

Everything has a cost.

And yet—we continue to exist. We continue to participate.

Why? Because we have to. And because opting out of everything isn’t a moral strategy—it’s a fantasy.

Choosing Your Tools (Before They’re Chosen Against You)

AI is not a hypothetical. It’s not on the horizon. It’s here.
It’s being used in hiring, productivity monitoring, policing, advertising, warfare—you name it.

So while some are yelling “this shouldn’t exist!” (valid), others are already building empires on it. And pretending it’s not happening doesn’t protect you from its effects.

If AI is going to shape the world, I’d rather know how to use it.

But I’m not using it to churn out SEO fluff or replace human connection. I use it strategically. Intentionally. With ethics in mind.

Because AI is just a tool. And the hands that wield it determine its impact.

Here’s how I’ve used generative AI in my work:

• I’ve written scripts to help people de-escalate hostile work situations.

• I’ve taught job seekers to identify biased language in job descriptions.

• I’ve reverse-engineered resume filters so folks from underrepresented backgrounds actually make it past the robots.

• I’ve helped people put real words to their boundaries—words that protect them from exploitation.

That’s not replacing humanity. That’s equipping it.

Ethical Use in an Unethical System

Let’s be real: should ChatGPT have been trained on massive swaths of internet data without consent? Probably not.

Should tech companies be allowed to move fast and break everything without regulation? Definitely not.

But here’s the kicker: ethics aren’t laws. And laws aren’t being enforced.

We’re in a world where some people are still playing by rules no one else is following.

If you think abstaining from AI is a protest, I hear you. But it’s also a privilege. Because for many, tools like this are the only way to level the playing field in systems built against them.

And when you’re up against institutions that use every unfair advantage available to them? Sometimes survival is resistance.

A Hammer Is a Hammer

A hammer can be a weapon. Or it can be the reason someone finally has shelter.

AI is no different.

We don’t have to romanticize it. We don’t have to love it. But pretending it’s going away is naïve.

And maybe it’s the Texas in me, but if this is the new frontier, I’m not showing up unarmed.

Because the future’s already here. And I plan on navigating it with both eyes open.