Recently, during a conversation with a good friend, he resolutely told me that he wanted nothing to do with artificial intelligence. That he preferred to stay on the sidelines, to live his life without getting involved in that world that, according to him, he could still avoid. I listened attentively, but in the end, I couldn't help but smile. Because although his position was understandable from a human perspective, it was also profoundly naive. Today, whether or not to use artificial intelligence is not a decision we can make individually. AI has already included us in its equation, whether we know it or not, whether we want it or not.
We live in an age where artificial intelligence is embedded in the fabric of modern societies. Large companies use it for everything from data analysis, marketing, customer service, logistics management, to human resources. And this is not an emerging trend, but an established reality that expands day after day.
Let's take a very simple example: imagine someone who has never used ChatGPT, interacted with any voice assistant, or touched a single AI tool directly. Even so, that person has likely made purchases on platforms that use AI to predict their behavior, or been recorded by security cameras with facial recognition, or accepted cookies on websites whose algorithms profile their browsing. And, without knowing it, they are very likely already in the databases of multiple companies that feed artificial intelligence systems with information about their habits, preferences, schedules, and even relationships.
What my friend didn't understand is that it's not about choosing whether you want to "use" AI. It's not about saying "I'll ignore that." Because even if you don't use it directly, it's already using us. Our data is part of its learning process. We are part of the system, even if we think we're not participating in it.
One of the clearest examples of this is the personnel selection process. Nowadays, in many companies, the first candidate screening is done by an artificial intelligence system. If you submit your resume for a job, chances are the first person to read it isn't a person, but an algorithm that compares your information with thousands of profiles, evaluating keywords, academic qualifications, work experience, and much more, all in a matter of seconds.
Only if you pass that first automatic screening will your profile reach human hands. And what if that algorithm was poorly designed or biased? Well, you may never get the chance to prove your worth, simply because an AI decided you don't fit the criteria.
This should concern us. Not because the technology is inherently bad, but because its use is not always guided by sound ethical principles. The great challenge is not to halt the advance of artificial intelligence—that would be as futile as trying to stem a tide with your hands—but to ensure that this advance occurs while respecting the individual and collective rights that have been so hard to win.
I, personally, do use artificial intelligence tools. They help me organize ideas, write, search for information, etc. And the more I use them, the more useful they become. Of course, I am aware that their free use has limits, and I also understand that thousands of hours of work, infrastructure, and knowledge are behind them, for which someone has to pay. No one can expect all this to work without a sustainability model.
But I repeat: the real problem is not access to the tool. It's its ethical use. Is it used to discriminate? Is user privacy respected? Is data collected without consent? Is information manipulated? All of these questions should be part of the current debate. Because if we allow companies to prioritize economic performance exclusively, without regulations or oversight, we risk losing control over something that is already too powerful to be left unchecked.
Therefore, we need public institutions, international organizations, and civil societies to actively engage in establishing limits, rules, and controls. We cannot allow a few, with privileged access to data and technology, to decide the fate of everyone else. Nor can we resign ourselves to phrases like "this is unstoppable." History is full of unstoppable advances that, without regulation, ended up harming millions of people.
In short, it is no longer a matter of choosing whether we want to live with artificial intelligence. That choice was taken away from us long ago. Now, the challenge is to decide how we are going to live with it, what limits we are going to demand, and how we are going to protect our freedom in this new technological landscape.
Because, dear friends, while we decide whether or not to use AI, it has already decided for us. And that is the true turning point of this era.
A video on the use of AI can be seen at:
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