12 Feb, 2026

There I was minding my own business, plodding through the working day, getting on with my tasks.

A colleague asked me to proof-read his report and offer feedback. I am the kind of guy that lets a lot of things slip. I appreciate we all write in different styles, grammar, and tone; we all mangle punctuation to suit.

If am asked to critique, I prefer constructive rather than, "hang on while I rewrite this in my own style" kind of approach. Today I simply suggested that the report open with a summary paragraph, introducing the topic — it had launched into a discussion, assuming the reader was already familiar with the topic.

I kindly offered a topping paragraph, consisting of a few sentences.

The response from him

and I quote:

Thanks for that. Totally agree. Your opening paragraph is amazing and sets the scene perfectly. Did you run it through AI?

Well, you can imagine my reaction upon reading this. I was incandescent with rage.

How 🤬 dare someone assume that I've used a machine to write this. I am more than capable of stringing a few sentences together. I am paid to do it. I am not paid to force words into a sausage machine and accept the resultant diatribe.

My retort

I put my flowery language to the side and offered a quick response, in a jocular fashion:

Hi Bob (fake name), have you ever met me? How long have we worked together? Surely you know my feelings towards AI?

Rest assured, those are all my own words. No super-computer, consuming megawatts of energy, was needed. Just my little brain.

Glad I could help with the report. It's a good read.

And breathe!

Is this it?

Is this what the world is becoming?. Everyone assuming that we are sitting at our screen eagerly anticipating what the Artificial monsters will say?

Can I get off the world please?!

#AI