That’s what, at its best, technology provides to humankind. A 3D-printed heart is an extension of a doctor’s ability to perform surgery and save a life. The internet is an add-on of talking. And an AI voice might allow a writer like me to narrate more articles than he could ever record with a microphone.
Even future technologies considered to upend the earth are, ultimately, continuations of what humans have always done. Brain-machine interfaces make communication faster. Space exploration is just another kind of exploration. And even eternal life is, well, just more life.
When we mistake these expansions for replacements, we abuse instead of use them. ChatGPT can only help you express yourself better. It can’t do the expressing for you. When you use an image generator to create a picture specific to your article that no one has come up with, that’s an extension of your creativity. When you use it to make an image that’s a perfect copy of an Andy Warhol print, that’s just noise.
Technology is an amplifier, not a savior. Remember its place, and you’ll always feel confident in reinventing your own.