What AI Is (and What It Isn’t)
- Lisa Askins
- Dec 14, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 14
The basics without the buzzwords.
Welcome back.
Alrighty then. Let’s take these one by one:
“AI is taking jobs!”
Some, yes. All? No.
Big Tech sheds jobs because the AI race is expensive. Very expensive.
“AI is hallucinating!”
Well… sometimes.
Mostly in controlled testing or when people are actively trying to break it (a practice known as “jailbreaking”).
AI also has something called a temperature setting — which affects how creative or constrained its responses are.
More on that later.
“People are outsourcing their thinking to AI!”
If writing an email counts as thinking.
Most AI use today is task-based: drafting, summarizing, organizing.
Thinking is still very much a human job.
“People have no emotional boundaries with AI!”
What to say here?
Some of us have trouble with boundaries in general.
AI, at least in many cases, has been designed with ethics and guardrails in mind.
Some providers, unfortunately, choose to exploit vulnerability instead.
Are we really surprised?
“We’re in a race!”
No.
Big Tech is in a race — to dominate the AI task space.
The rest of us are asking a different question:
Are we looking for a better way to manage our calendars?
Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s talk about what AI actually is — and what it isn’t.
1. AI Doesn’t Think
AI is not conscious, curious, or able to make its own decisions. It recognizes patterns in language and predicts what comes next based on those patterns.
2. AI Is Trained on Data
AI learns by processing large amounts of text, such as books, articles, and other public writing, not from real-life experience. It doesn’t “know” things the way people do.
3. AI Is a Tool, Not an Authority
AI can assist, summarize, draft, and reflect. It helps you see patterns, organize thoughts, and explore ideas. AI supports thinking but it shouldn’t be treated as the final word.
4. Most Everyday AI Use Is Boring
People use AI for unglamorous tasks.
Emails.
Meeting notes.
Drafts.
Lists.
Schedules.
This is not the end of humanity. It is clerical relief.
5. How You Ask Matters More Than What You Ask
AI works best when you give it clear instructions and context. The clearer your question, the more helpful the answer.
A Final Word
AI doesn’t need to be feared, worshipped, or raced against.
It needs to be understood and used thoughtfully.
Next time, we will go deeper into how AI works under the hood and why that matters for how we use it.
Coffee optional.
Kindness required.
Let’s talk. If you’re navigating change and want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and connection, I’d love to support your next step.
