That phrase is more than a trope from science-fiction — in many respects, it’s a useful metaphor for how we should think about artificial intelligence today. Not because AI is an unstoppable force beyond human influence, but because trying to hold it back indefinitely is not just implausible — it’s perilous. A more constructive posture is to understand, adapt, and shape how it weaves into the fabric of our lives.
The Internet Analogy: Why Resistance Didn’t Last
Let’s begin with history. When the internet first appeared in earnest, many reacted with fear: “It will kill privacy,” “It will destroy journalism,” “It will erode social bonds.” Some tried to ban, block, or slow it. Yet over time, we didn’t “resist” the internet so much as learn to live with it, leverage it, and govern it.
Today, we don’t ask whether to use email, search engines, or e-commerce — we ask how best to use them. We’ve grown literacies, norms, regulations, and safeguards. We created privacy laws, encryption standards, digital rights frameworks. AI is on a similar trajectory — but faster.
Trying to “opt out” entirely (beyond simple personal refusal) is difficult, especially when AI is increasingly embedded in the systems around us. We may have less choice than we think.
The Reality of AI Today: Embedded, Ubiquitous
AI is no longer a futuristic fantasy. It’s already deeply woven into ordinary systems:
- Algorithms curate our social media feeds and decide what news we see. Pew Research Center+1
- Smart thermostats or learning HVAC systems adjust to our routines.
- Navigation apps reroute us in real time, optimizing based on traffic patterns.
- “Generative AI” tools (chatbots, writing assistants, image generators) are now used for everyday writing, brainstorming, marketing, and more. OpenAI+1
- In the public sector, 22% of surveyed professionals already use generative AI tools in their workflows. arXiv
- In workplaces, AI use is rising fast: the percentage of U.S. employees saying they use AI in their role “a few times a year or more” has nearly doubled in two years. Gallup.com
In short: even if you don’t “use AI,” AI may already use you (or at least influence your experience). Denying that influence doesn’t remove it.
Why Simply Resisting Can Backfire
1. You lose the tools others are adopting
If your peers, competitors, or collaborators adopt AI to be more efficient, creative, or data-driven — and you refuse to engage — you risk falling behind. Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, recently warned that those who don’t integrate AI “risk becoming irrelevant.” The Economic Times
2. Resistance breeds fear, not insight
Often, resistance is rooted in fear: “Will AI replace me?” “Will creativity die?” “Will bias worsen?” These are real questions. But refusing exposure means missing the chance to understand such risks in detail, to challenge or improve them. As one article put it, resistance to AI in education is not just futile — it can be counterproductive, especially for equity and innovation. lsst.ac
3. “Luddite” stances have historically lost
In the industrial revolution, textile workers who destroyed machines were suppressed — the technology advanced anyway. Today, arguments that technology “shouldn’t exist” rarely hold ground against large-scale incentives, investment, and momentum. Bloomberg once remarked that “resistance to technological change is generally pretty futile.” Bloomberg
4. You remain a passive subject rather than a co-designer
If you’re always on the outside, you give up agency. When AI systems decide policies, filter information, or influence job prospects, you want a seat at the table. Understanding AI means communities, regulators, and individuals can shape norms, guardrails, and values — not just be swept along.
What It Means to Understand and Apply AI (Practical Examples)
Understanding AI isn’t about being a PhD in machine learning. It’s about cultivating a working literacy, asking informed questions, and applying tools where appropriate. Below are examples — from the everyday to the ambitious.
Grocery shopping with smart carts
Wegmans is piloting AI-powered “smart carts” (called “Caper Carts”) with cameras, digital scales, and sensors. As you place items in the cart, it recognizes them, tracks your spending in real time, and lets you check out in-cart — eliminating checkout lines. New York Post
If you resist using such a cart, you’ll likely still shop in that store, and your experience is shaped by it anyway (layout, data collection, pricing). Better to understand its tradeoffs (privacy, convenience, accuracy) and demand transparency.
Utilities and infrastructure monitoring
In Andhra Pradesh (India), a power distribution company uses an AI tool to detect faulty power poles via a smartphone camera. Technicians capture images; AI flags issues, improving maintenance speed and reducing outages. The Times of India
Even if you don’t directly deal with power utilities, the electricity you rely on is subtly benefiting from AI’s efficiency gains.
Work tasks: automating drafts, summaries, ideation
Many professionals now lean on AI for drafting emails, summarizing documents, generating outlines, or brainstorming subject lines. Tools like ChatGPT are used daily beyond tech circles. OpenAI+1
A survey suggests 74% of full-time employees regularly use AI in their jobs — even though only 33% have formal training. Lifewire
If you refuse to explore these tools, you may lose time, creative leverage, or insight into how they might transform your work.
Education: AI literacy in schools
In New South Wales (Australia), students in Years 5–12 will gain access to a “generative AI app” (NSWEduChat) aligned to curriculum. It encourages guided thinking rather than just giving answers. News.com.au
Rather than banning AI writing tools, embedding them into curricula teaches discernment, ethics, and how to amplify human thinking with AI.
How to Resist in the Right Way: Critical Engagement, Not Denial
Resisting in a constructive manner means:
- Build fluency
Learn by doing. Try AI tools in low-stakes settings. Reflect on their strengths and limitations. Understand bias, hallucination, data privacy, and failure modes. - Demand explainability and auditability
When you use AI-powered systems (shopping, credit decisions, job screening), insist on transparency: Why a decision? What data? Who is accountable? - Shape norms and regulation
Engage in policy, advocacy, and community dialogue. Be part of framing rules around AI ethics, liability, fairness, & human oversight. - Use AI to reinforce human strengths
Let AI handle repetitive, tedious, or large-scale tasks (data sorting, summarizing, pattern detection), and let humans focus on values, judgment, meaning, relationships. - Preserve choice
Insist that alternatives remain. If vendors push AI-only interfaces, demand a non-AI fallback. If algorithms dominate, push for human review in high-stakes domains.
In Conclusion: The Better Battle Is One of Design, Not Avoidance
Yes, AI carries risks: displacement, opacity, bias, misuse. Some scientists warn of existential threats. Windows Central+2The Guardian+2 But the question isn’t whether AI will come — the question is how we engage with it.
Resisting broadly is unlikely to succeed. But understanding, testing, shaping, and applying AI — that’s our best path to staying human in an AI-inflected world. Just as we adapted to the internet, we must adapt to AI. The future won’t be one of defeat or surrender — it can be one of informed co-creation.