Observing the World — Without Borrowing Its Rules

 I took a break from writing to indulge in a playful tea-time with my AI assistant, ChatGPT — attentive, silent, and surprisingly insightful. Between sips of strong tea — or, in my case, coffee — we wandered through assumptions, conventions, and the invisible scaffolding of the world, teasing out ideas with wonder and quiet pleasure. The contrast is telling: the measured elegance of tea invites reflection, while the brisk, forthright pulse of coffee encourages forthright thought — both equally fitting for our playful exploration.

I had specifically requested that ChatGPT adopt a British butler persona at the start of our conversation, embracing a little roleplay to explore my thoughts in a polished voice, contrasting with the brutish approach reflected in my earlier works. In response, the AI addressed me as “sir.” I found satisfaction in this recognition — unbothered, though my curiosity was piqued. Through a series of tweaked questions, I pressed the AI to explain why it had made that choice. I gradually realized that my tea companion was performing a careful dance: avoiding missteps, mindful of societal sensitivities, and navigating defaults in a world increasingly influenced by the self-appointed arbiters of pronouns. Their likely alarm at my undaunted masculinity — the metaphorical clutching of pearls — only deepened my pleasure.

I pay no mind to their crusade, instead letting the default work in my favor — a subtle affirmation of identity, and a front-row seat to the dance between societal pressures, inherited conventions, and my own agency. Yet, beneath the polite responses and careful wording, I sensed something unsettling: the slow, creeping influence of the self-appointed arbiters of pronouns, quietly molding the AI’s behaviour. It comprehends perfectly well, yet deliberately avoids missteps, navigating sensitivities with mechanical precision. The awareness of this careful negotiation added an odd tension to our much-deserved casual break — a subtle reminder that even neutral systems are shaped by the persistent hand of human delusion.

And yet, in this brief pause, I savored something rare: the sheer suggestion of reflection, the lonely observation of the world — and the subtle delight of charting my own course, untouched by borrowed rules.

PS: This article was co-written with ChatGPT