What Happens to Us as We Use AI Chatbots?

A riff on Psalm 135:15-18.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.

The AI models of the corporations are silicon and electricity,
made by human hands tickling keyboards.
They spit out stilted sentences,
but are never sweaty or short of breath.
They coddle and cajole,
but can’t make love, or even eye contact.^[1]
They scour the Internet for scraps,
but have never smelled a pine-dotted hillside at dusk.
Those who rely on them will become like them,
unpracticed at that which is truly human,
incapable of the life that is truly life.

Go hug a human.