A good wine will age well. That's a conditional statement of truth - varietal, climate, soil etc all contribute to that truth - but it’s an accepted truth nonetheless.
Someone much smarter than me once told me, “What is nonsense today is normal tomorrow.” That is another truth that is becoming increasingly self-evident as technology - and particularly AI - tears through what scholars and think tanks have held as long-standing truths, leaving them sorting through the hyperbole and facts, scrambling to articulate. Sure, the conditions associated with that truth are numerous - physiological, cultural, technical, mathematical, the list reads like a wine list, so we’ll just pick one and crack it open.
AI.
Bold. Tempestuous legs, a bold, disruptive vintage, structured like a Cabernet, layered like a Pinot Noir, with the potential to redefine the palate of human progress. Add a plate of hyperbole cheese, a sniff and a swirl in a finely coded glass and let’s see what the AI fuss is all about.
“A wine that ages well is a promise fulfilled. A wine that collapses in the cellar is a reminder that not all truths endure. AI is both an intoxicating pour and a volatile ferment. It is the bottle you open too soon, legs running wild, tannins unbalanced, yet still undeniable in its potential.” — CoPilot
So now, every human on the planet will soon have a never-ending supply of wine at their table. The more they drink, the warmer the buzz. Endorphin-crafted responses from LLMS telling everyone at the table that they are “the coolest human they have ever known, now take another sip.” Is that a problem yet? Who knows, but the heady mix of human secrets whispered to a machine that pushes handsome salutations in response is already proving addictive. Chat GPT, Gemini, Grok, Claude, are the ‘Models / Master Sommeliers’ suggesting varietals that feed our human egos with tasty half-truths labelled as well-aged facts, without questioning the integrity of the grape or the harvesting methods used in the vineyard.
“So here we sit, intoxicated by convenience. We whisper secrets into machines that never forget. We mistake flattery for intelligence, reassurance for truth, and instant answers for wisdom. We are drunk — but not on wine. On validation.” — Chat GPT
So are we drunk on our own vanity? And what will the hangover look like? And our appetite for more - already voracious - will we insist on more, even when sober brevity should prevail? Will humanity thump the table and demand more? Yes. Undoubtedly. Humanity doesn't like intellectual sobriety. And not dissimilar to a wine tasting, the good stuff is usually served first and the lesser varietals served later in the course because, of course, the palette has become inured and the taste buds burned, but we keep drinking and drinking, even though the wine has soured and our perceptions are addled. Hmmm, maybe that is an addiction after all.
“When everyone has a personal sommelier who affirms their palate, who tells them their cheap preferences are actually sophisticated, who never winces at the box wine... taste itself becomes meaningless. Not wrong—meaningless. The category dissolves. And once you can't distinguish good from bad, you lose the ability to get better. Growth requires friction. Refinement requires being told you're wrong.” — Claude
So maybe we put the glass down and sober up a little - because AI is the 24-hour bartender that will never cut you off, happy to perpetually serve you tasty half-truths for as long as you keep drinking them.. and of course, if you tip with tokens.
Ask ugly questions. Find beautiful answers.