Understand It First.

Everyone has had the pleasure of listening to someone who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Usually it involves the new trending topics in the world. Today in 2026, many can relate to hearing someone talk about AI without a clue of its functionality: "This AI is going to do [this bad thing], and that's why we should avoid using it." Just like today's clueless rants about AI, people in the 1990s used to bash the internet as a temporary craze that would completely ruin face-to-face society.

The danger of these ill-informed arguments is that they can look complete or compelling even though they were often formed with little thought behind them. And to a degree they are somewhat right - especially without the full context.

Sure - AI could replace all your thinking for you and you wouldn't have to think at all. Sure, if you're on your computer all day you could completely miss out on face-to-face interactions.

But what if you told this person they couldn't do one of their favorite childhood activities - because of [insert bad thing] - and that's why they should avoid it?

"Sorry, you can't ride your bike, it is way too dangerous, and you could fall off and get seriously injured."

To which they would almost definitely reply, "No, I'll ride carefully. I want to have fun and have amazing experiences with my friends.”

The bike rider understands that risk doesn't mean you avoid the thing - it means you do it carefully.

With the computer: it changed the world; we can't even imagine life without all its fantastic applications. With AI: it is actively changing the world; humans have never had the opportunity to be more effective.

Do both have downsides?

Absolutely - but so does the bike.

That just means we must be aware and intentional about how we use the tools we have, and that we should sincerely think about how each thing we do benefits our lives.

My examples were about someone else's inability to understand a topic, leading to their ill-informed decisions. The point, however, is bigger than them: understand a topic holistically before you act on it - and especially before you try to convince others of your opinion.