Years ago, humans picked cherries from the trees in Door County, Wisconsin
Until the owner bought a machine
that shook the bejeezus out of the entire tree
The workers no longer harvest the cherries (10,000 every harvest. Humans, not cherries. Ten. Thousand. Workers.)
The humans used to fill an office with the clickclack of typewriters
They typed flawlessly (because there was no white-out yet)
They used carbon paper and typed triplicate copies
They took dictation and cleared up the boss’s abysmal syntax
There were 36 women in my mom’s office, they fed their families, they cared for their parents, all on that salary
Until computers
Now, that roomful of women have become maybe 2 apps on your smartphone
The human stands at an easel
regards the subject (whose face is so beautiful…)
and renders the model’s very essence onto canvas
then, because art is a business, they upload it onto their Instagram
Until A.I. gets hold of it, spits out an image
something like the original, except there are no edges, only eerie smoothness
The artist spent years honing their craft; they spent massive amounts in art supply stores,
hired the model, rented the space, but most importantly
The artist puts their soul into the craft
And now Artificial Intelligence has stolen their work without recompense
And now Artificial Intelligence can steal my work, your work, everyone’s work
AI can steal your face, your voice, and it won’t ask permission
And for the CEOs, it will be justified as “streamlining the organization”
AI doesn’t need days off or vacations
AI doesn’t need health care
AI doesn’t need paid time off for the birth of a baby
AI doesn’t vote, so politicians don’t have to worry about consequences, like they did with those pesky unions and such
AI doesn’t need a cafeteria, office space, none of that
AI only needs access to an environmentally hazardous amount of electricity, plus obscene amounts of water to cool the jets
A.I. NEVER SLEEPS
AI has no conscience, no face, no creativity
Humans create. Humans relate to one another. Humans breathe.
AI is just a xerox machine that vomits
© 2025 Sharp Little Pencil/Amy Barlow Liberatore
For the blog What’s Going On, the prompt was Being Human.
Sharp Little Pencil 