Sunday Gathering: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Technology

AI has gotten remarkably good at sounding like it knows what it’s talking about. Sometimes it does. Other times, it is way off base, missing context, or making a very educated guess. That would be easier to shrug off if the technology weren’t also becoming more capable, useful, and difficult to dismiss.

This week in Empire of Screens, we’ll look at the uneasy space between hype and outright distrust. From AI-generated research slipping through peer review to systems that can ace difficult tests and still stumble over basic context, we’ll examine AI terms like “jagged intelligence,” hallucinations, and the widening verification gap.

The goal isn’t to panic, unplug, or start interrogating your toaster. It’s to develop a healthy relationship with technology: curious without being gullible, skeptical without becoming cynical, and willing to slow down and double-check sources. In a world of synthetic certainty, discernment becomes harder, and more necessary.

Music: Brandon Tinkler                        Meditation: Gordy Alderink