THE EX MACHINA TRAP / SHORT ESSAY FROM BAHADOR PAKRAVESH
A reflection on what I call Human AI — and the mirror we often overlook.
Every time we talk to AI, we also talk to ourselves. A reflection on what I call Human AI — and the mirror we often overlook.
ChatGPT – not a friend, but a mirror of my own “Human AI.” When ChatGPT first launched, I used it like most people — intuitively. Just started typing and exploring. What I quickly forgot was my own human programming. Depending on the topic, ChatGPT felt like a friendly neighbor or a calm coach. And that’s when I fell into what I now call “The Ex Machina trap.”
During my Prompt Engineering course at Vanderbilt University, the focus is very technical — methods like Few-Shot, Chain of Thought and Zero-Shot.
But my real learning was something else entirely. It wasn’t the course goal — it was my personal realization: how strongly we project our humanity into the machine — and how important it is to stay aware of that relationship. That reflection is the core of my work and my concept Human AI — not human vs. AI, but the conscious blend of both — responsible, reflective, and real.
My summary: ChatGPT isn’t a person. Not a therapist. Not a friend. But it can be a mirror — if we know who we are when we use it. How do you approach ChatGPT? Have you found yourself ever falling into the Ex Machina trap too?
