This was a great read from Slate. It is relevant to schools and how AI is foisted upon everyone.

Because A.I. models rely on data to evolve, making Gemini a default feature guarantees engagement. While this reasoning may seem valid, it ignores the ethics of consent.

Presuming consent by default undermines trust and sets a dangerous precedent for how tech companies interact with users…Opting out should never be a premium feature—it’s a basic right.

Read more at https://slate.com/technology/2025/01/google-gemini-ai-workspace-default-opt-in.html

I definitely have NOT enjoyed being saddled with anemic free AI tools in every app. From Google Workspace to Microsoft, including the operating systems, AI is everywhere.

While I enjoy using AI for a variety of tasks, and it has saved me time and effort, I can honestly say that none of the embedded gen AI tools in Google or Microsoft 365 have. Instead of starting us all with quality GenAI, they gave us the worst models…and we are supposed to be grateful.

My benefits with AI come from using paid versions of Perplexity, Canva, ChatGPT, and being grateful to free versions of amazing Napkin, beautiful Gamma, and other tools OUTSIDE of my email, workspace.

I will admit that my preference these days is to use GNU/Linux OS of some sort, tools like OnlyOffice, that don’t boast AI features. It’s the only way to get away from that incessant interloper, AI.

It feels like there is a spy looking over my shoulder all the time. While I understand why the Big Tech people went this route, they screwed up. Imagine if they had taken another approach.