Somewhere along the way,
things got weird

Artificial intelligence is fine; it’s artificial stupidity that truly terrifies me

By Mona Andrei

May 21, 2026

Like most people, I don’t think I could live without the internet. WIFI is my spirit animal, and Facebook is how I stay connected with family members that I haven’t seen in * gulp * decades. (Shoutout to my cousins out west.)

But…

Yes. There’s a big, fat but to that statement. There’s something surreal happening. Did I say surreal? I meant odd. I mean, let’s be real here. If you were to tell me that the first thing you do when you wake up ISN’T to reach for your phone charging on the bedside table, I’d go out on a limb and say you’re not paying attention. That’s how most of us start our mornings. It’s how the world turns today. And while just a few years ago, we’d be scrolling through pictures of our friends’ family vacations and recipes for inspiration, the earth has made a slight tilt into bizzarro world.

Today, we’re watching videos of digitally resurrected celebrities and AI raccoons giving TED Talks on how to edit cat videos. And the worst part? We don’t know what to believe as true anymore. I mean, those resurrected celebrities and raccoons giving TED Talks… they look REAL. It’s disorienting. It’s rage bait. It’s… staged authenticity!

What is this doing to us as humans? What is this doing to us psychologically? We’re turning into screen-transfixed weirdos watching reality dissolve, one AI video at a time.

And somehow this is normal now.

Honestly? This is the part that freaks me out a little. What happens to human connection when everything becomes performance… manipulation… even fabrication?

Part of me gets it.

Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe this is just evolution. Perhaps every generation has people “of a certain age” who think the world is getting creepy while everyone else just adapts accordingly.

Reality is exhausting. Wars. Bills. Aging. Politics. Climate anxiety.

Yes, we need a distraction from the stress of our daily lives and the ugly of what’s going on in some countries. In all honesty, though, I don’t think surreal distractions can fix anything. Resurrected celebrities and AI raccoons are not a solution. They’re more like a glass of wine at the end of a hectic day. It takes the edge off, but the uncertainty will still be there in the morning.

No, I do not have a solution. All I have are questions.

What happens when an AI-generated leader threatens to push the button?

What happens when lonely people can no longer distinguish between genuine connection and algorithmic attention?

What happens when children grow up trusting artificial faces more than human ones?

What happens when everything can be made-up except actual peace of mind?

Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe this is just evolution. Perhaps every generation has people “of a certain age” who think the world is getting creepy while everyone else just adapts accordingly.

But (yes, another but) as I sit here staring into the glow of yet another screen, I can’t help but wonder if somewhere along the way, we stopped using technology as a tool and quietly started allowing it to reshape what it even means to be human.

Maybe preserving our humanity starts with small acts of unperformed living. Conversations without phones… moments that aren’t recorded… friendships that exist beyond algorithms…

Meanwhile, if anyone needs me, I’ll be over here watching an AI-generated shiatzu explain cryptocurrency to me. Which is another thing I don’t understand.

Feature image: Cottonbro studio

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Mona Andrei is a Montreal-based writer and author of Superwoman: A Funny and Reflective Look at Single Motherhood. An award-winning humour blogger, she writes about resilience, leadership, and the unseen work that shapes strong women.