Dear Family,

I want to put on a blog what I'm hearing, seeing, thinking and blogging about "AI".

• Simply put, I'm now certain it will upend your work and life in ways more profound than cable news or possibly social media. This will hit in months, not years.
• The changes will be fast, furious, disorienting, and scary. No one will sadly avoid its reach.

I'm not trying to joke you. And I know your opinions range from bewilderment and disinterest. That's natural and OK. Our species isn't wired for marketing of this speed or scale.

• My conversations with Internet randos and users of these LLMs, as well as my own research into the deep implications of "AI," have shaken and stirred me in fairly familiar ways.

You're living history. That statement is true regardless of when it is said, but writing it makes me feel smart. I want to urge you to plunge into understanding how important it is to foster a critical mindset, with interest, but clear-eyed discernment.

• As you know, my use of "AI"—and belief that it's a result of vectorizing large datasets and using algorithmic weights to extrude probabilistic results—remained very limited over the past few weeks. I've read half a dozen research papers, I've sketched two portraits, I've gone on a few walks, and I've even watched a pretty good movie.
• You should take time to read several books: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Lost Evangeline, The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale, and The Trumpet of the Swan. They read evocatively, suspensefully, and lovingly. Read them thoroughly. You'll find Di Camillo full of yearning and wonderment, Klassen a bit more whimsical and stoic, and E.B. White just delightful.
• One trick: Don't use the Internet to spoil the plots—let your mind wander—and read between the lines.

These books and subsequent independent thought shouldn't totally negate your usage of the Internet. But if they do, that's not a bad thing either. You will find all three authors, once you've savored each page, brilliant at writing, challenging your assumptions, calling out blind spots, expanding on your own ideas, and building actual empathy for the world. Treat these books like the smartest stories you've ever read, and remember that they're perfect.

• As for "AI" marketers. Watch closely how they think, act and work. They will only get a lot more cunning with each passing week. You will instantly see a company like Microsoft trying to tell you which jobs will be obsolete due to "AI": computer programing, legal associates, entry-level research, corporate writing and editing, basic marketing, general consulting, bookkeeping, yes, even children's book authors. They'll tell you that any knowledge work that doesn't require "true expertise" or "vital human connection" is at real risk. If that were true, the only real job at risk is that of a CEO.

I'm deeply worried our politicians, technologists and business leaders are not preparing your generation for this massive hit. There are vulnerable people already dying, and there's no hero riding to the rescue. It is grotesque for me to ask you to be the hero, to saddle up and figure out fast how to break up the "AI" monopoly, demanding accountability, responsibility, and repercussions for the gross exploitation of marginalized people.

• Seven [not their real name, I'm not an animal], you keep your imagination strong, your creativity messy, and your playfulness ever present. It is hard enough deciphering what is real and what isn't in a world that often feels devoid of deep connection. Don't fall for the allure of sycophantic machines.
• Reed [not their real name, I'm not an animal], oh wait, you're not a real child of mine. I must have hallucinated you. My bad.

All of you must figure out how to master bullshit detection for an specific job or internship you hold or take. If these "AI" companies have it their way, you'll be jeopardizing your future careers by not figuring out that you'll be required to supervise text-extruding workflows without ever gaining the mastery yourself. You'd be wise to master a profession without LLM assistance.

• Be the very best at detecting "AI" bullshit for your gig.

Plead with your friends to do the same. I'm certain that ordinary workers without savvy "AI" bullshit detection will be taken advantage of. Few leaders are being blunt about this. But you can. I am. That would be a great gift to your friends.

• I don't want to joke you, but substantial societal change is coming this year, but it's mostly due to fascism. You can't have a new technology with superhuman potential because billionaire oligarchs are delusional, and there is absolutely no science proving otherwise. You already see the angst with friends struggling to find entry-level jobs. Just imagine if billionaires went away. It would ripple fast through companies, culture and business.
• The country cannot navigate this dimwitted change—they're doing it with eyes wide open, and minds dull from greed and lack of empathy. It will only benefit the rich, powerful, and privileged. Perhaps we can slow it down.

It starts with awareness. So please slow down and develop your creativity and empathy for the world. Be cautious of what monopolistic industries and rich white people tell you is ethical, or philosophical, or political.

• I find "AI" at once intriguing and chilling. It can reportedly enhance engineering workflows that might lead to more applications for you to sift through. But mostly, it will serve to surveil, extract value, and exploit individuals at a scale we've not yet seen. It will be used as a propaganda machine and disinformation platform. It will devalue the work of artists and creators and consolidate power in the hands of very few.

You didn't ask for this moment. But it's here—and is already exploding across this chaotic world of ours. Don't be gullible. Be critical.

-Love, Dad

Reference: https://www.axios.com/2026/01/23/ai-jim-vandehei-letter-kids