Last week, before I got sick, I got a quote to sell a bunch of my old camera gear. The online quote was fair, the process seemed straightforward, and I planned to ship everything out on Friday.
And then I got sick.
The camera gear sat untouched while I spent the weekend feeling like I'd been hit by a bus. Or a truck. Or possibly both.
Meanwhile, I was being bombarded with emails from the company's AI bot.
I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but after nearly twenty years working in corporate jobs where receiving hundreds of emails a day was considered “normal,” I don't have the healthiest relationship with email.
My inbox and my emotional state have always had a suspiciously close relationship. The PTSD is real. The scars are real. The struggle to give a single fuck is sometimes very real.
As a result, if anyone, human or artificial, sends me more than a couple of emails a day, I get a little twitchy. And sometimes a little bitchy.
The modern world is overwhelming enough already. Every app wants your attention. Every company wants engagement. Every platform wants notifications turned on. Every business wants to “circle back.” I miss the AOL “You Have Mail” days where only your dearest and nearest even knew my email address.
That's probably why I've developed such a deep appreciation for simple, thorough communication. Tell me what I need to know. Tell me once. Then leave me alone.
Call me “sensitive,” my fuck budget can’t handle all this noise.
So over the course of three days, this camera reseller's automated system sent me more than a dozen emails. Some reminded me to ship my gear despite the fact that I had already told them I was sick and wouldn't be sending it until at least today. Others warned that my quote might expire. Some offered helpful tips. And a few appeared to exist solely because another email had already been sent.
They were follow-ups to follow-ups to follow-ups. If AI was so fucking smart it would know I’m not the one to be spamming. Every automated message pissed me off just a little bit more until I finally decided I was done.
Long story short: I won't be doing business with these assholes anymore.
There are plenty of companies that buy used camera gear. Surely one of them has figured out that sending fewer emails is sometimes the best strategy.
Which brings me to AI as society’s latest cure-all-that-ails-Wall-Street.
Businesses love talking about the cost savings of AI. Usually that means fewer employees, faster responses, more automation, and greater efficiency.
Some of those benefits are real. But I hope companies are also measuring the costs.
Not the software subscriptions. Not the server bills. The human costs.
The customers who quietly disappear. The prospects who unsubscribe.
Just this past week, I read a story about a company that reportedly discovered the financial downside of unlimited AI usage when an unexpectedly large bill arrived:
Uncapped Claude AI Use Leaves Firm With $500M Bill (MSN)
Oops. It's a reminder that AI isn't magic. It’s a tool. And tools cost money.
The irony is that many businesses are adopting AI in the name of improving customer experience. But customer experience isn't simply about speed. It isn't about volume. It isn't about maximizing touchpoints. It isn’t about jargon or trends.
It's about building trust.
And judging from my overflowing inbox, AI ain't exactly nailing that part.
I realize this makes me sound like some old guy yelling at windmills. Don Quixote is a classic for a reason. Every generation gets its turn. For the record, AI (and my neighborhood’s peacocks) can get off my lawn too!
But I can't shake the feeling that we're racing toward a future where every company communicates through AI, every customer service interaction starts with a chatbot, every marketing email is written by an algorithm, and every response is optimized for engagement rather than usefulness.
And frankly, I'm already exhausted by it.
Maybe AI will eventually settle into a sensible role. Maybe businesses will figure out where it genuinely adds value and where it simply creates noise.
I hope so.
Because right now, every time I read another brainless “think piece” about how AI is going to revolutionize everything, my first thought isn't excitement.
It's wondering how many emails I'm going to have to delete.
Keep calm and stay human!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. I’m well aware that Substack, my main platform, uses a ton of AI for its support forums and such. If you’ve gotten stuck in that holy hell, I’m sorry. I wish I was able to provide more support personally. But not only don’t I understand all of the features, I don’t have enough hours in the day to be a full-time customer support person. So I have to rely on what’s available. If you have problems, I will do my best to find a FAQ that addresses your issue.
P.P.S. Despite my cranky post above, I’m feeling a lot better today and hope to finish the montage I started last week. Today or tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!
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BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
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I get what you’re saying…although, I’m not quite there as far as disliking AI. In fact, I’m beginning to embrace it more and more. Now that the “great and powerful Oz (Apple)” is on board, so am I. (Eh…so I’m an Apple fanboy from way back.)