July Wrap-Up: Books, K-Dramas, and Films
Near the end of this month, I had been thinking about the currently much-disputed topic of AI. Is it good? Is it bad? etc. It didn't start with the fact that I recently found out from Daniel Green's YouTube video titled "The New Book Burning" that AI companies like Anthropic (Claude) are destroying physical copies of rare books to train their algorithms through a Project called Panama; but it definitely brought it to a head.
Before and during this upsetting and unsettling discovery, I decided to look for opinions from multiple people, mostly online but some from my own circle. The topics of AI and ethics online mostly surround the concern of originality of work, authenticity, generation, as well as the concern of being a "real writer". Selfishly enough, this was a bit of a relief for me as someone who occasionally uses AI for spelling correction. As somebody struggling with TBI and dyslexia, using AI for grammar and spelling all of a sudden didn't seem like a big deal, maybe even something I could overlook. But even through this relief remained a certain uncomfortable feeling. I rarely ask for the same assistance in the past that I use in the present as I have improved as a writer, but still the majority of conversations I was studying weren’t focusing on the topic that I found the most concerning.
Beyond the "book burning" of Claude, there are several other factors that aren't necessarily related to AI as the tool itself that is at the center of the tension, although some concerns still are.
Human and wild ecosystems are being destroyed by
land development for data centers. Extreme water usage as well as
heavy noise pollution, which has been recorded to drive people into depression, put a resource and mental health crisis as a regular aspect in many people's lives. There are also the prevalent incidences of AI-induced psychosis and even AI influencing suicide. There is the real risk of giving perpetrators access to dangerous information to harm others, like in weapons or viruses. There is as well the much-discussed topic of AI replacing "replaceable" jobs without accountability, such as in the case with some hospitals replacing
nursing staff with AI. But most disturbing of all to me is the fact that we as humans are losing our ability to think by our heavy dependence on AI, therefore effecting the way in which we use it...
This unfortunately is only the tip of the iceberg, but the things I've listed are all connected to one important idea: regulation.
Whether it is governmental regulations or our own personal failures of using AI as a vice, there is little to be found, and failure seems to be permeating through this massive leap in infrastructure, a pattern not unknown to most major advancements in new technologies.
A relevant and popular example is the Industrial Revolution: growth was rampant, and laws weren't, accountability wasn't, and people died because of it. Factory workers died, who were, in most cases, child labourers or poor women. The weakest and the most vulnerable in society were sacrificed at the altar of "progression" that was a mere mask for the underlying greed of humans. Maybe this is the true problem: if the greed of the corporations that was pushing AI so heavily was held accountable, put under strict rules and regulations, maybe we wouldn't be demonizing AI so much with a natural top-down enforcement for the benefit of the publics health and safety. Maybe we could look at AI's positives at such a point: its leaps and bounds in research, tools for learning and for those with injuries or disabilities, and a potential for much more if we know the right and ethical ways to use it.
So what is the way forward now, when we don't have these regulations? In light of knowing how corrupt AI companies are, can we still use AI? I think yes but with some major caveats; only use it if you need it, parent yourself and be responsible for monitoring your own mental wellness; use it as a assistance tool not a tool meant to replace the process of thinking; research how you can be the change you want to see in advocating for more laws and regulations with AI; research the ways different functions of AI impact energy usage in data centers, i.e. spellchecking vs. generation etc. If you use AI, you have a responsibility to be in the conversation of how it is used as well as participating in advocating for better regulation for the benefit of all people. So participate, as we cannot let a tool we use to improve our quality of life be of detriment and a burden to someone else's.
We must consider our neighbors wellness as we consider our own and not let this tool or the effects of it be one of dehumanization. In no way are "book burnings," mental health and quality of life crises, and countless other affects of AI are acceptable.
AI might not be something that we can avoid in the future, but as technology continues to progress, we can change the way it progresses.
Anyways, this month I read and watched a lot of great books and watched a really good K-drama; I hope you will enjoy the ranking. Thank you again for taking the time to read my post. Your support means so much on this blogging journey of mine. I hope that in the future you can continue wrestling with difficult questions with me and as I continue to look for God's wisdom in difficult moments. If you have any input to this conversation about AI, I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below. 🖤🖤🖤
Monthly Wrap-Up
Table of Contents
Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher — 3.75 stars
Out in the wilderness, in a desert where there's nothing but a lonely villa and its gardens, lives a poised girl who is expected to die soon. Healer Anja —who isn't truly a healer per se, but rather a poisons specialist—is all that stands between the young girl and death, that and a cat, but the book will get to that later, of course.
Hemlock and Silver was a decent book, making it into my top 5 for retellings of Snow White that I've read. But I wouldn't say it's my favourite in terms of pacing and the complexity of the plot. It's a very good vacation read when you don't want to think too much and want to absorb creative world-building and unique relationships. Overall, I'd give this book 3.75 stars out of 5.
Read my full review of Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher
Beautiful Mind K-drama — 4 stars
Does a compassionate doctor comfort you? A doctor without emotions would argue otherwise. While others' judgments are clouded around him, Lee Young-O (Jang Hyuk) is able to work consciously without worry, panic or fear to save patients' lives—and when you're a brain surgeon, that matters. Despite this significant advantage in his field, Lee Young-O must keep his inner reality a secret, or else not only will he be fired, but he will probably lose his practicing license, being seen as an immoral, bad doctor when he's worked his whole life to prove he is otherwise.
Beautiful Mind is extremely compassionate for a melodrama, showing how it understands the human struggle between right and wrong, selflessness and selfishness. Overall, I really liked this K-drama for its themes and messages, and would recommend it to anyone wanting an interesting and unique melodrama to watch who has the patience and time for a slower start. I rate this K-drama a 4 out of 5 stars.
Read my full review of Beautiful Mind
The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio — 5 stars
Crispin lives with the memory and the shadow of his lost brother; was he kidnapped, did he run away? He's not sure, but Crispin just hopes he's all right, even if he almost did beat him half to death before he left... But when Crispin finds himself in a crisis with only a mysterious group of people to rely on, he realizes that his last hope as the lesser devil of the Marlow house is to be at the mercy of this strange and frightening group of people who worship an ancient God.
When I opened the book by Christopher Ruocchio, The Lesser Devil, I didn't think that I would be opening up a book that explored Catholics in space in the Sun Eater universe, I can't wait to read more about Christopher's world. This bookisn't necessary for reading the Empire of Silence series, but it adds extra insight that changes the way readers think about character perspectives, which I find invaluable.
Overall, this medium-sized novella of two hundred pages was excellent, and I find it adds a lot of context to the Sun Eater universe, as well as a very satisfying redemption for the character Crispin. This novella also includes the backstory of the Marlowe house at the back of the book, after the novella ends, to help readers understand the history of the Marlowe family. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars as my favourite book in the series thus far.
Read my full review of The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis — 5 stars
What is Hell? This book doesn't dwell on the question so much as it describes what traps lost souls there: the human condition. Instead of a lake of fire, a deserted city with a lonely bus stop is found— the last chance for lost souls to know Christ and make their way into the shadow land, where grass, rock, and water are painful, maybe fatal, and you're the one who is less real than they.
The Great Divorce was a refreshing and valuable read that I know I will reread again sometime in the future. I loved the many creative aspects that portray truth, as well as how much the reader has to think about what they are reading in order to understand what Lewis is trying to portray. C.S. Lewis treats his readers like they can understand, showing rather than telling. I rate this book 5 out of 5.
Read my full review of The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
That's all folks! If you’re planning to read or watch anything from my July wrap-up list, feel free to comment below! ❤❤❤
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