Necessity is the mother of invention, they say.

It’s how we went from the cave to the computer.

I just showed Sweet Husband how to use ChatGPT. He is now a believer in AI technologies, at least a chatbot. Instead of ripping off an email with a slightly irritated, unpolished tone, he has now crafted a much more amiable declaration. 

Before the revision, it had all the flare of road rage on Saturday night, a cuss word yelled out your rolled-down window on your F-150, while you shoot birds and burn rubber and really show them who they’ve messed with. 

Instead, he has told his dear readers to sit on it and spin, but nicely, with his pinky raised, boardroom-style.

I don’t know that AI technologies came about as a necessity, but they sure do save time and they help you save face. They might just save lives, if they’re not already. Some are being used to improve the diagnosis and treatments of diseases. 

Why couldn’t we have come up with AI to wash dishes, or fold clothes, or mop the floor?

I guess we do have robotic vacuum cleaners and mops, but it’s not to the Jetsons level yet.

I’ve seen too many stories of Roombas picking up dog or cat poop and then proceeding to paint a work of art across a fine Kashmir rug. 

Smart technology? If it can’t tell the difference between a doo doo ball and a dust bunny, then I don’t need it.

The best thing I’ve heard today came from a visit to a school. Kids aren’t supposed to have their cell phones in class, so teachers use calculator pouches for student phone storage. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Except the kids are using packs of gum and their cell phone cases to give the pouches the appearance of having the real thing. So slick. 

Kids love ChatGPT, but they do the same thing as putting a pack of gum in their phone pockets. It doesn’t fool a teacher for long. Expexialy wen they rite like this usaly and then like magik its purfec.

Kids don’t even think to remove the little symbol at the end of a copied and pasted chatbot masterpiece. If you’ve done it, you know what I’m talking about.

At least when I and others of my generation were in the throes of middle school, we copied word-for-word from an encyclopedia. There was no click-and-drag easy quick fix for us. We might have cheated, but we wrote our hands off in the process.

I wonder what technologies will come next. And how will we use them to get out of doing work the honest way.

But first: all you with lawnmowers, you’ve gotta give them up. Let’s go back to reel mowers because we want to do work the honest way.

All of us with cars, nope, sell them back to the dealerships. Go get a horse. 

Computers, no way. Bring back the door-to-door encyclopedia salesman.

No more grocery store trips. Get used to growing your own potatoes and milking your cow.

If you long for the good ol’ days, that’s a nice thought, but be careful what you wish for.

As for me, I’m keeping my car. It’s a hybrid and I love the humming sound it makes when I’m in reverse. It sounds like my very own hovercraft, just like the Jetsons would have.

Except there’s no high tech tool to keep the birds from fighting themselves in my side mirrors and then crapping all over my doors.

But Wal-Mart and Dollar General bags tied over those mirrors work perfectly. No more streaks.

It’s not AI technology, but I’d say it’s a stroke of genius.