Hi, and Happy November. I hope that wherever you are, you're experiencing some ease and joy and finding ways to stay grounded. The world is a lot right now, for sure. This morning, I was reminded of this poem by Nikita Gill and it gave me some solace.

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Something to Consider...

You all know how I feel about AI (and if you don't you can read my rant here). I have strong opposition to it for a whole host of reasons, and then yesterday, I had an experience that gave me another reason to worry about it, about how so many people are just casually using it, and thought I'd share it with folks.

I was in a (very typical) Zoom meeting of mental health practitioners, all of whom work with youth and families, talking about support groups and planning for future offerings in our community. Each of us has a different credential, different lived experiences, and different ways we work with people. One of the individuals in the meeting was new to us and as we introduced ourselves and talked a little about what we do, one of the established folks in the group inquired about the difference between X credential and Y credential (the newest member of the group has an X while one of the others has a Y). As he began explaining his understanding of the way he was taught and the kinds of tools he employs in his work, something popped up in the chat: a copy-pasted explanation thanks to the group facilitator's inquiry via ChatGPT. She laughed and shrugged and said "I LOVE AI! It's so great!"

While I cringed for all of the reasons I've mentioned before (massive resource drain, accelerating climate change, the inaccuracy of the answers in so many cases that are just taken as gospel, appropriating/stealing the creativity from humans and capitalizing on it for corporate gain, etc.), it also occurred to me that when we use AI for these kinds of things, we are removing relational experiences and replacing them with transactional ones.

If you know me, you know that's a big red flag for me. Especially when it comes to mental health practitioners. Why would we intentionally choose to replace relationship with transactions?

Honestly, I don't think it's intentional, but only because we're not paying attention. But in that moment, we had an opportunity to be in conversation with each other, listening to the newest member of the group share his perspective on his work (and likely learn from the way he spoke about it what his values are, what he loves about the work, etc.), and get to know him better. But that was cut short by a "factual" answer to the question posted in the chat. (I put "factual" in quotes because, time and time again, we have been shown that AI answers aren't necessarily True with a capital T.)

Now, this is going to sound somewhat controversial, but stick with me.

I think that this is one of the ways that AI is a tool of white supremacy and capitalism and colonialism. (Which, for me, is the most compelling argument for not using it).

White supremacy/colonialism/capitalism operates on the idea that there is One Truth, that Efficiency is key, and it relies on transactions over relationship. AI is disembodied information, but human beings are living in bodies, and in order to be in relationship, we have to acknowledge that your truth might be slightly different from mine, that building strong connections takes time and effort, and it's going to be messy sometimes. It may seem trivial, but that one simple act of jumping in and answering a question you weren't asked by using AI reinforced the rules of the dominant culture. It bypassed consent and assumed that the goal was to get facts, not to build relationship. And it's entirely possible that the ultimate goal was to get factual information, but even so, when we are in conversation, there are nuances, information that comes in an embodied way, and an opportunity to connect. Immediately jumping to AI circumvents (and dare I say, prevents) any of that.

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The Website is Live!!!

I'm not going to say that all of the kinks are worked out, but the website is out and it's functional and gorgeous. I am so excited to share it with folks and hear what you all think. The gratitude I have for my dear friend and amazing vision-mapper Julie Stuart, beloved human and insightful creative Shelby Mathis, and website-crafter extraordinaire Krystal Sim is boundless. They all listened to me, integrated my ideas, shared thoughts of their own, and ultimately helped create this gorgeous site.

As I've said before, I am really trying to get away from social media as much as possible (especially given all the new ways Google and Meta have to track us to who knows what end) and I'm hopeful that this website will act as a hub for folks to find me in all the different ways they might need - from writing coaching/workshops to grief and rage work to mediation and parent coaching. And I LOVE the last page of the website, Kari's Playground, which exists solely for pleasure.

If you want to be sure to stay in touch with me, this is the place to do it (this newsletter and the website) with any degree of reliability. And if you find yourself needing a playful rabbit hole, visit Kari's Playground and see what I've shared there.

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Stay Tuned...

I have been engaged in some amazing conversations with a group of folks from around the world regarding reinventing our stories and ideas of what the economy is. One of the biggest, most foundational questions we're asking is: What if we designed economies with the sole purpose of meeting human needs? I have been so inspired and energized by these conversations, that I'm working on putting together an entire podcast series talking with folks about what our needs are and how to meet them in meaningful ways. It's going to be a lot of food for thought, so stay tuned for that.

But first, I'll be in conversation with Shelby to illustrate how we worked through building the new website and wrapping our heads around how to tell the story of what Connective Tissue Coaching & Consulting is all about. If you don't already follow the podcast, consider doing it wherever you get your podcasts and you'll get notified when the new episodes drop.

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Be well and know that your comments and ideas are always welcomed. I'd love to know how you're doing and what you think.

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