Emer McLysaght Author and journalist

In Nobody Needs This, a new series for The Journal, Emer McLysaght focuses her eagle eye on the trends, products and notions we can do without. It’s not all giving out, however. She’ll also be keeping up with what’s catching her attention, keeping people interested and, quite frankly, driving her mad.

I SAW A TikTok comment this week that stopped me in my tracks.

‘Not using ChatGPT is a new form of veganism.’

I was having one of my regular fretting sessions about AI, which tend to swing wildly between a) concern over how dependent some of my friends and acquaintances seem to have become on using AI chatbots and generative AI plus the general doom warnings about how the human race is cooked and b) fretting about getting left behind if I continue to reject engaging with ChatGPT, Claude etc.

I can’t help but remember when the concept of the internet was first introduced to me in my teens and I decided immediately that it sounded too vast and scary for me to ever get on board with.

My Encarta CD-Rom held everything I could possibly ever need to know, thank you very much.

The very idea that all of the world’s information was out there in a nebulous cloud that I might never find the edge of was too overwhelming and I vowed that the internet would never be for me. Furthermore, I was convinced that so much knowledge and power would be the end of us all. And look at me now, truly one of the world wide web’s most committed citizens.

I couldn’t work out if the veganism comment was supposed to be complimentary or derogatory. Was it meant as a dig at performative moral superiority or as a salute to those who care about the environmental and ethical impacts of their behaviour?

My confusion was a pretty spot-on reflection of my complicated feelings around AI use and its positive and negative bearings on humanity going forward.

Nothing gives me the gawks quicker than someone firing up ChatGPT to ask it an inane question or to feed it a picture of their children for manipulation. I feel fairly solid in my assertion that overreliance on chatbots is something that nobody needs.

When I’m in a conversation with somebody I don’t need Claude or Gemini brought in as an unwelcome third wheel, decimating creativity and critical thinking right before my eyes.

Also, as a writer whose work has appeared in databases of content used to train AI without my consent, I am fundamentally against encouraging passive and flippant use of a technology that wants to reduce human labour and creativity into a scraped pile of slop. Does this make me an AI vegan?

AI veganism isn’t a new concept. It’s largely a buzz term used to categorise those who are anti-AI and committed to abstaining. Last year The Conversation published a piece about “AI vegans” and the reasons behind AI hesitance and avoidance, drawing comparisons to the driving forces behind choosing to go vegan – ethics, environment and personal wellness.

The vegans of Reddit are not thrilled with the comparison, pointing out that farming animals for food is more destructive than AI, and debating if you can be a traditional vegan but still use AI.

Ultimately, I’m wondering if there is a level of AI use that’s considered ‘okay’? Progress is generally considered as a positive for the human race, until it’s not. Until scientific discoveries are used to build weapons. Until medical breakthroughs are monetised beyond reach. Every industry, from healthcare to security to manufacturing has examples where the application of AI is viewed as a positive.

What about everyday use on personal devices though? We seem obsessed with streamlining everything, removing any friction in our lives and using technology to give us more time back to… what? Spend more time talking to ChatGPT? Going on the holidays that Gemini planned for us so we can take a picture for Instagram and move on to the next location?

The rapidity with which AI use has been embraced and incorporated into everyday life gives me the willies. And truly, whatever happened to simply having a think?

But what do I know? I’m just the girl who once thought the internet would ruin us all.

Things to watch

Little House on the Prairie (2026). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

• As a devoted Little House on the Prairie reader in my youth, I am excited about the new Netflix series streaming now and encouraged by the middling to positive reviews
• The third season of the excellent dystopian sci-fi series Silo is out now on Apple TV. Here’s a recap and explainer of seasons 1 and 2
• The Invite is in cinemas now, starring Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Ed Norton and Penelope Cruz. I saw it in the fancy new seats at the Rathmines Omniplex and it is an extremely good time.

Where are all my cross stitchers at?

This may be a slightly niche recommendation but as someone who enjoys the meditative practice of cross stitching I have to recommend this frame I purchased on Amazon (I know, I know, the data centres, the unbearable Jeff Bezos, I’m a hypocrite). It has really upped my cross-stitch game.

Let down of the week

I love a disruption in the ice cream space, and the HB Volcanix was a very promising addition. However, it left me cold (sorry). There’s simply too much going on, especially with the slug of salted caramel at the centre and the underwhelming ice cream quality. I can’t recommend.

Emer will be back next Friday morning with more recommendations.