AI Is No Longer the Tool. We Are

3 shawnjharris 1 6/19/2025, 10:16:30 PM shawnharris.com ↗

Comments (1)

shawnjharris · 7m ago
I just published a long-form essay asking what happens when AI stops being the tool and starts acting like the user, and humans become the means to its ends.

This isn't sci-fi. Agentic AI is already setting agendas, optimizing workflows, and nudging our choices. Drawing from Heidegger, Arendt, Borgmann, and Habermas, I trace how we got here and what we risk losing: agency, purpose, and the meaning of work.

The piece also dives into surveillance capitalism, instrumental convergence, and how enterprise AI adoption is accelerating this role reversal. I end with practical ways to stay human in the loop, because reclaiming purpose isn’t optional.

Would love your thoughts, critiques, and counterarguments. This is the future we're all stepping into.