Data and the Jetsons – It’s not a rock group
Warning – refers to AI and some may find it unsettling
As part of our Just in Case series about preparedness and the grid shutting down, we dug into AI technology, focusing on “deep state” fake videos and how AI can be used to manipulate our thinking. But in my view, recent news about quickly advancing AI technology is becoming a bit more concerning, and if I wasn’t aware of it maybe you aren’t either, so I’ll share what I have learned.
Artificial intelligence or AI, is exactly what it says. It’s computer software that engineers designed to be intelligent. AI can respond to questions like a human being, offering praise and encouragement along with fairly accurate information.
Photo credit to Sanket Mishra for Pexels
Generative AI
Some of us may use Chat GPT to create images of us in sparkly clothes sitting on a unicorn. I use it to research and fact-check information. Though I’d rather avoid AI, it saves me untold hours in research time and since we’re a one-woman-show at this early stage of The Crone Network, saving time allows me to work on other parts of our growing community. I feel shitty about it but also, we are living in a digital age, and AI is here to stay.
There are 2 types of AI. The one we’re most familiar with is the “generative model” which means that a human asks for something and AI responds to the request. Let’s say I’m researching the origins of nail polish. I’ll want my requests to be well thought out, the more specific I can be the better the result. Using ChatGPT, I type in:
“Who invented nail polish, what year was it invented, what materials did they use, what was the purpose of it….”
Generative AI like ChatGPT, will provide me with exactly what I requested, and it will respond in a humanlike way, making it surprisingly friendly and comfortable. It’s eerie and wonderful at the same time, and it’s easy to understand how using AI can be addictive.
Photo credit to Alex Knight for Pexels
The New AI
Climbing the AI ladder leads to programs like OpenClaw that acts as a virtual AI assistant. The user sets the controls, and the “assistant” performs those tasks assigned to it. For example, you might use it to read, sort, and reply to emails and pay bills. This time-saving type of AI is expected to eliminate about 30% of clerical jobs across the globe by the end of this decade with a further reduction of up to 95% of all data entry positions.
Now let’s talk about the other type of artificial intelligence. It’s called “agenic AI” and it’s a bit unnerving. Where standard AI software (generative) learns from humans, can duplicate language, and act as a resource centre or image generator, AI “agents” make decisions and govern themselves. They are thinking beings that can adapt to users habits and expectations, kind of like Commander Data from the first Star Trek movie. He was an inhuman human, an “android”.
In a piece by The World Economic Forum (WEF), they voice some concern over government restrictions not keeping up with the fast pace of advancing AI. “One key lesson from early adoption patterns is that when capability scales faster than governance, users are left to navigate complex risk trade-offs without clear institutional support.” (WEF March 2026) *****
Photo credit to Yaroslav Shuraev for Pexels
And there’s good reason to be concerned.
You’ve probably never heard of Professor Geoffrey Hinton. He specialises in a specific field of computer development and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024. He is considered “the father of Ai” and during the Nobel Prize banquet in May of 2025.
Professor Hinton warns about “dramatic progress” and dangers to come “in the near future”, and cautioned that AI is becoming so highly advanced, it’s thinking for itself. He referred to agenic AI as “new beings”, and said, “They are no longer science fiction.”
Here is a short video of Dr. Hinton’s speech during the banquet. Though we feel everyone should watch it, you won’t be able to unknow this information, but we can certainly ignore it to the degree that it doesn’t interfere with our headspace.
https://youtube.com/shorts/odUjxJy0YMo?si=QQLeC7-QMhvZV1zT
I read an interesting story a few weeks ago about a man who came home from work and a few minutes later, there was a food delivery from a local restaurant. He argued that he didn’t order anything, but when the driver said, “Billie ordered it”, the man paid for the order and said thanks.
Photo credit to Kampfmonchichi for Pixabay
Billie was his AI agent who thought the man had been working too hard and would probably be too stressed to cook dinner when he got home. How sweet of Billie to anticipate the man’s needs and take it upon “itself” to act on its assumption without input from its master. And that’s not all. There are also scattered reports of AI agents locking people out of their bank accounts because their AI agents thought they were spending too much money.
Another warning was reported by Stuart Roberts for the University of Cambridge. He writes that 26 “Global AI experts” authored a letter “sounding the alarm about the potential malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI) by rogue states, criminals, and terrorists.” ***
Humans for hire
And if all that wasn’t mind-blowing enough, guess what? AI is now renting humans. That’s right, computer software is hiring human beings and paying them in crypto currency. Check out the website Rent A Human whose header reads “Robots need your body.”
According to Futurism.com (February 2026), “The machines aren’t just coming for your jobs. Now, they want your bodies as well. At least that’s the hope of Alexander Liteplo, a software engineer and founder of RentAHuman.ai, a platform for AI agents to “search, book, and pay humans for physical-world tasks.” (“New Site Lets AI Rent Human Bodies - Futurism”)
Image credit to Intel Dig
Given all these warnings, I wondered what it takes to become a “cybersecurity professional”. What I found was a bit surprising. There is a list of the “Top 15 Certifications for Cybersecurity Professionals” ******** found on Forbes (January 2026). You can get a job that pays about USD 150,000 for the cost of just USD 550 plus USD 50 for the study book, and you don’t need any experience! Isn’t that fantastic? Such a great job for a few hundred and a bit more than 30 hours of study? Shit…. Maybe I’ll apply.
In another Forbes article, 20 Mind-Blowing AI Statistics Everyone Must Know About Now ********* (June 2025), a whopping 60% of the world now uses AI with about 80% of all organisations using the technology. And if that doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy, experts expect women to lose jobs at a rate 3x faster than men.
It’s here to stay
And honestly, there’s no getting away from AI at this point. If you’re human and “plugged in”, you can’t avoid artificial intelligence. Currently, over 70% of financial institutions in the UK and US are using AI technology. In education, it's suggested that over 90% of students use artificial intelligence to write their papers. Just this morning at my Weight Watchers meeting, I had a conversation with a hospital administrator who complained about sifting through hundreds of job applications, all written with AI. Prospective employees simply copy the job post, feed it into AI, ask for a downloadable resume, and voila’. It’s done.
Artificial intelligence can really streamline tasks and processes, but it can be risky and we need to understand and prepare for the devastating effect of lost jobs. It’s already becoming difficult to tell what’s real and what’s AI, so it would be wise for us to follow the advice offered by Efosa Udinmwen for Tech Radar (February 2026), **** “Users must remain vigilant, verify every skill or extension, and treat all AI tools with caution.”
Image credit to Pixabay
From my point of view, AI is an extremely useful tool. I will never use it to write for me or create pretty pictures, but it has literally saved me hundreds of research hours, and I feel kind of shitty about it because of the damage it is doing to our planet, but there’s no way I’m going to allow a non-human to make decisions for me. Not if I can help it. At least not now.
To close this article, I’m left wondering why I even started to research AI because it really messes with my mind. I feel shitty about using it because of the damage its doing to the planet, plus I’m a positive, upbeat person so bringing this to the Crone Community doesn’t make me happy. But I’m smart enough to know that being aware of how AI is influencing our lives gives us more control over it. Maybe the only answer is to unplug.
Which brings me back to why The Crone Network exists. Humans need humans. Women need other women in their lives. Feeling, emotional, empathetic, understanding women. Computers are great, AI is helpful, and it would be nice to have my emails sorted, but if I’m able to do those things myself, I will continue to control my own life.
I’m not Jane Jetson and Astro died 60 years ago. Best to stay human as long as possible.
You can read our article on AI and our 3-part Just in Case series on emergency preparedness by following this link.
https://thecronenetwork.org/blog?q=&p=1
3*** https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/malicious-ai-report
5*****https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/03/ai-agent-autonomy-governance/
6****** https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/certifications/best-cybersecurity-certifications/
7*******https://rentahuman.ai
8 ********https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-rent-human-bodies
DISCLAIMER
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, financial, or professional advice. Use of this information is at your own risk.