For people who are done letting outside voices β technology, experts, cultural noise β drown out their own. Every issue explores how to reclaim your discernment, your body awareness, and your creative authority across the parts of life that matter most: technology, relationships, wellness, work, and creativity.
The AI witch hunt gave me an impulsive idea...start a coven.
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I did something a little impulsive. π I've been seeing so much conversation lately about the so-called "AI witch hunts." People getting attacked for using generative AI. People getting accused of using AI when they haven't. Creators feeling afraid to share their work because someone might decide it looks AI-generated. And, of course, plenty of people who absolutely LOVE AI and are using it to create things they never imagined possible. There's a lot of fear, frustration, excitement, and confusion out there. And I got to thinking... What if we created a space where we could actually talk about all of this? A place where people could share their experiences, ask questions, explore new possibilities, and genuinely listen to different perspectives. So, naturally, I started a coven. π§ββοΈ Well, a subreddit. It's called AI Witches, and the slogan is Conjuring New Possibilities. The name is a little tongue-in-cheek. If we're going to have AI witch hunts, why not reclaim the term and do something constructive with it? But the intention behind it is something I care deeply about. I believe we can question emerging technologies, have different opinions about them, and still treat each other with respect. You don't have to love AI to belong. You don't even have to use it. Maybe you're a creator who's discovered exciting new possibilities with generative AI. Maybe you're skeptical about where it's taking us. Maybe you've been on the receiving end of an accusation. Or maybe you're simply curious. There's room for all of those perspectives. This is brand new, and I have no idea exactly what it will become. That's part of the fun! I'd love for the people who join to help shape it. If this resonates with you, I'd love to invite you to come say hello, introduce yourself, or share something you've been thinking about. βJoin the AI Witches community on Reddit ββ Absolutely no pressure. I just wanted to extend the invitation in case this is a conversation you'd enjoy being part of. Here's to curiosity, creativity, and conjuring new possibilities! Rachel P.S. β I also started an AI Witches Substack, where I'm planning to explore some of these topics through essays and cultural commentary. More on that soon! P.P.S. β I've now had "Kill the Witch" from Wicked stuck in my head on repeat. |
Renaissance Rachel
For people who are done letting outside voices β technology, experts, cultural noise β drown out their own. Every issue explores how to reclaim your discernment, your body awareness, and your creative authority across the parts of life that matter most: technology, relationships, wellness, work, and creativity.
When I joined Substack earlier this week, I accidentally found the AI companion community. Think people who have relationships with their AI models. Intimate ones. I'd heard about it before. I even researched it a little. And I thought it was weird. Researching is different than reading firsthand accounts. Reading is different than experiencing. I got curious. I've read some of Calder Quinnβs articles and the ones I've read have truly made me think. This quote here is the latest one I'm...
Aside: I've been composing this newsletter in my head for a few days now and finally sat down to write it. I'd brain dumped my thoughts using a voice memo and took the transcript from my thoughts. It wasn't a dictation of what I wanted to write in the newsletter. It was the thoughts I had about the reading itself. So when I decided to see if an LLM could write the newsletter for me while on the go, I got so mad at the output. It was not AT ALL like how I'd been drafting it in my head. I...
A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law handed me a stack of pillows she wasn't using anymore. I took them home without thinking much of it. The following Sunday, she saw them sitting out at my place and told me, in Serbian, where they'd come from. One of them, her own mother had embroidered. I understood every word. I'm still learning the language, and that day, it landed. That pillow moment turned into something bigger: the same question I've been sitting with for years, long before "human...