I’m Scared Of AI, And It’s Nothing To Do With Terminator by Tom Beasley

I've been writing this column since 2009. In that time, I've written more than 100 different articles, ranging from life updates to commentary on the modern world, via sport, movies, and all sorts of other weird and wonderful things. As you might imagine, it's often difficult to come up with something novel and, crucially, interesting to write about every few months.

The one thing I have never done is to ask AI to come up with ideas for me. And, increasingly, I'm getting worried that I'm in something of a minority in this respect. Generative AI – and, specifically, Open AI's flagship product ChatGPT – has become a part of a lot of people's everyday lives in the last few years. It's easy to see why it appeals. Ask the AI a question and it will give you an answer, which you can then tweak by posing further questions. What could possibly be the problem?

Well, I, along with many others in my line of work, have concerns about generative AI's impact on the world. If you can ask an AI to write something for you, why would you need to hire a pesky, human word monkey like me? ChatGPT doesn't demand payment and it takes just seconds to write something that sounds reasonably professional. That's why creatives in various industries are worried about this and, in fact, it was one of the key reasons that Hollywood actors spent most of 2023 on strike.

In case you're wondering whether it's a good thing to be able to ask a machine to write something for you, I'd direct you to actually read anything written by an AI. It's fine on the surface and entirely functional, but lacks any of the heart, soul, and silliness that powers real human writing. AI writing is a reliable, slightly dull Volvo when what you really want to read is a purring Ferrari packed with flair.

As an experiment while writing this piece, I asked ChatGPT to write the opening of a film review in my style. After all, there are thousands of my reviews on the internet, which AI has no doubt gobbled up like a giant panda at a bamboo buffet. Three times, I asked the AI to make it funnier and more personable. Each time, it just seemed to move some words around. It doesn't have genuine charm and personality in its locker. Michael McIntyre, it ain't.

That's not to mention the other problems with AI models. Sometimes, they just make stuff up, as anyone who has trusted information presented by Google's “AI Overview” will be able to tell you. Then there's the environmental impact. One ChatGPT request uses more than 10 times the electricity of a Google Search, based on various online estimates. There's also the risk it could eventually go all Terminator on us, but that seems less likely.

So, all of this is to say that I'm making a plea to readers of this column. Be wary of AI. Obviously, I'm not naïve and I know that there are some amazing use cases of AI – including in the worlds of scientific research and healthcare – but the creative arts must be protected. For example, Coca-Cola has been experimenting with AI for its last few Christmas adverts, with the company involved stating they used half as many staff to make the 2025 ad. Taking money from the mouths of creative professionals at Christmas seems a weird thing to celebrate. Scrooge wasn't the good guy.

AI is inevitably going to become a part of all of our lives, but I'd urge caution and for you to ask whether you really need to be using it. Human creativity, invention, and personality are worth defending. And look, the fact we might protect my job in the process is just a bonus. Honest.

© 2026 Tom Beasley

Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist, Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and podcaster
now living in Coventry. He can be reached at tomjbeasley@gmail.com.