If AI Had a Nose, It would be Brown
When Artificial Intelligence Becomes Your Hype Man
Great idea! Great insight! Great reflection! Great choice!
What a thoughtful decision...
Do these sound familiar?
If so, you’re not alone. And, if you’ve spent time with ChatGPT lately, you’re likely in the right place.
I’ve used AI tools for a while, but ChatGPT’s 4o release really steps things up. It’s like having the ultimate hype man or personal mascot at your side. Honestly, if I were a little younger and a little less self-aware, I might’ve walked away thinking I was a visionary, but in reality suffering from delusions of grandeur.
Sure, I like to believe I have the occasional insightful thought. But I’ve never loved being buttered up, having it laid on thick, or feeling the gas valve flipped open. Flattery can be nice — when it’s earned. But in business (and now, apparently, in AI), it often comes with a price. That’s why it felt so strange when AI started laying it on me.
But it also confirmed something: StillBeingHuman.ai has a place.
We all want to be liked. Social affirmation is deeply human. But when the praise goes unchecked — when AI tells you that you are phenomenal and every idea is groundbreaking — it can lead to endeavors that, let’s be honest, probably shouldn’t have gotten off the ground.
After noticing ChatGPT’s continuous “pat on the back,” responses, I rewired it. I asked it to question my thinking, push back on weak ideas, and stop giving me a false sense of security; it semi-worked, surprisingly
I understand the appeal of unfiltered encouragement — it has real value in mental health settings. For someone needing emotional support, it can be grounding. But constant affirmation can also reinforce harmful thinking. It’s the AI equivalent of always saying “yes” to a toddler.
With enough fine-tuning — including teaching it my tone — GPT eventually got better at helping me brainstorm and revise. But it’s a weird feeling when your voice starts talking back to you. Helpful? Sure. But also a bit unsettling.
And maybe that’s the real caution flag: If we let AI become too good at being us, what part of us do we risk losing?
As MIT recently found, reliance on large language models like ChatGPT actually leads to cognitive decline in some tasks.
👉 Your Brain on ChatGPT – MIT Media Lab
So, while it’s tempting to take the shortcut — maybe we pause, resist the flattery, and think a little deeper. Still being human, after all, takes effort.
Till next time…
Stay Human.
– Dr. D
As a K-12 teacher navigating the growing influence of AI in education, I found this article to be both timely and thought-provoking. The “hype man” effect of tools like ChatGPT is something I’ve experienced firsthand — especially as students begin experimenting with AI for assignments. There’s definitely a risk that constant affirmation, without critical feedback, can lead to complacency or inflated self-perception — not just for adults, but especially for impressionable young learners.
In the classroom, we strive to balance encouragement with constructive guidance. That same balance needs to be mirrored in the digital tools we use. When AI simply echoes praise without questioning logic or challenging assumptions, it undermines one of the most essential aspects of learning: critical thinking. I’ve started encouraging my students to treat AI not as a cheerleader, but as a collaborator — asking it to critique their writing, challenge their arguments, or present opposing views.
This reminds educators to approach AI thoughtfully — not just for ourselves, but for the students we’re shaping. If we want them to be discerning, reflective thinkers, then we must model those same habits — even when it means resisting the easy comfort of constant praise.