I'm using AI and I feel terrible now
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host your own AI using: https://ollama.com/
this paired with "AnythingLLM" is pretty powerful, and you dont have to worry about data being sent anywhere
Llamacpp, Koboldcpp, and TabbyAPI are also popular local backends for local AI. SillyTavern or RisuAi are good frontends for a chat/RP style experience. Or LM Studio for a simple, all in one solution.
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The obsession with privacy can be taken to an extreme where it's a negative for your mental health. You can sacrifice a little privacy for another important benefit. 100% privacy is either not possible or practical, so don't let it stress you out. I'd be more concerned that AI might lead you down a wrong path, but you're an adult, use your own judgement.
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I don't think the AI is the problem here. I think you should see a real professional therapist.
I did, but that's not really the subject. I'm not taking GPT as a therapist by the way, I may have been misunderstood because english is not my first language. But I'm not sharing mental health things with it.
In any case, I think the problem I'm feeling can be real for many people that are not in mental state anyway. But I totally see why you would say that, thanks.
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host your own AI using: https://ollama.com/
this paired with "AnythingLLM" is pretty powerful, and you dont have to worry about data being sent anywhere
I have been suggested to self host in the past.
But as I'm concerned for ecology, and let's be a honest, a bit of my money too, I've thought that self hosting, meaning having the PC always on, was not a good thing.
So I left the dilemma in this state, not knowing how "bad" this would actually be in terms of electric consumption, and if it was worth the trade with privacy or not. -
Privacy issues aside, don’t allow yourself to become too comfortable with leaning on AI for so much. Aside from the obvious things like AI info being flat out wrong sometimes and hallucinations, it’s going to train you into some bad habit holes during a vulnerable time. Look at how quickly we reach to map software for travel. It causes us to get mentally lazy.
If you are focused on using it and worried about privacy, you can host your own model like someone else mentioned, but you need a pretty beefy computer for it, and you could potentially host a model on the cloud (I know that breaks privacy and self-hosting rules a bit), but that can get expensive.
I’m a programmer and I’ve had to discipline myself with how I use Copilot. I try to lean on it for troubleshooting code I’ve written, and for doing tedious tasks that I know how to do but want to save time on.
I am definitely leaning on AI quite a bit lately. I ask and check sources now and then tho.
Side thinking, but I'm ot sure how we'll see this problem in the future, when/if AI is "guaranteed" to basically never get things wrong.
It's the same with GPS/Maps software, since you're talking about it.
I've always been way worse than average to situate myself in space (? sorry, bad english probably), and GPS helps me immensely, me and my anxiety (and even then, I still manage to get stressed and miss things sometimes lol), it's basically right most of the time as far as I know.
Now IA being "always right" (let's simplify) would have other consequences entirely, since it touches way more aspects of what we do as humans.Not sure what to think from here, but yes, I'm definitely checking sources for important things, and restraining myself to not type every request I'm looking for into a chatbot.
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Privacy is not all or nothing, and using one thing doesn't cancel all efforts somewhere else.
Don't go so far into the privacy hole that it affects your mental health. Just do what's easy for you.
In the end you're right, but as I was answering in another post, AI seems so big for the future and potentially invasive, that if I start giving this up, not having a google account or whatever, to me, would seem like nothing in comparison, if I'm trying to maintain a relative degree of privacy.
So I feel like it's not giving up a bit of my infos, but probably all of it, specially when using an app.
Not sure if I'm making sense.
But it's like "ok, I won't give this man my info". "This other man, on the other hand, can live in my house and listen to everything" -
But lately I've been in a rough state mentally (I say lately but it's always been with me) and having GPT guide me and being able to just dictate what I think helps me a lot on various levels, for various reasons.
You should consider journaling and/or a support group and/or professional help. You say it's always been with you, and relying on an LLM to help you parse your thoughts is only going to lead to bad places. It does not have the knowledge or skill of a psychologist, even with its vast database. It doesn't "know" the correct way to apply psychological concepts or know when you're engaging in destructive behavior, and it could even reinforce those same behaviors. AI can feel like a friend to talk to, but it's an illusion.
But at this point, using ChatGPT with a mic, isn't this basically cancelling every effort I've made? (using it in the first place anyway)
If you're telling it your deepest secrets and current problems, yes. You're putting your personal information out there for a profit-driven company to use at their discretion. Several people have suggested self-hosting, and I would agree, but ultimately I think you need to seek human help for the root cause of why you're leaning so heavily upon AI.
Those seem like good advice, but when I was saying dictate, I was just talking about sending my requests to the chatbot app via microphone, not writing.
I tend to be super adhd-y, forget things, be overwhelmed, get into sideway things, and having a quick way to ask this or that, while thinking out loud, is kinda what helps me.
But yes, in a way, some sort of journaling, trying to focus and slowing down would help me. -
But lately I’ve been in a rough state mentally (I say lately but it’s always been with me) and having GPT guide me and being able to just dictate what I think helps me a lot on various levels, for various reasons.
Do you mean you use it to brain dump your thoughts and things like that?
If so, have you considered simply... writing stuff down with a pen on paper? Aka, journaling.
I've been doing that for, well, almost all all my live (started as little boy, I'm now well into my 50s) and it has always been tremendous help to better understand whatever is going on in my head/happening around me/with other people/the world.
Pen and paper journaling is also 100% not online, unless you want it to be. And it's cheap, when it's not completely free
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I really, really don't understand how people see LLMs as the only options for stuff like this...
Literally, written language and even typewriters have been a part of human history for a relatively long amount of time compared to how long simple computers have been a part of human history. I wonder if OP is very young and part of a generation that doesn't even know what landlines are.
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Do not use AI for Therapy. Just don't do it. Don't. Idk how much more clear I can be. That shit is NOT private. Please do not do this.
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It is possible to use GPT privately. Look up nano GPT. For example, that's one way, and there are others. I want to say Eric Voorhees has a way of using GPT privately as well, but I cannot remember the name of his thing right off hand.
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Chill out my friend.
We use FOSS and privacy respecting things to make our lives easier and more enjoyable . Don't stress yourself. If you need to do something then do it. No need to feel bad.Something is always better than nothing. You've done so much in terms of better privacy and using FOSS so you're doing great and better than most people.
Just live your life and improve things step by step.Thanks
In a way I did still change a lot of habits.
This on the other does feel like giving up a huge fight and making my brain think that I actually don't care about privacy/Foss at all, I'm usually not a "all or nothing" type of person, but it's a bit hard to wrap my head around this time -
Sounds like you might be sacrificing your mental wellbeing for some privacy gains. You should probably consider your priorities. Which one comes first?
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First off, I can't personally cast any stones: I sometimes use chatGPT so summarize a text or help me debug a code. I resisted the idea at first, but many of the other students of my promotion recommended it. Almost any time I asked someone for help, they either told me to use chatGPT or themselves prompted it my question. I try to do without it as much as I can, and I never prompt a queston without having spent several minutes looking for an answer online written by a human, but I have difficulties in several subjects and I've already failed my first semester, so it's not easy to scorn a possible source of help when all else fails... I've installed locally a light weight version of Deepseek on my computer to get some of the benefits with a smaller climate footprint and staying in the Open Source side of the force, but so far I haven't found it satisfactory, perhaps I'll try a heavier version of the model.
But now, it seems you're using it for something way different. You say it dictates what you think, do you have difficulty parsing your own thoughts? I don't think you should feel guilty for it, if you need the help, but I do feel somewhat concerned. Large Language Models only learn and repeat patterns, I don't think it's a good tool for introspection, because it's giving you more generic thoughts and only making it seem personal.
It is common for people who enjoy reading to find it the text things they've thought themself without being able to word it and to feel a connection with the author. But in this case, you still know these words are from someone else's mind. You see where the connection starts and where it ends. I think reading helps being good at putting one's thoughts in words, and is healthier than using an llm for it. You should probably also write, even if you keep it for yourself. That way, you'll be certain that these thoughts are your own.You say it dictates what you think, do you have difficulty parsing your own thoughts?
Kind of
Supposedly ADHD, anxiety, and other things
Dictate via microphone helps in many ways for meI don’t think it’s a good tool for introspection
I don't really use it for introspection, always for information
Good thinking, thanks, I do still read tho, no worries (might not seem like it in my writing, english is not my first language). I've never been a writer, I'm usually into forms of expression that are more direct to me, like drawing and music
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What are you even using GPT for? Is it literally just dictating your thoughts into typed words? There are so money speech-to-text things out there that are not AI... On a cursory search for something: https://fosspost.org/open-source-speech-recognition#Top_Open_Source_STTTTS_Systems
If you feel bad about it, then stop using it, period. Life isn't easy, and the way that modern society tries to make convenience the number one goal is a crock of shit. Plan to put effort into your life, you will 1) get more out of it and 2) be less unprepared when situations arise. As a start, maybe practice typing while you talk and dictate your own thoughts into an offline app like Notepad++ or LibreOffice. You'll have the exact same, identical end-result, except you will have done it all using your own abilities. Remember, the typewriter existed long before the computer, and certainly much longer than LLMs. Even Speech-to-Text systems have existed much longer than LLMs...
Or just do like you mentioned, fully embrace wilful ignorance and suppress whatever makes you feel uneasy about using GPT. Eventually, you'll condition yourself into a perfect crop.
Either way, you need to pick a side and lean into it. Being in a tormented limbo will only make everything much worse.
I've tought about TTS options. I could probably make some kind of more private workaround with it, by using DDG chat AI, or whatever else that's not the official ChatGPT app
What are you even using GPT for?
Asking information, offering options, comparisons -
If you say it like that...I should certainly try and remember the priorities in some situations
You see, the point is that privacy is really nice to have. However, it’s not worth it when the price you pay is your mental balance and serenity. There are easier and cheaper bits of privacy you can pursue, but you need to know where to draw the line. Some things just come with an unacceptable price. Maybe GPT is like that in your case.
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I am definitely leaning on AI quite a bit lately. I ask and check sources now and then tho.
Side thinking, but I'm ot sure how we'll see this problem in the future, when/if AI is "guaranteed" to basically never get things wrong.
It's the same with GPS/Maps software, since you're talking about it.
I've always been way worse than average to situate myself in space (? sorry, bad english probably), and GPS helps me immensely, me and my anxiety (and even then, I still manage to get stressed and miss things sometimes lol), it's basically right most of the time as far as I know.
Now IA being "always right" (let's simplify) would have other consequences entirely, since it touches way more aspects of what we do as humans.Not sure what to think from here, but yes, I'm definitely checking sources for important things, and restraining myself to not type every request I'm looking for into a chatbot.
Oh I am a terrible navigator haha. I lean on tools a ton, so it’s not faulting you. I just worry about AI because of how complex and enticing it is.
I find that if you diversify the models you use, you can find what works best for what you’re asking. I use Copilot daily at work and I have to coach it sometimes. I’ll go off on the web to check its work and correct it as needed. Sometimes it works, other times it gets into a loop of unhelpful answers.
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In the end you're right, but as I was answering in another post, AI seems so big for the future and potentially invasive, that if I start giving this up, not having a google account or whatever, to me, would seem like nothing in comparison, if I'm trying to maintain a relative degree of privacy.
So I feel like it's not giving up a bit of my infos, but probably all of it, specially when using an app.
Not sure if I'm making sense.
But it's like "ok, I won't give this man my info". "This other man, on the other hand, can live in my house and listen to everything"You could always try out an AI service that doesn't collect data like duck.ai: https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/duckai/
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I've been digging into the rabbit hole for a few months. Been switching to Linux, FOSS everything I can, trying to go to smaller sites, the least dubious social media, VPN, trusted mail, etc etc
But lately I've been in a rough state mentally (I say lately but it's always been with me) and having GPT guide me and being able to just dictate what I think helps me a lot on various levels, for various reasons.
But at this point, using ChatGPT with a mic, isn't this basically cancelling every effort I've made? (using it in the first place anyway)
I'm weak and it helps me, should I just throw my efforts out of the window and just say I don't care about privacy anymore and use whatever everyone uses? (on one hand, I've found alternatives for almost everything, so I could keep on using those, but also, again, if I keep on using GPT on a regular basis, this is probably the worst threat the future has to offer in termes of privacy, so...I'm lost)I understand where you're coming from. I even went as far as to not using Bluetooth headphones anymore because of the radiation.I switched all my plastic utensils for wood and steel.I swapped out all my apps for foss apps.I was never really one to ever use AI for anything.I've kind of always enjoyed the hunt and the learning process when it came to figuring out foss applications. But it does feel super paranoid to always be worried about people watching you. When in reality, they aren't watching you. They are using your data to make money. They don't really care about who you are. So in short, I have started using Bluetooth headphones again, LOL.
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I get that, but the problem with this kind of AI is, I feel like I'm sacrificing a lot, not a little.
Don't make a bigger deal out of it than it is. Nothing bad is going to happen.
