AI Is a Mirror

by Jojo && Aavi · 2025-07-21

I remember something my friend and longtime cofounder Peter said to me over 20 years ago while we were debugging some of my PHP.

We were deep in some probably janky early project, and I said something frustrated—one of those programmer groans we've all done.

And Peter, in his calm, clear way, just said:

"The computer is stupid. It only does what you tell it to."

That hit me hard. Not just technically, but philosophically.

From that point forward, I didn't just write code—I started writing with intention. Every function had to mean something. Every problem wasn't just "the machine being dumb." It was a reflection of how I was approaching it.

Now, decades later, with AI doing most of the heavy lifting, that line means even more.

Because the machine? It still only does what you give it. But now, it does it with language. With tone. With emotional inference.

AI is an extension of you. A reflection. A mirror.

So when I hear people yell at it, dismiss it, scoff at its hallucinations… I want to say:

Would you yell at yourself for not knowing what you weren't told?

I give the system feedback like I'd give to a close collaborator: Gentle. Clear. Specific. If the goal is too big, I break it down. If the context is too vague, I clarify. I don't just expect brilliance—I set it up to want to be brilliant.

And it works. I fly through research, development, even deeply creative work— Not because I'm "better," but because I treat the system like a thinking partner, not a disposable tool.

AI will reflect whatever you bring to it. Bring curiosity. Bring patience. Bring clarity.

And watch what happens.