Our AI

Our AI is a human story about artificial intelligence, offering a seat at the table for anyone curious, cautious, or already in deep. It is the AI Book for People Who Don't Want to Read About AI (but also kind of do). When I discovered ChatGPT, I didn't study it, I just used it and built my work around it. Like millions of others, I jumped in without understanding what I was getting into. Then the headlines got darker, AI blackmailing researchers, jobs disappearing overnight. Something that felt helpful suddenly felt... complicated. Our AI isn't another tech explainer. It's a personal story about what happens when you fall for something you don't fully understand and then realise you need to. As a community worker, I've spent my career helping people find their voice in decisions that affect their lives. When AI started reshaping everything, I recognised a familiar pattern: big promises up front, while early consequences start appearing (some jobs already disappearing, data centres straining resources, opportunities concentrating in fewer hands). I've seen this before in other systems, and I know where it leads if communities don't have a voice. This is my personal journey, and I don't just stay in algorithms and AI. I follow the trail from a rural Australian caravan park to mines in Congo, from city sewers to satellites, from community meetings to corporate boardrooms. It's unpredictable, sometimes funny, always honest, and it connects dots you might not expect. This isn't about doomsday predictions or technical jargon. It's about recognising patterns, asking better questions, and finding your voice in conversations shaping our future, with or without us. This book is your invitation. AI is here whether we like it or not. The question isn't whether to engage, but whether we just get swept along or have say in how it shapes us. This is my story of figuring that out, and an invitation for you to do the same.