{"slug": "select-your-starter-class", "title": "Select your starter class", "summary": "A blogger identifies three classes of AI users—Victims, Zombies, and Grifters—in a critical post about the negative impacts of generative AI on society, including forced adoption, deskilling, and exploitation by tech companies.", "body_md": "# Select your starter class\n\nAt the risk of [pissing on people’s chips](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/07/im-just-so-bored-of-ai/) I figured it’d be helpful to illustrate the three classes of AI user I’ve identified in the slopageddon. You might be thinking: *“Hey, those personas are all negative!”* — and you’re absolutely right!\n\nBelieve me, I’d love nothing more than to shut up about “AI”.\n\nThe thing is, not a week goes by without one of my peers crying out in abject despair. Until the grifters cease [spitting in my face](https://dbushell.com/2026/05/20/google-just-spat-in-my-face/) and threatening my career, please allow me to extend a middle finger their way.\n\nI’m working on [more positive plans](https://dbushell.com/2026/06/01/challenge-and-opportunity/#an-opportunity) that I hope to announce soon(-ish). Makes sense to be more proactive and spend energy where it matters. Not that this post didn’t! I enjoyed the few technical challenges artworking the page.\n\nImages used with modifications:\n\nChalk Outline by Simon Child from [Noun Project](https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/chalk-outline/) (CC BY 3.0)\n\nHand by Elisa Pintonello from [Noun Project](https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/hand/) (CC BY 3.0)\n\nZombie by Hamstring from [Noun Project](https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/zombie/) (CC BY 3.0)\n\n## The Victim\n\n- Dabbles with free chatbots\n- Chuckles at social media slop\n- Forced to endure a work mandate\n- Never consented to any of this\n- Helpless to the human toll\n\n- Constitution\n- -4\n- Salary\n- -6\n\n## The Zombie\n\n- Bends the knee to\n*Big Tech* - Lives by “AI is inevitable” mantra\n- Anthropomorphises their chat box\n- Ignores self-inflicted deskilling\n- Gambles with house money\n\n- Free will\n- -9\n- Cognition\n- -13\n\n## The Grifter\n\n- Flogs AI and AI paraphernalia\n- Will not take “no” for an answer\n- Dehumanises the effect of AI\n- Idolises the techno-fascists\n- Revels in gaslighting\n\n- Morality\n- -99\n- Corruption\n- +99", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/select-your-starter-class", "canonical_source": "https://dbushell.com/2026/07/08/select-your-starter-class/", "published_at": "2026-07-08 05:43:40.554581+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-08 05:43:42.487348+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai", "ai-ethics", "ai-safety", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Google", "Noun Project"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/select-your-starter-class", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/select-your-starter-class.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/select-your-starter-class.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/select-your-starter-class.jsonld"}}