The New Currency (what even feels authentic?)

Favour Umejesi

I ponder upon this as I scroll through the internet: YouTube reels, Pinterest feeds, and even the

workplace.

As a developer, I was first drawn to technology because of the superpower it gave me: the ability to bring wild, imaginative ideas to life through lines of code. Tools that have the power to make an impact in the lives of others, or harm them.

In the software development cycle, there is a planning and design phase. Here, I put so much thought into what my design would look like how the user would experience it, and how I could create a wholesome product. But now, as I scroll through the internet, I see websites that all look alike, with similar phrasing and wording. And I ask myself again: what even feels authentic?

I see graphic designs that used to feel like an opportunity to challenge myself, to make something better than what I had created before. Now, I see flyers and posters that look like they have no human touch. Sometimes, I lose interest in the thing being advertised simply because of how little effort seems to have gone into making it.

As I navigate the tech industry, I ask myself again: what feels authentic?

I attend AI sessions to learn from seasoned AI professionals, expecting to learn something new each time, only to hear the same ideas repeated over and over again, almost as if everyone is following the same script. And I ask myself again: what even feels genuine?

We are told not to lose our human touch. Not to let AI think for us. But how?

How do we hold on to that human touch when conversations with people sometimes feel like talking to a chatbot, with no real sense of connection? When companies say AI will not replace the workforce, but then proudly explain that tasks that once required ten people can now be completed by two, I find myself asking: what happens to the other eight?

But, as usual, the question is brushed aside.

We are not supposed to think too deeply about these things. We are supposed to play along with the

already written script. Why? Because this is the new currency, and you can only stay relevant if you

trade with it. You learn the tools. You adapt. You keep up. You make sure you do not get left behind.

I ask myself: how long can I keep up?

Is my response reactive or anticipatory?

Then I saw a clip of a celebrity being asked whether she was introverted or extroverted. She seemed

to have such a bubbly personality that everyone assumed she was extroverted. Her response surprised me. She said it was all an act. In reality, she was shy. Perhaps it should not have been surprising.

Acting is, after all, about playing different personas. And I wonder if I am doing the same.

As I navigate these new realities, do I keep acting and going with the flow? Or do I choose to remain in a black box, where the internal workings and mechanisms behind these systems stay hidden or irrelevant? Where we only see the final output, without questioning what happens behind the scenes to produce it?

I know AI is becoming increasingly powerful. I also know that running these systems requires data centers, electricity, and enormous amounts of energy. I could simply say that I have access to constant electricity and clean water, so why should I care? AI has benefited me. I can be more productive. I can write more lines of code than I ever could before.

But then I wonder: somewhere out there, is there someone without the resources I have who is being affected by the energy demands of these data centers?

Maybe being authentic means knowing when to use AI and when not to. Maybe it means doing some of the tasks I would naturally want AI to do for me. Maybe if enough of us cut down on unnecessary usage and return to doing some things ourselves, we can reduce the resources we consume.

Maybe that small choice could mean something to a child somewhere who has to study without electricity, or to a family that cannot afford to stay warm during the winter.

Or maybe I can choose to go with the flow like everyone else. I can sit through AI meetings and nod along as if I have heard something novel. I can keep adapting, keep performing, keep trading in this new currency.

Or I can choose to stay authentic.

But what does that even mean anymore?

I don’t know what that means yet.

Maybe that is the point.

These are simply the nighttime scribblings of a 21-year-old adult trying to find her footing in a world that seems to be changing faster than she can understand it.

or maybe i am not meant to understand :(

Meet the Author

Parshv Patel is a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Data Science with 4.00 GPA, driven by a belief that technology should create opportunity for those often overlooked. After moving from India during high school and overcoming financial, cultural, and academic barriers, he graduated valedictorian and now studies data science to build ethical, human-centered AI systems. An Amazon Future Engineer Scholar, AI4All Ignite Fellow, Greenhouse Scholar, and researcher, he explores machine learning, data storytelling, and algorithmic fairness. Outside academics, he mentors students, plays tennis, and enjoys turning curiosity into impact for communities facing barriers similar to those he experienced growing up himself firsthand.