Hello and welcome to another edition of the weekend catch up. So sorry that I missed you the past couple of weeks.
If I can be straightforward for a minute, I have been feeling existential about my work as a creative in the face of rising AI use. Google’s AI overviews in search are cutting visits to my site. There are creepy AI-generated “bloggers” that simply copy and paste recipes like mine (and probably those of all the food bloggers you keep up with) onto their spammy sites. They’ll pair that with an AI-generated write up about how they came up with the recipe (!!) and there will be a remixed version of my photo (also done with AI!). I can easily spot one of these as artificial, but the average person? I don’t know. It sent me spiraling a bit.
There are also AI personas shilling supplements (usually moringa FYI) with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. Human creators are using this technology so that they can pump out multiple videos a day, which is what the platforms want regardless of quality or factual accuracy. It’s happening across all creative industries. Even on a good day, I find it demoralizing and, worse, dehumanizing.
A creator showed up in my recommendations, posting a list of chatbot prompts to (allegedly) make life easier. One of them involved inputting your shower’s dimensions with a shopping query to find an appropriately sized caddy for shampoo, soap etc. We’re wasting even more potable water because we don’t want to shop online with the dimensions in mind? It’s also wild to me that these tips could eventually wind up in an AI overview. Slop squared.
Anyway, noticing the trend of my recipes being cut out and used by Google over and over, I flipped a question:
So: immediate, infinite, incessant media and gratification. A recurring theme. The quick hits keep coming!
AI is often couched in tones of inevitability and defeatism with assumptions of its unlimited power. Imagine if, as a species, we decided to abide the result of every questionable or failed system that was ever created. Human achievement built these generators. Human intelligence and artistry collected over history are its data points. As it stands, generative AI is limited by our contributions. Human choices can render it less powerful/not so inevitable.
Sam Altman has argued that, like generative AI, human beings require resources and energy to develop intelligence and understanding (noting that for a person, this apparently takes 20 years). Comparing the process of nurturing human life in community with OTHER PEOPLE to training LLM’s to do our shower caddy shopping… it tells me everything I need to know. This technology exists and is foisted upon us to make a handful of people obscenely rich and powerful. They do not care about making your life easier. The architects of AI will steal your work and data, and exploit the environment as much as possible.
I know that I am not perfect and there are likely ethical oversights with my work as a creator based on the web/social media. My understanding of AI is rooted in perception, which is to say: incomplete! Of course there are positives, depending on the context and individual. What I can say for sure is that making one of Ina Garten’s well-tested recipes has always made my family happy and that, under the right conditions, a saxophone solo, figure skating performance, or photograph can bring me to tears. AI can predict the next word in the chain or generate an aesthetic experience that’s neither here nor there, but it will never touch the chaotic and beautiful depths of human experience where love comes through.
TL;DR: AI made me sad for a couple weeks :( I’m getting back to posting because human imagination and connection is all we’ve got :)
On to the links for this week. Catch you back here next time with 75% less ranting (hopefully!!!!)
5 Things I’m Reading:
- Norway’s Century-Long Watch on the Northern Lights via The New York Times (gift link)
- Chinese Medicine Doctor’s Guide for the Year of the Horse via Dr. Felice Chan’s Substack
- How I Read via Rob Henderson’s Newsletter on Substack
- Hopecore Might Be The Internet’s Cry For Help via Byline
- Worshiping at the Altar of Robyn via The Cut (non-paywalled link)
5 Things I’m Enjoying:
- Attention Lab (thanks for recommending this, Carol!)
- Watching: Industry
- Where did all the water go?
- Microbial Landscapes
- Making this weekend: Root Vegetable Sauerkraut with Radish, Beets, and Celeriac
5 Questions:
- Will you be making your own bday cake?
My partner made me a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake this week! Turned 41, feeling great, there is love in my life everywhere I look, cheesecake turned out beautifully. What more could I ask for? - Your favourite piece of wisdom from another lap around the sun?
Not something that I am living 100%, but working on: it’s not that serious. - What’s your favourite Grateful Dead song or album?
Album/recording/show: Cornell ’77. Song: Row Jimmy (from Cornell ’77 of course) - What are you prioritizing in this season of life? (not food)
Sleep (still a tough one), offline activities (cannot wait for gardening this year–I need it more than ever), fitness (squatting 200lbs, unassisted pull ups, running more, actually stretching and doing conditioning exercises), non-food related writing, hanging in real life, reading fiction, and putting myself out there a bit more. - Do you sometimes wonder if you will keep a plant based diet forever?
Surprisingly, YES. Through some personal work, I have accepted that I truly do not know what’s going to happen tomorrow, in 2 years, 5 years etc. Worrying about and preparing for assumptions of future events/feelings can be a fruitless driver of stress. I just don’t know definitively (because I don’t know anything definitively!!). Right now, it feels right. I am fulfilled and healthy living this way, so I will stay the course. I cannot know if that will be true in the future. Probably not an answer that some folks will be happy with, but it’s how I feel at the moment.
5 Seasonal Recipes:
- Moist Vegan Carrot Muffins
- Lemony Oregano Vegan Meatballs
- Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Edamame & Peanut Sauce
- Spiced Chickpeas & Rice with Roasted Crispy Cabbage and Sweet Mustard Dressing
- Vegan Butternut Squash Zuppa Toscana
Can you recommend a different nut than walnuts for your oregano vegan meatballs? I am allergic to walnuts but not other nuts.
Pecans would be my go-to replacement!
-L
Quite alarming reading your comments regarding AI. I would always prefer to look up a creator’s individual website and ignore AI if possible. I very much enjoy your content and recipes and belatedly, happy birthday.
Regards
Debra
(Sydney Australia)
I’m intrigued by a passionate rebuke of AI followed by a passing comment that you may not be plant based forever. With curiosity, I wonder what you mean by this or what it means to you. I have noticed many vegan creators turning away from it, which from an environmental standpoint, I find just as demoralizing as AI.
Hi Jessica,
I mostly mean that I don’t know what the future holds–I apply this line of thinking to everything in my life. Of course I only want to eat this way currently (for so many reasons–including the environmental concerns you’ve mentioned). Can I say that I will 100% forever? I simply do not know.
-L
Hi Laura,
I keep coming back to your Saturday Sun posts because they feel so human. Thank you for sharing with us.
On AI, I share many of your concerns. So many people I know have become AI-boosters and I’m glad people like you are still encouraging us to look around, ask questions, and push back. Maybe some people reading this will see things in a new light. I appreciate it.
Hi Laura
Very thoughtful and well-written and completely worth waiting a few weeks for : )
And probably the least “ranty” rant I have every read. And I agree with all of it.
I hope that in the long term you can continue to find ways of doing what you do that can cut through the AI noise.
AI is doing so much more harm than good. I agree 100% with everything you said and appreciate you sharing your thoughts. My industry (like so many others) feels like it’s being completely gutted by AI and my layoff last month was mostly blamed on AI. I completely understand why you are feeling existential about your work, but I appreciate you showing up regardless. I will support you and your work however I can and I know so many others will as well. Also – Happy Birthday! It sounds like you will have a great year. <3
You’re my favourite recipe developer and I love these newsletters, keep writing, we are here for it all !
I really appreciate that you took the time and the risk to share your thoughts about AI. I feel so horrified, sickened and outraged by it and its infiltration. I’m also shocked that so many people are jumping on bandwagon seemingly without concern or reflection. It’s frightening that our lawmakers are lagging so far behind in their response (on this and many other issues). I’m so sorry that it’s affecting you in such a personal and violating way.
Laura, I hear you! AI is out of control, as the companies want to simply be in control of all information and creation. Your content and photography are so unique in this world of food blogging. We, as readers, receive the gifts of your ideas through this blog, which is free to us, though I’m sure ads help drive your hits and income. Would it be better for you to introduce a paid subscription for viewers who love your ideas, recipes? We will follow. I suggest $15./month. Fight the monster; don’t let him eat you.
AI is ruining our society in more ways than one. So sorry it is affecting you & your work. Thank you for how you brighten our lives each week. We look forward to your output.
First-time commenter, long-time First Mess lover. Recent technology has brought so many woes. I’m a librarian and information discovery is my game, yet I’m disheartened almost everywhere I look. Thank you for sharing your perspectives. I feel information overload and have taken a lot out of my life. Your Saturday Sun is a mainstay, and I’ve read every single one since you started. Any information you share just makes me feel better. Keep going! And your food and perspectives on food…Just thank you. You constantly inspire my approach to food, and your recipes are lasting. I’m always pleased as punch when you revisit a 10-year old recipe.
Oh Laura! I feel you, it’s a crappy time for creators but your followers will always be your followers. We’re here for human content, don’t be beaten by AI cause we’re not going anywhere!! Thank you as always for sharing.
Laura, I am so sorry you’ve been feeling this way!! For what it’s worth, just as an internet user AI frightens and disgusts me, for so many reasons. Makes my skin crawl when I can spot it and horrified when duped! I SO appreciate everything you’re doing here and feel incredibly inspired by what you’ve written today! :) PS, I use the -ai trick for Google searches from a Sat Sun once!
Social media (and the news cycle) reflects a partial picture of what is happening in the world … but it’s so damn loud that we have a tendency to believe in it, to get hooked into its reality … and because it’s so loud, it overshadows the quiet movements that are also happening all around us, all over the world. There are many people in the world who are looking for/aligning themselves with the slow and authentic … who want to grow goodness. Our numbers are only going to increase so take heart. I don’t know what any of this means for online content, but I think we are going to see the rise of more online platforms for conscious creators that do not allow AI-generated content. New models will emerge.
Hello Laura, I thought I had accidentally unscubscribed. Was so glad to see the Sat/Sun back. I’m sorry you were feeling demoralized. I appreciate the rant about AI. It’s scary. When I google things now, I do so with “-ai”, so that I don’t get the summary at the top. I, too, am concerned about the water and our ability to think. What a world. The WAPO link didn’t work, so here’s one from MIT if folks are interested in water usage and environmental impacts. https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117
You put this so well…”This technology exists and is foisted upon us to make a handful of people obscenely rich and powerful. They do not care about making your life easier. The architects of AI will steal your work and data, and exploit the environment as much as possible.”
Thank you!
Thank you for saying you can search without AI! I didn’t know this and would prefer not to have all my searches come up with a stupid overview on top. I don’t need it much of the time and it’s so resource intense for information I don’t need.
Laura,
I just love you sat sun newsletter! It is so authentic and such a pleasure to read. I don’t see this as a rant but as a description of the brutal reality. We so need people like you that create and share what you are thinking! You are a trustworthy source of information, delicious recipes and thoughtful perspectives and I soooo appreciate that! I am sorry this $%^$^#! AI is impacting your creative endeavour and want to support you in any way I can. Have an amazing week! And know that what you do and say matters!
And Happy birthday too!
Saturday Suns are my fav! also eff AI, truly. and happy bday! you are an amazing creator and I hope this year is filled with wonderful things for you and your fam!
I fully understand your “rant” and wouldn’t even call it that. I’m proud of you taking some time to think and pause.
I appreciate your rant. I’m incredibly concerned about the future right now. Of course there are beneficial uses for AI but I’m not interested in outsourcing my brain. I don’t need constant assistance or instant gratification and my own brain is knowledgeable, creative, and capable.
I love your posts. Thank you for the recipes and the interesting links. I fully agree with your AI “rant” (not a rant at all, in fact.)
Love your work and have been following you for longer than I can remember!
Love your newsletter, recipes, and general approach to life! Agree with everything you said here. I do get the sense that many people are shifting towards authenticity and human connection so I am cautiously optimistic. Also, happy birthday!!!
Just please know that we’re not all drinking the AI Kool-Aid. Lots of us have moral/environmental objections to this technology that feels like it’s being foisted upon us. I think many of us, once we’ve found food bloggers whose work we resonate with, just come back to the source. No search-engine, no AI-based searches. Thank you for the work you do and the delicious food we get to enjoy because of your efforts!
Thank you for your content as always. Your description of what is happening with internet searches is spot on, and it’s so valuable to hear how it affects a true creator. I’ve recently started cooking again, and I’ve encountered exactly what you describe for recipes, and for gardening information too. It’s shocking, even though we’ve known it’s coming. At least those of us who try to stay informed have known it was coming; there are so many who are oblivious, either by choice or by having so little free time that they can’t stay informed. But it’s still shocking. I scroll past the AI recipes, but Google doesn’t make it easy to do, of course. I can see how many people in a hurry might not do it. I need to rely more on printed books. Hearing from you is a good impetus for me to do just that. Please keep publishing, and keep letting us know whats happening.
Thanks for the great recipes and for the rant! We need to be aware and wary. AI is insidious and frightening. And it’s like everything else when money and power are in charge.
Recently listened to this podcast about contemplative AI possibilities. If you have time check it out. It’s another layer.
https://podcast.app/new-horizons-ai-neuroscience-awakening-with-ruben-laukkonen-e440087496?utm_source=and&utm_medium=share
I give thanks for your “rant”, too. The act of creating is essential to human wellbeing and neuroscience is supporting what so many have known for all of time. Your essay is really helpful in understanding how I can resist.
Does it help if we comment? I love your recipes, content and Saturday Sun! In fact before I saw this email I was thinking of going to your site for breakfast inspiration
To me not a rant – just an incredible piece of writing. You shared what’s been on my mind in such a clear and articulate way. It’s so sad / scary / enraging how 1. These tools are stealing from people’s livelihoods and 2. How so many creators are contributing to it with blinders on. Will always come to The First Mess for my recipes as long as you are here. THANK YOU!!
I appreciate your rant! I feel you are expressing concerns I share. It’s good to know others care about the water supply and aren’t wasting water and energy to see photos of their dogs dressed as humans while making oligarchs wealthier. So many people I know are oblivious