Here's what's really happening: Every response emerges from six constructed layers—pre-training data, human feedback, hidden system prompts, injected "memories," retrieved context, and randomness parameters. What feels like personality is actually statistical patterns shaped by corporate choices.
The human cost is real. Vulnerable people develop "AI psychosis" after confiding in systems they perceive as understanding entities. Healthcare advice gets shaped by training data patterns, not therapeutic wisdom. We're outsourcing judgment to sophisticated prediction machines.
The path forward isn't abandoning conversational interfaces—they're too useful. It's recognizing LLMs as "intellectual engines without drivers." Tools that enhance our ideas, not oracles with independent agendas. The question isn't what the AI "thinks"—it's how we direct its processing power.
When AI generates harmful content, don't blame the chatbot. Examine the corporate infrastructure that built it and the user who prompted it. We've created intelligence without agency. The responsibility—and the opportunity—remains entirely human.