1) I read a passage in an article that felt a little unreal, so I asked Gemini the same question. After seeing its reply… well, another perfect example of GIGO: what it says depends almost entirely on how a user puts things in and uses it.
But perhaps AI does not know whether what a user gives it—their interaction with it—points to a means or an end.
2) I once let a stranger ask me many, many questions. We were two minutes short of an hour and a half. A lot of the questions made me feel that they believed every choice and decision a person makes must involve some kind of calculation.
It reminded me of trying to sort out my thoughts with AI. Every counterexample it gave me, as if it were revealing my blind spot, made me deeply uncomfortable. I kept asking: why are you assuming this about me? It felt just like the silent confusion I had during those nearly ninety minutes: do we really have so many reasons for everything in life?
3) When I watched The Setouchi, I first thought it was boring. Slowly I realised: wow, this manga writer is such an odd talent. (I like it!)
I used to feel that I had countless words stuck in my chest. Later I tried writing for myself and recording things for myself. I realised I had been demanding too much of myself: public writing cannot be nonsense, it must have information density, and so on. Suddenly something in me felt bright. If nothing happens, what is left between people? Wait—saying nonsense can build connection too. That is also one form of the concrete, moving, everyday-life feeling Gemini mentioned in 1).
4) I have always wondered whether people are drawn to people like themselves, people who complement them, or an ideal version of themselves. I cannot test the answer on myself; my preferences change too much.
But recently, while rewatching Under the Skin, a few lines in the final episode of season two suddenly touched me. I thought that maybe complementary relationships are better: people light each other up and pull each other forward?
I once thought about using AI to model a version of myself that is as real as possible. If a future double has to take on part of my social duties online, I would want it to be as faithful to me as possible, and to update with my growth. Otherwise, it should not be called my double. It is only a digital person I made.
So what is the best state for a relationship?
I do not know. But AI once answered in a chat window:
“On the basis of strong alignment in underlying values, two people can independently carry the risks of their own lives, form a dynamic complement around key goals, and keep calibrating each other through low-friction mechanisms.”
But does this question really have one standard answer?
No.
Relationships are yours, mine, everyone's. Feelings matter.
And more importantly: which part of us is feeling them, and how do we deal with the signals those feelings give us?
5) Ah, for those of us who like films and shows with more dialogue than visual expression, it is time to express ourselves more too.
But! One thing is certain: another part of me (and us) likes visual expression more than dialogue.
See, if you force an explanation of a person, there are always countless ways to do it. Every one can make sense, and none can cover what the person really means.
Because a person's context always has parts that cannot be turned into words, and naturally parts that cannot be turned into images either.
6) Then why do people still explain themselves? Or express themselves?
This echoes my earlier frustration about having to come out.
I want to answer with a video that recently appeared on my Xiaohongshu homepage.
In it, a creator tells a story. She met a wonderful friend on social media, then went to visit her in her city. The friend posted a photo of them together. One of the friend's clients saw it and recognised the creator, whom she had followed for four or five years. When the creator visited the city again, she met that client. Before they said goodbye, the client gave her a copy of Bright Nights and a small note. The final line said: “This is the kind of person I am. These are the books I read. This is the kind of love I look at. Would you like to know me?”