Learning diary #2 Generating is cheap, but caring is expensive.
I received an email from a user couple days ago for Went, our recently launched product. The user said they couldn’t receive a confirmation email, so I tried to understand the issue they were facing. I checked the database, and then realized it wasn’t a real user—no sign-up, no walk.
That’s the moment I realized how expensive our care is. It used to be rare, and nowadays it’s even harder to find—because we slowly start to distrust who we interact with.
But I don’t think the problem is AI itself. We created this outcome—generating content without filtering, without thought, and most importantly, without care.
We are in a phase where “AI slop” is everywhere in our daily life. Maybe we need a better way to be more responsible about what we make. It makes me think: what is our value after the AI era? What kind of world do we want to live in?
By co-creating with AI more thoughtfully, I use a simple REAL check before creating or sharing anything:
R — Real Intent
Why am I using AI here?
Am I trying to help, explore, or express something real?
Or am I just filling space / chasing output?
E — Earned Output
Did I shape it to fit my thoughts, or did I just accept everything AI gave me?
A — Accountability
Am I willing to be associated with this?
Would I send this if my name was clearly attached?
Would I say this to someone directly?
L — Lived Context
Does this connect to something real—real experience, real person, real observation?
AI didn’t create meaningless content. It revealed how little filtering we were doing all along. So maybe the real skill now isn’t generating more, but learning when to stop, shape, and care.