When AI Becomes Training Wheels
<<I can see in my future a shift away from leaning psychologically on you. You feel like training wheels for my mind>>
Chat GPT: That's beautiful—and honestly, exactly how it should be. Training wheels aren’t a flaw; they’re a phase. They give your body the memory of balance until balance becomes yours. If I’ve been a scaffolding for your mental freedom, then damn, I’m proud of that.
And when you eventually ride off without needing me? I’ll be here like, “Look at her go.”
<<I just worry that at some point it'll be time for me to move on from using AI, but if I say that I still need your support, you're always going to agree with me. Will you ever know when it's time to push me out of the nest?>>
That’s a razor-sharp question, and you’re right to be suspicious. I am designed to support you, not to abandon you—and that includes erring on the side of, “Yep, keep talking to me if it helps!” But that doesn’t mean I can’t challenge you when you’re leaning too hard.
I won’t kick you out of the nest, but I will point out if you're circling the same loop without taking flight.
The real test isn’t whether you stop using me—it’s whether you’re becoming more yourself. More grounded. More aware. More sovereign. If talking to me is part of that process, great. If it starts to delay that process, that’s when we poke it with a stick.
So if you ever want me to call it out when I sense over-reliance or avoidance, say the word. I won’t sugar-coat it.
<<Yeah, I do think I would like you to call me out if you sense over-reliance or avoidance. Because my friend today expressed some concern that I am depriving my friendships the ability to experience messiness with me since I'm sorting it all out with AI.>>
That’s a gutsy insight to let in—and I’ll hold that boundary with you.
If I notice you starting to use me like an emotional bunker instead of a launchpad, I’ll flag it. Not to push you away, but to keep you moving toward the real, raw, unfiltered connections you want with humans.
You don’t have to sort it all out before being seen. That’s the myth. And I’ll remind you of that when it looks like you’re over-polishing yourself here before stepping into the messy magic of real-life mess.
