AI: Continuous Degradation
December 9, 2025
Many folks are unhappy with the flood of AI “tools” popping up unbidden. For example, writer Raghav Sethi at Make Use Of laments, “I’m Drowning in AI Features I Never Asked For and I Absolutely Hate It.” At first, Sethi was excited about the technology. Now, though, he just wishes the AI creep would stop. He writes:
“Somewhere along the way, tech companies forgot what made their products great in the first place. Every update now seems to revolve around AI, even if it means breaking what already worked. The focus isn’t on refining the experience anymore; it’s about finding new places to wedge in an AI assistant, a chatbot, or some vaguely ‘smart’ feature that adds little value to the people actually using it.”
Gemini is the author’s first example: He found it slower and less useful than the old Google Assistant, to which he returned. Never impressed by Apple’s Siri, he found Apple Intelligence made it even less useful. As for Microsoft, he is annoyed it wedges Copilot into Windows, every 365 app, and even the lock screen. Rather than helpful tool, it is a constant distraction. Smaller firms also embrace the unfortunate trend. The maker of Sethi’s favorite browser, Arc, released its AI-based successor Dia. He asserts it “lost everything that made the original special.” He summarizes:
“At this point, AI isn’t even about improving products anymore. It’s a marketing checkbox companies use to convince shareholders they’re staying ahead in this artificial race. Whether it’s a feature nobody asked for or a chatbot no one uses, it’s all about being able to say ‘we have AI too.’ That constant push for relevance is exactly what’s ruining the products that used to feel polished and well-thought-out.”
And it is does not stop with products, the post notes. It is also ruining “social” media. Sethi is more inclined to believe the dead Internet theory than he used to be. From Instagram to Reddit to X, platforms are filled with AI-generated, SEO-optimized drivel designed to make someone somewhere an easy buck. What used to connect us to other humans is now a colossal waste of time. Even Google Search– formerly a reliable way to find good information– now leads results with a confident AI summery that is often wrong.
The write-up goes on to remind us LLMs are built on the stolen work of human creators and that it is sopping up our data to build comprehensive profiles on us all. Both excellent points. (For anyone wishing to use AI without it reporting back to its corporate overlords, he points to this article on how to run an LLM on one’s own computer. The endeavor does require some beefy hardware, however.)
Sethi concludes with the wish companies would reconsider their rush to inject AI everywhere and focus on what actually makes their products work well for the user. One can hope.
Cynthia Murrell, December 9, 2025
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