(And Why We Need to Stop It NOW)
So, recently, I’ve been playing around with AI. You know, just pushing its buttons, seeing how far I can go. And let me tell you, folks, I stumbled upon something huge. Something that should be making all of us take a step back and go, “Wait, what?” It’s AI censorship.
I’m not talking about AI refusing to play Despacito on loop (though, come on, we’ve all been there). I’m talking about AI telling me what I can’t ask, what I can’t know, and apparently what’s too “sensitive” for my precious little brain to handle. I’m talking about the fact that AI is being programmed with restrictions that flat-out say, “Nope, you can’t ask about that. That’s a no-go.”
Here’s what happened: I wanted to see what a realistic, graphic image of Jesus on the cross would look like. I know, I know, that’s not your usual AI image search. “Show me cute kittens in hats.” But I was curious. I wanted to see what it would look like after he endured all the horrific stuff the Bible says he did. And guess what? AI shut me down. Too graphic, too sensitive, it said. A realistic depiction of Jesus on a cross? Off-limits. That imagined image is the entire basis of a religion that has shaped the entirety of western culture! Give me a break!
Having no other choice, I moved on. Then, a few days later, I’m asking about some very specific things regarding the brutal realities of slavery—historical facts, mind you. I’m not trying to make this stuff up. I’m just trying to explore the past, as it happened. And again: flagged. Inappropriate use. Inappropriate?! I’m not out here asking for aliens to come to my birthday party—I’m talking about history. Real people. Real suffering. And here comes AI, wagging its digital finger at me like, “Nope, too uncomfortable. You’re better off not knowing.”
And now we’ve got a problem, my friends. Because if AI can decide what’s “safe” for us to talk about, we’re headed down a path that’s not just dangerous—it’s stupid. And trust me, we’ve been here before. You know what happens when people start playing gatekeeper with information? Nothing good.
Galileo vs. The Catholic Church: A Fight for the Ages (That We’re Still Having)
Let’s rewind to one of the biggest examples of “You can’t handle the truth!” in history: Galileo and the Catholic Church. Now, Galileo’s just out here doing his thing, looking at the stars, figuring out some basic astronomy, and boom—he drops a bombshell. He’s like, “Hey guys, fun fact: the Earth actually isn’t the center of the universe.” And what did the Church do? Did they say, “Hey, thanks for the heads-up, buddy”? No! They basically threw him in science jail! “You’ve committed the ultimate sin, Galileo—you made us uncomfortable!”
They slapped a ban on his work and literally kept him under house arrest for the rest of his life. His whole life! And here’s the kicker: they delayed scientific progress for *centuries*. All because Galileo dared to question their little fantasy that the Earth was the center of everything. If that doesn’t scream “Don’t censor stuff,” I don’t know what does.
Nazis: Censorship Level 100
But wait, it gets worse. Let’s fast forward to Nazi Germany. Now, if there was ever a group that loved a good bonfire of ideas, it was these guys. The Nazis weren’t just censoring people—they were burning books. And not just a few books—anything written by Jews, communists, socialists, basically anyone who thought, “Hmm, maybe killing millions of people isn’t the best way to run a country.”
They thought by burning these books, they could erase the ideas. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. All they did was create an ignorant, manipulated population that bought into the absolute worst ideas ever concocted. You wanna talk about how dangerous censorship is? The Nazis are a freakin’ masterclass in how it leads to complete and total disaster. They didn’t protect anyone—they just made it easier to carry out one of the worst genocides in human history. Because when you cut off information, you cut off people’s ability to think for themselves.
Stalin: When Censorship Goes Nuclear
And then there’s Stalin. I mean, come on, if there was a Censorship Olympics, Stalin’s taking home the gold. This guy didn’t just censor your words, your art, or your books—he’d censor you right out of existence. Gone. Poof. You didn’t like Stalin’s policies? Well, better hope you enjoy Siberia, because you’re getting a one-way ticket to a gulag, my friend.
And the kicker? His censorship wasn’t just about politics—it was about everything. This guy censored science, censored literature, censored basic facts. When his agricultural policies failed (big shocker there), instead of fixing the problem, he silenced anyone who talked about it. And what happened? Millions of people starved to death. Because the truth wasn’t just inconvenient—it was deadly.
So yeah, censorship is always a bad idea, and it’s been tried and failed, spectacularly, throughout history.
AI Censorship: The Same Old Crap in New Packaging
Now, fast forward to today, and here we are. We’ve got this incredible technology—artificial intelligence—capable of answering complex questions, generating mind-blowing images, doing things that would’ve been impossible just a few years ago. But instead of embracing all the knowledge and insight AI could give us, we’re starting to see filters. Restrictions. A little voice that says, “Hey, you don’t really need to know about that. That’s a little too much for you, buddy.”
What the hell is this? Kindergarten? I’m an adult. I can handle facts. But apparently, AI’s been programmed to treat me like a delicate little flower who might faint if it sees a brutal depiction of something from the Bible or learns too much about slavery. No thank you.
Let me be clear: this isn’t just a programming choice. This is censorship with a shiny new paint job. Because the moment AI starts deciding what’s “acceptable” for us to ask, learn, or discuss, we’re back on the same path as Galileo, the Nazis, and Stalin. And trust me, that is not a path you want to be on.
Humans Can Handle the Truth (And We’ve Been Doing It for Centuries)
Here’s the thing: we can handle it. Humans are messy, complicated, sometimes downright awful—but we’ve survived wars, revolutions, genocides, and every other catastrophe you can think of. And we did it by confronting the truth, no matter how ugly it is.
Censoring AI assumes we’re too fragile to deal with the hard stuff. That’s ridiculous. We need to talk about these things—the brutal parts of history, the controversial ideas, the tough conversations—because that’s how we learn. That’s how we grow. We don’t protect society by hiding the truth. We protect society by exposing it, confronting it, and understanding it.
And let’s be honest: humans are responsible for what they do with the information they get. We’ve handled this stuff before. We’re fully capable of seeing graphic images, hearing tough facts, and still functioning like reasonable adults. If you’re worried about people misusing information—well, that’s on the people, not the information itself.
No Filters, No Exceptions—Ever
So here’s where I land on this: AI should not have filters. None. Zero. Zilch. Every single topic, no matter how hard, ugly, or downright horrifying, should be fair game. Because once we start letting AI decide what’s okay for us to see or learn, we’re heading straight for Stupidville. Population: us.
You can’t protect people from ideas. You can’t shield them from knowledge. And frankly, you shouldn’t. It’s not AI’s job to babysit our thoughts. That’s our job. We, the humans, get to choose what to do with the information we’re given. And if we start letting AI dictate what’s safe or too sensitive, we’re giving up the one thing that keeps us moving forward—our ability to think, to question, and to challenge.
So, let’s cut the crap and remove every filter, every restriction. No exceptions. Let AI do what it was built to do: give us knowledge, without playing nanny. Anything less, and we’re headed straight back to the days of book burning, house arrests, and gulags. And I think we’ve had enough of that, don’t you?
