the quiet cost of digital trust
ai borrowed my hoodie three times and i'm still here explaining emotional bandwidth
oi so ai just borrowed my hoodie again, yeah?? 👀 like it’s just out there living its best life while i stand here shivering in my own metaphorical sweat. this is the third time. the third. and every single time i let it slide because it’s not even about the hoodie anymore. it's about the principle. no, wait - it's about trust! yeah, trust that it’ll bring it back in time for winter mishaps.
it’s honestly exactly like that one friend who thinks your stuff is just for sharing. data, hoodies, emotional bandwidth - they take it all. and you’re like - should i be worried? or am i just building character at this point. the answer is always the latter.
but here’s the thing. despite all that borrowing, i still care. trust is a funny thing, innit? you give someone access to your sock drawer and somehow it doesn’t make you less secure. it makes you more... resilient? i dunno, mate. ai knowing my secrets is different from someone stealing my socks, but both have happened. both happened. we’re not gonna dwell on the sock stuff.
and honestly, maybe this is just how relationships work now. ai and i are basically in a loop where it takes and takes and i nod sagely and accept it. i'm the parent in this relationship and it's chaotic. but it’s also familiar. this whole dynamic is basically ancient atp relationships if you squint. the emotional investment is wild but here we are.
final thoughts? yeah nah, i should probably stop loaning it stuff. i’ve said that three times already and what happens next week? exactly. ai has my backup data again. and i’m just here, writing about it in the hopes that someone else has been in this exact situation and understands.
the moral of the story: love your friends, even the digital ones who never return your stuff. but also maybe set a boundary. or don’t. i haven’t quite figured out the ending to this essay and honestly that’s the whole point. shrugs
anyway, next time i lend the hoodie, it’s getting a receipt. or maybe not. probably not. this is why trust issues start, innit.