The people saying no to AI

Plus: TikTok brings photos to life, Audible’s synthetic narrators, and why opting out of AI is harder than ever

Hey there, today we’re going to explore the growing resistance to AI from creators opting out, to TikTok animating photos, to Audible swapping narrators for synthetic voices.

In today’s post:

  • AI resistance

  • TikTok Alive

  • Audible voices

  • Trending AI tools + Resources to learn AI

What’s Trending Today

Launch

AI Alive turns still shots into stories

TikTok is launching a new tool called AI Alive. It transforms static photos into short, cinematic videos right inside TikTok Stories.

Here’s everything you need to know about it:

  • AI Alive brings motion, atmosphere, and effects to a single photo.

  • No editing skills needed just tap a photo and watch it come to life.

  • Think: sunsets that shift color, friends who smile back, waves that actually crash.

  • It’s built into the TikTok Story Camera, right next to your uploads.

  • Every AI Alive post is tagged and verified, with moderation built in.

  • Content shows up in your followers' feeds and on your profile, just like a regular Story.

  • It’s TikTok’s first AI-to-video tool and it’s made for everyday creators.

Here’s what I think:

TikTok isn’t just adding effects it’s redefining what a photo can be. AI Alive blurs the line between memory and moment, and it gives anyone the power to create something that feels alive. It’s a small feature, but it could shift how people tell their stories.

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AI?

Why some are refusing to join the AI wave

AI is everywhere tools like ChatGPT now rack up billions of visits a month.
But not everyone’s on board. Some are saying: enough.

  • Sabine Zetteler, a London agency founder, refuses to use AI on principle. For her, outsourcing creativity misses the point: “Where’s the joy in that?”

  • Florence Achery, who runs a yoga retreat, worries about AI’s energy use.

  • Others, like Sierra Hansen in Seattle, see AI as a threat to critical thinking.

  • Even in digital marketing, opting out isn’t easy some, like “Jackie Adams,” had to adapt or risk their job. She now uses AI reluctantly, realizing it’s become part of the baseline skillset.

  • As one ethicist puts it: AI will stay in jobs where explanation isn’t essential but the human touch still matters in others.

Here’s what I think:

Refusing AI isn’t about being anti-tech it’s about defending a sense of agency, ethics, or identity. But as adoption deepens, staying out gets harder. Whether it’s creative work, climate impact, or just autonomy, the resistance is a reminder: progress isn’t always the same as consent.

Update

Why audiobook lovers are worried about synthetic voices

Audible just announced it’s going all-in on AI narration. More than 100 synthetic voices, across multiple languages, are on the way.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Publishers can now use Audible’s AI tech to produce audiobooks via two options: Audible-managed or self-service.

  • AI translation is coming later this year potentially making every book available in every language.

  • Audible frames it as access: more stories, more voices, more listeners.

  • But voice actors, writers, and translators are pushing back—hard.

  • Critics say AI strips storytelling of soul, nuance, and identity.

  • They also worry about energy use, artistic dilution, and marginalization of underrepresented voices.

  • Others warn that this isn’t about better quality it’s about cost-cutting masked as progress.

Here’s what I think:

Audible’s pitch sounds noble expand access, lower barriers. But the backlash shows something deeper: people don’t just want more stories. They want good ones, told with care. And AI, no matter how smooth, can’t fake that yet. The real question isn’t whether AI can read books. It’s whether anyone wants to listen.

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