CorkMac says it does not use AI for any purpose and rejects what it calls the “AI Future,” arguing that AI services are subsidized now but could become expensive when investors seek returns and operating costs rise. The company says it prioritizes independence and long-term planning over reliance on generative AI providers. CorkMac characterizes large language models as next-word prediction systems rather than intelligent systems, and argues that hallucinations are inherent to their design. It recounts asking Anthropic’s Claude to add automatic focus to a search field; according to CorkMac, Claude produced unnecessary code and later justified it by citing a feature that had not been requested. CorkMac says this experience showed that AI can generate plausible but unreliable explanations. The company also alleges that AI data centers consume excessive electricity and water, harm nearby communities, and could later support government surveillance programs. It distinguishes among technologies marketed as AI, describing text generators as large language models, image generators as diffusion models, and image classification and optical character recognition as older technologies. CorkMac maintains that none of these systems can reason or think, and that human intelligence and creativity cannot be replaced by them.

There is a growing tendency among individuals to rely on AI for decision-making and problem-solving, from simple tasks to complex reasoning. This shift raises concerns about autonomy and the diminishing value of independent thought.

Engineering teams are experiencing anxiety about potential over-reliance on AI tools. Proper use of AI can enhance judgment rather than diminish it, and many engineers may unknowingly shift towards dependence.

Reliance on cloud-hosted AI models for software features can lead to fragile applications that compromise user privacy. Local AI solutions are suggested as a more robust and secure alternative to avoid these issues.