By Michael Downing
Last semester, after I completed a required online training module at my university, I provided feedback to the university training coordinator. The point of my feedback was that there was more than one “correct” answer for at least two questions. The coordinator thanked me for the feedback and told me that the creator of the training module–Vector Solutions–was “eager” to have feedback on its offerings.
I thought that was interesting because, in the past, these training module developers were not actively cultivating feedback, at least as far as I could tell. The product was the product–made by humans–and unless there was a glaring issue, it was more or less complete, at least for a year or until the information became outdated.
I did some research on Vector Solutions and found that they have gone deep into the use of AI. It is no surprise, then, that they want feedback. They know that they are producing “knowledge” (read: language) without perspective so they are on an all-out mission to cultivate and incorporate human perspective wherever possible, essentially using humans as knowledge proxies without compensation.
This semester (Spring 2026), the training came around again. This module is Round Two on Hazing and–as advisor to a student club–I am on the required list. Although I was not compelled to take Round Two (having completed Round One in the fall), I opened the link and started the video just out of curiosity.
My reaction to what I saw was distressing–not only because AI has no human perspective and because it is parasitically using humans as a host to educate itself–but because it potentially enables would-be abusers by emphasizing information in potentially irresponsible ways.
Let us look at Question #1: Understanding Hazing
The first set of questions asks about the differences between bullying and hazing. Seems like a awfully specific point to make in a sea of trouble related to brutal actions occasionally ending in the death of a human being, but okay, let’s see what you got.
The initial problem I encountered within the module itself is that the video provides two answers that are both undeniably true on the question of hazing vs. bullying, and subsequently gives rise to a situation which can–potentially–lead to further abuse.
On the first round of questions in the training, the AI claims the correct answer is:
#2 “The difference between hazing and bullying is that bullying is about exclusion while hazing is about acceptance.”
But this answer is also available:
#4 “There is no difference as they both inflict harm.”
Both are obviously true, but #4 is the better answer, as no matter how you slice it, both inflict harm and, naturally, prevention/intervention is key.
I suppose if I’m being generous, answer #2 can also suffice–it slices thin, but okay–so it comes down to a coin flip terms of getting the right answer.
I got tails. I chose #4 and it was marked wrong. So, AI, let me get this straight, as an advisor to a campus group, it seems I am supposed to internalize Lesson Number One as “Hazing is Actually about Acceptance.”
We’re off to a fruitcake start here.
Yes, I do understand the precise, intellectual point that bullying can be categorized behaviorally as rooted in exclusion and hazing can emanate from the abuser as acceptance, but–hold on–that’s what you want me to take away from the first round of questions? Damn.
Can we get a human involved here?
From my perspective–as one of millions of people who have been abused/bullied/hazed, in the end there’s little difference. The blood, bruises, belittlement–the torn hair and clothing–remain somehow indifferent to the finer intellectual points of this training video.
There is no denying that both bullying and hazing inflict harm, no matter how the abuser might spin it: “Oh man, we actually really love you; now drink this entire bottle of vodka.”
What the hell?
I found myself wondering: “Why is the AI trying to sugar-coat hazing, making it seem like it’s somehow about acceptance? ” Seems to be enabling the abuser. I know that if I was an abuser, I would immediately incorporate that rhetoric into my repertoire. I can hear it now:
“It’s not bullying, my man, it’s about acceptance. Now I’m going to handcuff to a railroad car overnight and in the morning, you’ll be in our group. Just like you wanted.”
That question is really messed up. Hazing is a form of bullying and both are about power. Making someone drink too much is bullying. It is coercion. It is hazing.
What’s next? Sexual assault is really about affection? Yikes…where we headed here, AI?
Then it goes on to say hazing includes being “beaten or paddled, running a deadly gauntlet, ingesting vile substances, and water intoxication”—all forms of bullying to a reasonable person. All forms of abuse.
That line of thought is really messed up in a profound way.
Let’s look at Question #2: What theoretical explanation is there for the escalation of hazing behaviors?
I looked it up on the web immediately before answering just for comparison and this is what I found: misperceived norms.
Google: One of the key theoretical explanations for the escalation of hazing is the concept of misperceived norms. This occurs when individuals within a group believe that harmful or degrading hazing behaviors are widely accepted or expected, even if they are not. New members may observe existing members participating in hazing rituals and mistakenly interpret these actions as normative behavior. This misperception can lead to increased participation in harmful rituals as individuals conform to what they believe are group standards, resulting in a cycle of escalating hazing practices.
But the answer “misperceived norms” on the training module is incorrect, according to AI. The correct answer is “#4 Sociopathy.”
Now, I do agree that there are sociopathic elements present in hazing situations; however, this is another case of two “correct” answers being provided by the machine. A simple Google search immediately brings up “misperceived norms” as the top answer (although the AI does cite one researcher who claims that all hazing is sociopathic so it must be true in all situations).
What are we doing here?
I’ve seen the hazers–the bullies–up close and I would not say that they are all a bunch of sociopaths. There will be a few among them–typically the leaders–but not all of them. Many of them go along to get along, so to label the entire group as sociopaths is to misunderstand the situation.
So here we all are, tangling with AI, a form of “intelligence”—with absolutely no perspective on its part—as it tries to guess at right answers, tossing language around like it knows something. Maybe with a bit of human intervention, the material and quizzes can be tweaked so that they more accurately fit the situation, but that’s not the case right now.
Right now, it’s God-level dumbass enforcing asshattery on us, as though it knows how to help humans become more humane.
I couldn’t go any further into the video. It was infuriating and felt–ironically–like I was being bullied–actually “hazed” so as to continue to be “accepted” by my employers (to use the AI terms…seems I’m starting to see the light). It felt like I was being coerced into experiencing goofy information on a clearly explosive topic that was generated–for profit–by some non-organic chips in a data center…the silicon guessing at the truth of the situation, hoping for real humans to eventually show it the way.
I want to say that it will get better, but we’ve all heard these promises before as it relates to technology. We were supposed to have more free time–not less–but everywhere I look people are working more and the extra work is facilitated/enabled by tech: laptops, smartphones, networks, and the internet…and the amount of software we need to master on a regular basis is exhausting, stressful, frustrating, and ultimately depressing, because it’s all so impersonal.
Joseph Campbell said computers are like Old Testament Gods: “Lots of rules and no mercy.” Seems like it is only going to get worse as AI sinks its tentacles into our everyday lives. The truth of it is that all this plagiarized language resides on silicon which has never lived as a human being–not one day–and yet we humans are supposed to embrace its wisdom as practical training and enlist it to fashion our collective conscience, such as how to understand and react to interpersonal abuse within campus groups.
How about identifying some of the behaviors, characteristics, and dynamics of abusive/bullying/hazing situations?
How about keeping an eye open for instances of humiliation, endangerment, secrecy, or coerced behavior?
How about keeping an ear open for instances of forced alcohol or drug consumption, sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, or other “mandatory requirements,” along with sudden behavioral changes, such as isolation, exhaustion, or weight loss?
Instead, we get “hazing is a form of acceptance.”
What I haven’t mentioned yet is that this situation is–from my vantage point–a huge problem for universities who typically disallow/discourage the use of AI by students but are eagerly handing over money to AI developers to satisfy mandatory training requirements invoked by legislators and administrators.
Do as I say, not as I do, eh?
Let’s hear it for the shortcuts, then. College students will soon be able to complete their four-year degrees in two semesters, using AI, because everybody is using it to achieve their goals, including universities and legislators and businesses–why not students?
Are we all cool with that? Perhaps we are. Perhaps resistance is futile. Perhaps this is the future. All the things in half the time.
At the end of the day, however, we can massage this machine-generated trash as much as we like, but it’s always going to be machine-generated trash. No amount of human intervention is going to change that. The soul of it will always belong–first and foremost–to a machine.
It’s always going to be Frankenstein’s monster.
I know I’m yelling at the sky here, but that’s okay. I’ll try to hang on to my humanity in the face of the Silicon Colonization until I breathe my last breath. I’ll also be first in line to defend humanity during the upcoming Robot Wars of 2030.
Where’s my plasma gun?
My Writing Wanderland 