AI Is Not a Tool — It’s an Instrument We Must Learn to Play
A hammer helps you build. A violin asks you to learn a phrase. AI is closer to the violin. We often hear AI described as a tool — a neutral extension of human intent. Something you pick up, point, and apply. But that language downplays its nature. Tools don’t talk back. Instruments, on the other hand, respond. They shape the way you play, reveal new sounds you didn’t expect, and demand practice to master. If we keep calling AI a tool, we miss the more interesting truth: it’s an instrument. ...