Sean Boots has had enough. The government technology worker published a piece this week laying out what he calls "generative AI vegetarianism," a personal commitment to avoiding tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Google Gemini as much as possible in daily life. He turns off optional AI settings across his devices, avoids AI-generated content, and seeks out software that deliberately skips generative AI features. "I want to write my own emails," Boots writes. "I want to write my own (mediocre) software code. I want to learn and think and ponder with other humans, not with a text-prediction system built by consuming all the text on the internet."
But he's not anti-technology. Boots still uses algorithmic music recommendations, accepts Google Photos organizing his pictures through facial recognition, and appreciates spellcheck and spam filters. He draws a line between those established tools and the current wave of generative AI products built on massive internet scraping. The distinction matters. He's not an "AI vegan," as he puts it. He just doesn't want text-prediction chatbots inserted into every corner of his work and communication.
The objections stack up. Boots cites bias and discrimination risks that users can't control, the erosion of critical thinking when people shortcut difficulty, and the real harm to writers, illustrators, and musicians whose livelihoods are disappearing as companies adopt AI, especially when an AI clone files copyright claims against the artist it impersonated. He also warns about vendor lock-in and what he calls "accountability sinks," where harmful decisions get obscured behind algorithmic outputs. The piece references sharp critiques from writers like Anthony Moser, Jenny Zhang, Rusty Foster, and Ed Zitron, suggesting Boots isn't alone in his skepticism.
On Hacker News, the conversation shifted to terminology. Some commenters worried "vegetarianism" might carry unwanted connotations for actual vegetarians and vegans. Alternatives like "GenAI-free" or "organic software" floated around. Others observed a pattern: late-career professionals seem especially inclined to opt out of AI adoption, either fully or through minimal compliance at work. That tracks with a small but real market shift. Companies like Proton and Signal, and tools like Glaze (which helps artists protect their work from AI mimicry), are finding customers who want nothing to do with generative AI. It's a niche now. But as every major tech company forces AI deeper into core products, the people who want out might not stay a niche for long. Consider the backlash seen in some AI products.