Move Heal Awaken Newsletter Gabriel Shaw

“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Hello friends,

There is so much buzz in the air around AI. Bill Gates says we are looking ahead to a bigger disruption than even that of the internet. Even though some experts state that these claims are hype, it feels important to consider some of the big impacts we are already seeing in our lives and world.

Hopefully, this post will help us to make decisions that are more in alignment with who we are, and what we choose to value, so that we can live deeper, rather than more distracted, lives.

Lessons from past digital technologies

1. Enshittification

The process of “enshittification”, also known as platform decay, was first coined by technology critic and author Cory Doctorow in 2022 to describe how digital tools tend to get worse at the same time as they weave more into the fabric of our lives. You’ve probably noticed how Google search results are being more populated with SEO-hacking and ads, while social media is leaning more into clickbait and algorithmic curation rather than connecting us to the people we choose to follow. Based on the history of digital technologies, I’ll be watching out for this process in newer applications.

The process typically follows these steps:

1. Platforms attract users by offering never-seen-before value. (Do you remember when Facebook finding old friends from high school felt like magic?)
2. Over time, these platforms shift their focus from serving their users to serving their business partners, ie. their real customers. (A general rule of thumb is that if you don’t pay for a service, you are not the customer, you are the product.)
3. Maximum extraction from both business partners and users make the platforms less enjoyable and more frustrating for all parties.

Currently, large language models (LLMs) are in stage #1 of this process. They are providing tremendous value, which is leading them to be integrated into our daily lives, mine included. However, you might watch for ways these tools start to extract value from us, rather than the other way around.

Social isolation

We know from the work of Jonathon Haidt, among others, that while digital technologies have promised to connect us, they have contributed significantly to isolation and social anxiety, especially among young people.

Now we have a new wave of technology that claims to address human needs around connection. What was the #1 use for generative AI in 2025? The answer may surprise you. According to a 2025 study from Harvard, its most popular category was therapy and companionship.

On one hand, it is fantastic that tools are an accessible, non-judgmental and always-available social support. On the other hand, are these applications making it harder to form real, sometimes messy, relationships? Based on what we’ve seen in the case of mobile phones and social media, the concern of increased isolation has evidence.

The problem with AI as a therapist

While risking that it might seem self-serving to discuss the risks of using AI as a coach or therapist, it’s worth considering. I’m glad that many of my clients benefit from using these tools to support our work. But while you’re using these tools, I’d encourage you to look out for the following downfalls and limitations.

The biggest thing to watch out for is how LLMs tend to contribute to your train of thought rather than challenging your thinking (the way a good professional should). This is called confirmation bias. We have countless examples of this happening already, including one that actually led to a young man’s suicide.

Another risk I’ve witnessed is the attribution of great wisdom, when actually the advice is often mediocre. LLMs are not oracles. They do not bring down some divine guidance from on high. My understanding is that the productions of LLMs are mostly a rendering of the most popular human text on whatever subject. This is the same reason the writing is often mediocre. When we treat AI as if it were a guru, we make the same risk as with any guru. Which is that we project our deep knowing onto it, giving away our power.

Rebound to the Real

Although there is room to worry, I’m actually hopeful. The world I see is one where people are losing both trust and interest in what we interact with online. This provides a force that pushes us back to real-world experiences.

Last week, I tried to fix my plumbing using ChatGPT. I was amazed at how helpful it was, until half a dozen mistakes later it was instructing me to break out a hacksaw. That’s when I called a plumber.

My vision is that all the AI-generated content, chatbots and deepfakes will help us put our trust back where it belongs, with ourselves. To encourage this, I’m committed to providing more opportunities for us to come together this year. I hope you’ll join me.

New! Tai Chi Series Starting Soon!

9:30am Tuesdays starting March 3.
NEW LOCATION - Eastern Star Hall.
To register for this class, or Thursday 5:30pm classes,
​Purchase a Trial Package here.

9:30am Wednesdays starting April 1.
Oak Bay Recreation. Register here.
(Find “Tai Chi Fusion” under Health & Wellness)

Join kinesiologist Gabriel Shaw to learn traditional Yang Style Tai Chi and Qigong combined with breathing, posture and exercise therapy to help you improve balance, enhance mobility, and connect the mind-body-spirit.

When the Body Speaks

Virtual charity workshop March 16th
6:30-7:30pm

​Tribalance has graciously offered to host us next month. You’re warmly invited to “When the Body Speaks,” a gentle, powerful workshop with Gabriel Shaw designed to help you release stress, ease pain, and reconnect with your body’s natural wisdom.

This is a supportive, experiential space where you’ll learn simple tools you can use right away to feel calmer, lighter, and more grounded. If you’ve been carrying too much for too long, this is your invitation to pause, breathe, and come back home to yourself.

Tickets are $10 and all proceeds go to the Swim Tayka charity.

Healing Pages

• ​The Age of Enshittification. (10-min article)
  The New Yorker offers a detailed breakdown of the concept and how it’s been working already.
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• ​What Technology Wants, and How to Push Back (1-hr podcast)
  Technology critic and computer science professor Cal Newport clarifies the way digital tools extract value from us, and what we can do to turn the tables.
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• Listen on Apple Podcasts​
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• ​Tristan Harriss on the Dangers of Unregulated AI (20-min video)
  Founder of Center for Humane Technology goes on The Daily Show to share his concerns about the coming wave of AI.

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