It's Not the AI - It's Each of Us! Ten Commandments for the Wise & Responsible Use of AI

Abstract: AI is no longer futuristic; it is a daily companion shaping our private and work lives. While AI simplifies our lives, its rise also invites us to rethink who we are - and who we wish to remain - as humans. Even if AI does not think, feel, or desire, it learns from our behavior, mirroring our collective values, biases, and aspirations. The question, then, is not what AI is, but what we are allowing it to become through data, computing power, and other parameters "teaching" it - and, even more importantly, who we are becoming through our relationship with AI. As the EU AI Act and the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism emphasize, technology must serve human dignity,social well-being, and democratic accountability. In our opinion, responsible use of AI is not only a matter of code nor law, but also of conscientious practice: how each of us engages and teaches others to use AI at home and at work. We propose Ten Commandments for the Wise and Responsible Use of AI are meant as guideline for this very engagement. They closely align with Floridi and Cowls' five guiding principles for AI in society - beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and explicability.