Manhood in the Age of Machines (Your Thursday Three Things for July 17, 2025)

AI Isn’t the Threat to Masculinity. Confusion Is.

We’re living in an era where traditional definitions of masculinity are being dismantled and artificial intelligence is accelerating the shift.

But AI isn’t creating this crisis. It’s just holding up a mirror.

The real threat isn’t technology. It’s how many of us have never stopped to ask what kind of men we want to be in the first place.

If AI is trained on toxic masculine stereotypes—hustle at all costs, domination over collaboration, emotion = weakness—it will replicate those patterns. But if it’s trained on curiosity, integrity, presence, compassion, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness (no, not like Skynet!) … it becomes a tool for transformation.

So let’s talk about it.

Masculinity is No Longer a One or Two Word Answer

For generations, manhood was defined by two things: provider and protector. Bring home the bacon. Go to war. Don’t cry. Be strong. Suck it up.

But those roles are no longer the default. Today, a “man” might be a stay-at-home parent, a software engineer, a special operator, a yoga teacher, or someone navigating gender transition.

In that diversity, the question has become more complicated—and more liberating:

🧭 What do I want my strength to look like?

🧭 What do I want to protect, build, and serve?

🧭 What values do I embody when no one’s watching?

AI won’t answer those questions for us. But it will reflect whatever standard we feed it.

You Don’t Need to Be Replaced by AI. You Need to Be Reinforced by It.

Here’s the thing no one’s talking about: AI can’t replace presence. It can’t replace depth. It can’t replace truth-telling under pressure.

The best use of AI isn’t to “think” for you—it’s to give you the space to think more clearly for yourself.

Used right, it becomes a mindfulness partner. A curiosity tool. A values mirror. Used wrong, it becomes an amplifier for your worst habits.

If you’re a man wrestling with who you are in this new landscape, here’s a full conversation WITH ChatGPT (we literally interviewed ChatGPT) that may challenge and support you in the best way: 🎧 Listen 📺 Watch

👇 And now, three tools to help you lead with clarity in an AI-saturated world.

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