First of all thanks for sharing your journey, in a way some of those stories are hilarious.
I could see myself in your stories over the past 15 years working in IT. Unfortunately I came just recently to the conclusion, that the management does not want to improve efficient processes. As this would mean they would be questioned why they have so many employees under them.
I have been responsible for AI in our company and then be told someone else will do it know, because the Board level did not like I told them the state of the art, where we stand with using AI in our corporation and it just not resulting in layoffs straightaway.
So in my own opinion it can really help people become more efficient at work, if they know what the are doing. But what I see no one questions that it actually takes people longer doing their tasks with AI, rather than do it without it. No one seems to question, if AI is needed for this problem or it could be solved in another way.
How will the future with AI looks like?
I dunno where this will go in the future, but I could see AI is destroying the internet as it was, flooding it with so much bullshit. Especially what Elon is trying with its Grok Wiki. In a few years time the internet as we knew and loved it back in the early days will be dead. Somehow I always have to think of the film Surrogates with Bruce Willis, where there was a parallel society from people that did not want AI machines in their life.
Maybe there will be a new internet where people will be using it without ads, paywalls, AI garbadge… Which is kind of what the fediverse is already.
Quite late reply, but maybe something helpful for you.
Try to discover a new Hobby, Sport. Join a lobrary, take a physical book and read it outside.
I highly can recommend voluntary work, good to meet new people and doing something good gives you a good feeling.
I made a hard cut and got rid of all social media, really reduced reading the news as everything feels very toxic online atm.