CAPTCHA Got It Wrong About My Humanity
Choose the Things That Are Fragile
I type in the message I want to leave in the comment box beneath a friend’s blog post.
Then the CAPTCHA appears.
You know how it works. Before I can hit “submit,” I need to prove I am human.
Usually that means identifying things like traffic lights or crosswalks. This time, the challenge throws me.
Choose the things that are fragile.
The screen fills with eight tiny squares.
- Four contain teacups
- Four contain motorcycles
I know what they want me to click, even though I don’t think it’s accurate.
I have a very human response alright. But it isn’t what the spam blocker intends.
It isn’t logic. It is fear.
The Birthday Request
My young grandson had been waiting for his birthday for months. He had requested a dirt bike.
That was no surprise. Since he was tiny, he has always been fascinated by any vehicle with wheels. As he got older, he began riding trikes and bikes and motorized Power Wheels with confidence and coordination beyond his age. He’d been a happy passenger on his dad’s dirt bike every opportunity he could get.
And now he was ready for one of his own.
I knew this birthday was coming.
I knew this bike was coming.
But I dreaded it anyway.
Not because I doubted his abilities to ride a motorized bike. Nor did I doubt his parents’ judgment to choose an age-appropriate one.
My fear arose from knowing how fragile a little boy’s body can be.
I tear up when he skins a knee on the concrete after a bicycle wreck. I wince if he runs into something while playing. Add more speed and a bigger machine, and my imagination supplies even more possibilities of danger.
The Fragile Cargo
The birthday arrived.
The dirt bike was given.
The first ride was taken.
And my grandson loved it. Of course he did. And I was excited for him. Truly.
The bike is designed for beginners and doesn’t go very fast. When he rides, he wears every piece of safety gear imaginable. He rides supervised. He rides carefully.
And he rides with pure joy.
Still, I know he can get hurt. Then again, so can any of us. We can wreck our cars. Miss a step on the stairs. Catch a virus we never saw coming.
Life keeps us aware of all the ways things can break.
That’s why the CAPTCHA stops me.
I know I’m supposed to click only the teacups as the fragile items, not the motorcycles too. But I want to yell back, “ALL these items in the squares are fragile!”
Because a motorcycle is now carrying my fragile boy.
And with it, my fragile heart.
What AI Doesn’t Understand
Maybe I understand CAPTCHA’s question better than it does.
I’ve lived long enough to know that fragility isn’t limited to dainty china teacups.
Bodies are fragile.
Egos are fragile.
Relationships are fragile.
Part of being human means being fragile. AI might mimic our words and our logic and, in its own way, our kindness.
But AI cannot wake up at night and worry about a grandson riding a dirt bike.
It also can’t feel the delight we get watching someone receive a much-wanted birthday present and have it live up to their dreams.
AI does not know what love feels like.
A Human Choice
As a human being, I can breathe and bleed. I can laugh and cry. And I can bend and break. Every meaningful thing in my life carries the possibility of being broken or lost one day.
We live in fragile bodies with fragile hearts. We take risks every day, whether we’re getting behind the wheel of a car, starting a new relationship, trusting someone with our story.
Or climbing onto a dirt bike.
Sometimes we get hurt. And sometimes things break. Sometimes we break.
Yet on every morning that we can, we get up and do it again. Move again. Risk again.
And love again. Maybe that’s the real test of humanity: loving even when we know things can break.
To please CAPTCHA and get my comment approved, I click on the 4 teacups. I leave the motorcycles unchecked.
But between you and me, I know the most fragile things aren’t even the teacups.
They are the people.
Let’s keep choosing them.
What fragile thing do you continue to love despite the risks that come with caring deeply?
P.S. My One Word this year is Shift. Somewhere between the teacups and the motorcycles, my attention shifted from what was fragile to who was fragile.
More on AI:
- That “Friend” Is Not Who You Think They Are
As AI becomes more helpful and polite, it’s easy to confuse it with friendship. Think about why human connection still matters. - What the Algorithm Does to Our Words—and Why It Matters
How are algorithms changing language through online slang, euphemisms, and emotional manipulation? And what does it mean for our culture? - When to Ignore GPS (and Listen to Yourself Instead)
Sometimes GPS isn’t best. Here’s how one road trip reminded me that the best navigation system is sometimes your own intuition. - Do You Say Thank You to AI? The Bots Are Listening
Do you say thank you to AI? Are we trusting AI too much? Stay aware of how computers are shaping us.
- A Little Bit of Everything: 8 Book Recommendations Across Genres
- The Name I Couldn’t Quite Pronounce
You are absolutely right, Lisa. The most fragile things in the world are people and we can break, or break others, all too easily. I must confess, too, that watching my grandchild get on a dirt bike would cause me to worry and panic just imagining the hurt that could happen. It isn’t easy, but it’s at times like these that we have to remember that God is in control, not us. I hope your grandson has fun with his special birthday gift.
I wonder if we’re more protective as grandparents than we even were as parents? I’m not sure; I was protective as a mother too. However, I do know that kids need to have fun (within boundaries) and risks are a part of life. We’re definitely never in control. 🙂
It’s so hard to fathom your grandson is old enough for a dirt bike! I would be just as concerned. Thankfully, none of my sons were ever interested in dirt bikes, and my grandson seems to be unaware of them. But I remember when my oldest learned to drive, I wanted to follow him the first time he drove to school by himself.
As much as we want to keep our children and grandchildren from anything that could hurt them, it’s probably better to help them as they try new things to be safe as possible and to get back up when they fall.
I remember when my girls were learning to drive too. Yes, that first time they drive off by themselves? Quite gut-wrenching. Yet, it’s what we wanted for them. And I want my grandson to be willing to try new adventures too (as long as they’re not TOO daring! ha).
so true – it’s human. I would also pause because seeing motorcycle would make me think fragile too. You wrote: Life keeps us aware of all the ways things can break. That sentence gave me pause too. Life is both hard and joyous. Julian of Norwich wrote it is well and woe. And isn’t it amazing how fragile yet strong humans are? See you have me pondering…. That is what makes a great blog post!! Thank you.
“It is well and woe” – I haven’t heard that quote before; thanks for sharing it, Jean. So true. And yes, I often say that despite being in such fragile bodies, they’re also quite hardy and put up with a lot!
Wow, Lisa … this is a powerful post. “Every meaningful thing in my life carries the possibility of being broken or lost one day.” So true. Also, how can your grandson be old enough to ride a regular bike, much less a dirt bike? I’m glad he’s able to ride with pure joy. And I also understand how your heart feels about him riding at all. ❤️
Our mama (and grandmom) hearts just don’t want anyone to get hurt. Yet we also don’t want our kids or grandkids to miss out on life by trying to stay too safe. My heart still hurts thinking about your accident last year, Lois. There are so many things that are just totally out of our control. I’m so glad you survived it and are continuing to recover.
I love this post, Lisa! But maybe for an unexpected reason.
When I worked at Microsoft, I was for several years responsible for managing and maintaining the company’s CAPTCHA system. We used it to detect automated attacks from spammers and hackers. It was always imperfect, often annoying real humans but failing to stop many attacks. We never even considered the emotional impact these “tests” could have on people — which is ironic because of course it’s the emotional reaction that really does prove you’re human!
Thanks for the thoughtful post.
So very true! I remember how nervous I was getting my oldest his first 4 wheeler… and watching his younger brother flip it. Thankfully he was fine but I was definitely thinking of how fragile life was at that moment.
“My attention shifted from what was fragile to who was fragile.” Great summary, Lisa.
Ha! Your story reminds me of my brother’s adventure in Pennsylvania at Christmas two years ago. His grandson got a dirt bike, and Randy hopped on to try it out. Oops! The bike took off and Randy fell off the bike and broke his leg. Fragile at sixty!
The more our families grow the more poignant and present becomes the reality of our fragility. We know that the worst can happen. Thanks be to God for his mercy and his sovereignty.
I agree Lisa! Humans are fragile & as Grandmothers it’s difficult to watch our grandchildren taking on activities, work or careers that may put them in some type of danger.
When my daughters were growing up I wanted my daughters to experience life but always had boundaries & safety measures in place, appropriate for their age at the time. And some activities or experiences just had to wait until adulthood.
I’ve learnt & shifted over the years as a grandma & now as a great grandma, all I can do is commit their safety to the Lord, speak up to my adult grandchildren if there is an immediate unexpected danger they haven’t seen or taken into consideration & trust (as I do with my adult daughters). But a lot of prayer goes up to the Lord.
Blessings, Jennifer
This is so good, Lisa! We are fragile on so many levels.