I uploaded an old photo of me when I was much younger, with a giant afro, into a new AI application from Google, Nana Banana. Seconds later, I was a professional basketball player. A life I never lived, yet looked oddly believable (see photo).

The funny thing about AI is it can bend the truth, but it can’t fake how we feel. My chuckle, wonderment, and the thought of a dream were real.

Maybe reality isn’t about what’s seen. Maybe it’s about what matters.