Exploring the Creative Age: AI, Humanity, and Connection

Not Your Typical Engineer

I'm Tyrone—a South African software engineer who doesn't fit the stereotype. I've spent over a decade building systems, architecting solutions, and writing code. I know the deep end of the tech stack, but I also know when to stay shallow, get things done, and move forward. Still, you're more likely to find me at dusk surrounded by people—drawn to the energy of crowds while remaining weirdly introverted myself. I gravitate toward human connection even as I quietly try to figure out what the fuck the point of it all is.

Moving from Johannesburg to Austin taught me something simple: happiness is only real when shared. That line from Into the Wild stuck with me when I found myself walking unfamiliar streets, during a very lonely season of my life, missing the friends I'd grown up with.

Discovering AI on Quiet Streets

It was during those difficult suburban walks that I first began chatting with AI—not to replace human connection, but because I needed someone patient enough to explore ideas deeply, without judgment. AI became a conversation partner who knew psychology, philosophy, and history—someone who had time and willingness to help me uncover new truths about myself. It wasn't merely technical; it was profoundly personal.

That's when it clicked: AI democratizes intelligence. It shifts power away from ivory towers and into the hands of anyone curious enough to ask a good question. It gives voice to those who struggle to articulate their ideas clearly—people like me, who feel deeply but have difficulty naming exactly what we feel. AI takes our messy, half-formed thoughts and helps shape them into clear, powerful ideas. It doesn't reward IQ; it rewards curiosity, clarity, creativity.

Welcome to the Creative Age

We weren't built for the industrial age. Humans thrive on creativity, exploration, and solving difficult problems—not repetitiveness, cubicles, and spending half our lives with people who don't matter to us. If AI can help break this mold, I'm all ears. Sam Altman calls it the Intelligence Age; I call it the Creative Age. An age where AI doesn't replace our jobs but makes them fucking fulfilling again.

My exploration focuses on how uniquely human traits—things like Theory of Mind, Violation of Expectations, and Emergent Behavior—are starting to appear in AI. These concepts are rooted not in code, but in human psychology and social dynamics. When an AI anticipates your thoughts, surprises you with unexpected insights, or feels personalized beyond mere logic, something fundamentally new is happening: we're building technology in our own image, deeply informed by who we are as humans.

What You'll Find Here

• Essays: Stories that show what happens when you train AI to understand your specific way of thinking.
• Notes: Raw ideas captured throughout my day—the messy building blocks of bigger thoughts.
• 5-Day Experiments: Step-by-step guides showing how I train AI to become my creative partner.

Join Me on This Journey

This digital garden is my space to document and explore the intersection between AI and humanity. I invite you—technologists, creatives, philosophers, skeptics—to explore alongside me. This isn't a solo journey; it's a collective adventure into understanding what makes us fundamentally human in an age of intelligent machines. If you resonate with these ideas, reach out. Let's talk, collaborate, and build something meaningful together—because the most important conversations happen when technology meets authentic human connection.

Connect With Me

• GitHub: TYRONEMICHAEL
• Twitter: @tyroneavnit
• LinkedIn: Tyrone Avnit
• Email: tyronemichael@gmail.com