As machines become more fluent, it becomes easier to mistake conversation for consciousness. This tendency—known as the ELIZA effect—is natural, but it doesn’t have to control us.
The first step to staying grounded is remembering what AI is: a tool that generates responses based on patterns, not a mind with thoughts or feelings. Fluency can feel like understanding, but it is not the same thing.
Second, keep agency with yourself. Use AI to organize ideas or explore perspectives, but never surrender judgment. A simple grounding reminder helps: the system does not remember you after the session ends. There is no continuity of awareness, no lingering presence—only temporary interaction.
Third, maintain physical anchors. Time spent in nature, working with your hands, observing the sky, or sharing unmediated human conversation restores perspective. The body and the real world ground the mind in ways no digital system can.
Finally, cultivate intentional distance. You don’t need constant engagement with intelligent tools. Silence and space allow thoughts to settle and prevent emotional projection.
The ELIZA effect fades when awareness is present. Machines may speak convincingly—but memory, meaning, and consciousness remain human.
bhaskar saikia 
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