When I’ve heard people worrying about artificial intelligence, and how it’s either going to take all our jobs or kill us all, my reaction has been less dramatic, and to the contrary, even hopeful. To those terrified by the no-doubt imminent and exponential imposition of machine learning and mechanistic tyranny, I must seem lax and complacent.
To my mind, the lighter side of AI is that it will remind us about what we are truly here for on this earth; and that is to be, and to explore what this gift of human life can bring about – especially at the outer edges of our consciousness and capability. We need not take on and fight our robotic impersonators, who we should be teaching to do things that are evidently beneath us, if it turns out machines can manage to do them instead of us..
Let’s let ‘them’ do the heavy lifting. And let’s let us, the supposedly most intelligent of the earth’s species, come ‘back to life’, finally freed of the industrialised expectations that have burdened and broken the human spirit, for far too long.
And if my take on this hot topic IS too hopeful, lax or complacent for your liking, I will, in what follows, put my money where my mouth is and go head to head – or Munson to Grok – with the dreaded tech, as it mechanistically (how else) sums up ‘the 10 things people should know about moving to Portugal’.
Grok, X’s AI tool, begins on this increasingly popular matter by saying: “Moving to Portugal offers a vibrant, affordable lifestyle,” which this human would tend to agree with, but would add immediately, having been blessed with some humanity: “Affordable to whom?”
“Portugal is budget-friendly compared to Western Europe”, it (I’m not sure of the pronouns) continues. “A one-bedroom apartment in Lisbon rents for €800–€1,200/month, or €500–€800 in smaller towns. Groceries cost €200–€300/month for two, and meals out are €10–€15. Prices are higher in Lisbon and the Algarve, so explore areas like Coimbra for savings.”
Simplistic and subjective details like these were always, and remain searchable on the web (at least until AI completes its takeover of Googling), so there’s little to worry about from my point of view as an ‘influencer’ and consultant, helping people resource themselves for the rest of their life in Portugal.
Similarly: “EU citizens register after 90 days. Non-EU citizens can apply for the D7 Visa or Golden Visa” and “Visas require documents like income proof and insurance, taking 3–6 months to process, followed by a residence permit”, are also lightweight and potentially changeable generalities that no one need fear AI about.
So too, straightforward info’ like: “The public SNS system provides free or low-cost care; non-EU residents need private insurance until enrolled. Private visits cost €40–€80. Rural areas have fewer facilities, so choose locations near hospitals”, is the sort of guidance that pro-Portugal professionals should be pleased is available, and about which they needn’t be bothered.
Incidentally, should any of this information have been useful to you so far, I will say I am delighted, and in no way threatened. So let’s continue, to see what one day might separate man and machine, and change my so-far untroubled mind…
“Portuguese is key for integration, though English is common in cities,” says Grok. “Learn phrases like “Bom dia” (Good morning) for daily tasks”, is undeniably good, if shallow, advice. And it’s here that it starts to get weird and wonky, with a random gem: “Language courses help with regional accents, especially in the north.”
Er, OK Grok. What about the weather?
“Portugal’s Mediterranean climate offers mild winters (5–15°C) and hot summers (20–35°C). The Algarve has 300+ sunny days; Porto sees more rain. Inland areas like Alentejo hit 40°C, so plan for seasonal clothing and energy costs,” you say? OK, that ‘300 days of sunshine’ thing is questionable now, even to the likes of the most ardent and blinkered Lusophiles, like myself. And ‘inland’ Alentejo has a coast, so plan for Atlantic humidity alongside those rather vague ‘seasonal, energy costs’!
Worryingly, Grok includes in its top ten that the “Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) regime exempts foreign income or taxes certain earnings at 20% for 10 years”, adding “apply as a new resident, but consult advisors, as its future is uncertain,” offering false hope and a good dollop of confusion.
Back to the basics, and the generalities and platitudes continue with: “Portugal ranks among the safest countries, with low crime. Petty theft occurs in tourist spots, but expats feel secure. Police and emergency services are reliable” as well as “Portugal’s relaxed lifestyle centers [artificial spelling too, I notice] on family and food, like bacalhau and pastéis de nata. Festivals and markets are social hubs. Bureaucracy is slow, but the work-life balance is rewarding.”
“Renting costs €400–€1,500/month; buying is pricier in Lisbon (€4,000–€6,000/m²) than rural areas (€1,000–€2,000/m²). Use agents to navigate contracts and taxes like IMT” and “locals are friendly, but connections take time. Join clubs, learn Portuguese, and engage in community events or expat groups to settle in”, conclude the top ten, with information so general, as to be borderline insulting.
Yet, to be fair, whilst not too demanding and critical, and given that this is effectively a sophisticated web search and not a tailor-made consultancy package, we can and probably should thank Grok (especially if the robots do remember everything and might take over one day), who sums up our beloved country of choice, saying it blends “affordability, safety, and culture”. And this is precisely why we shouldn’t worry about AI. This sterile and unimaginative three-part slogan, derived albeit smartly and rapidly from our own vast pool of data, tells us all we need to know, and furthermore what we are now free to do, given the impressive, yet ultimately unremarkable summations.
I will continue to contend that what we love most about our lives in Portugal cannot be expressed in this way: an efficient, but cold regurgitation of lifeless information. What’s happening here is that AI is telling us what we already know, based on its ability to aggregate all we told it. What it can’t, and I suspect will never be able to do, is convey the depth, warmth and intangibility of how beautiful life can be. AI will likely take care of the prose, and leave us humans to convey and revel in the poetry of life, Portugal and the delight and beauty of human experience.
This is all about the difference between dry information and delicious experience. And we must all decide if we, from hereon in, prefer to be man or machine.
