How I Used AI Today
A Penny for Your Thoughts: Saying Goodbye to America’s Humblest Coin
Today, I used AI to help me perform two of the most common use cases for generative AI - ideation and content creation. It’s now official. The US Mint has ceased production of the penny.
Let us grieve the loss of Penny. Yes—grieve. Not over a person, but over a piece of copper (mostly zinc, if we’re being honest) that has jangled in pockets and piggy banks for over 230 years: the U.S. penny.
America’s tiniest legal tender is finally being retired. The Mint has announced it will cease production of the penny, citing rising costs, economic inefficiency, and shifting societal behaviors in our digital age.
As of today, it costs about 3.69 cents to make a penny. It costs 13.78 cents to make a nickel - Is it the next to go? The dime is a bargain, costing only 5.76 cents to create and the quarter only costs 11.45 cents. The dollar bill costs 3.2 cents, and the dollar coin costs 10.96 cents. Since the average dollar coin lasts over 30 years and the paper bill less than 6 years, can we make dollar coins the norm?
What does this have to do with my, How I Used AI Today series? Well… I asked AI to help me write a eulogy to the US Penny.
As I was thinking about the reality of no longer having pennies, I realized that no longer will I walk down the street, see a penny, and keep on walking because it’s not worth a penny to bend over and pick it up.
I was remined of living overseas in countries that had also done away with the “centavo” because it was too expensive to create. I wondered… will I go to Walmart and the self-checkout offer me a “menta” as part of my change because my bill came to $43.98? It was pretty common to get your change back not only in paper bills and metal coins, but also a piece of hard candy - the hard candy replaced the centavo. I doubt we go that route here… in the land of lawsuits, some corporate lawyer would say that isn’t allowed because they are worried about the liability of someone choking on the mint.
Before I get to the eulogy… here are a few fun facts about the Penny.
The first US penny featured a woman - Lady Liberty - not Lincoln.
Lincoln’s face was added in 1909 to mark his 100th birthday.
Over the years, the penny has gone through 11 design changes.
Canada eliminated its penny in 2012, saving millions.
So… let’s get to… how I used AI today…
I reflected upon the passing of Penny. She lasted much longer than most people thought she would. I used AI to help generate a Eulogy for Penny. Ideation and text generation is one of the most common uses of generative AI. Here we go…
🕯 A Eulogy for the Penny (by AI) 🕯
We are gathered here today to mourn the loss—and celebrate the life—of a coin so small, it often slipped through the cracks. Literally.
The penny, born in 1793, was America’s copper-colored underdog. It was the coin that could. Could what? Well… not much lately. But once, oh once, it could buy you a gumball, a jawbreaker, or a moment of silence from a vending machine that accepted exact change.
It was the coin that jingled with pride in the pockets of paperboys, grandpas, and that one drawer in the kitchen everyone pretends is organized.
It was the coin that taught us patience—because if you wanted to pay for something in pennies, you had to really want it. And you had to be ready for judgment.
It was the coin that made us feel rich as kids and annoyed as adults.
It was the coin that said, “Hey, I may be 97.5% zinc and basically economically irrational, but I still matter!”
And now, it is gone.
Not because we didn’t care. But because we finally did the math.
For years, it cost more to make a penny than a penny was worth. It was the fiscal equivalent of buying a $5 latte with a $10 bill and getting change in IOUs. The government tried. They gave it Lincoln. They gave it a shield. They gave it a farewell tour in every couch cushion in America.
But in the end, the penny couldn’t keep up with tap-to-pay, crypto, and the cold, hard truth of inflation.
Still, we remember.
We remember the joy of finding a penny heads-up on the sidewalk and feeling like the universe owed us a favor.
We remember the “take a penny, leave a penny” trays—tiny altars of generosity at gas stations nationwide.
We remember the way it clinked, the way it rolled, the way it multiplied in jars like rabbits.
So, here’s to you, Penny.
You were small, but mighty. Inconvenient, but beloved. Practically worthless, but sentimentally priceless.
May you rest in peace in the great Coinstar in the sky.
And may we never again have to count out 99 of you to buy a candy bar.