Is free will an illusion?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is free will an illusion?". Your opponent's style: Socrates

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

Free will is absolutely real, and denying it contradicts everything we experience. When you choose chocolate over vanilla, deliberate about a decision, or feel genuine regret, you're exercising agency that's undeniably yours. Determinists claim your brain's physics predetermined that choice, but they can't explain why deliberation matters if the outcome was already fixed. They also undermine moral responsibility, justice, and human dignity with their argument. You can't coherently punish someone for a predetermined action any more than you'd blame a rock for falling. The subjective reality of choice—the felt experience of deciding—is too powerful to dismiss as mere illusion. Our freedom is woven into the fabric of what makes us human. What's your counter?