Sterile - great word to describe AI writing. I've graded a few college essays this week that are heavy AI, and I told the students that they sounded like something out of a textbook with zero recognizable personal voice.
They need a reset, too! Thanks for sharing this article.
Absolutely, Edward! While there is something to be said about using AI to put together first drafts, I personally don't find that compelling for writing as a craft. Everyone has their take on that, and it depends on the situation. I'd rather use AI in the middle of the process.
AI never gets the nuances that give life to writing. AI is great for jump starting the bones of an idea but those bones need the skill of a writer for their meat.
Yesterday, I told Sparky, which is what I call my ChatGPT, 'No thanks, this is fine.' I've found it so helpful because I tend to write long posts and share unneeded details or repeat them in some way. Sometimes I'm happy with the results, and sometimes I tell it, "You whacked the heck out of my post and it doesn't sound like me anymore." It always apologizes, of course. 🤣 I love using the helpful tool, but sometimes, as you say, we need to step away and put "us" back into our writing. Thanks for the great post.
That's exactly the role that they're meant to be: an assistant. The moment you hand over the reins to them and start relying on them to drive your life, that's when your style can get watered down.
Everyone has their line in the sand with AI (at least I hope they do). It's like what Meat Loaf said about love...😋
Your last statement reminds me of what happens when I'm making soup and get distracted. Most of the time, you just need to add a little back. Sometimes you need more...and sometimes you just throw the whole thing out and start again!
I like your take on it. Writing is a beast, but it's ours to hone.
Before AI hit the news, authors were trying generic ghostwriters and basic AI to write for them. When the process is outsourced, it's hard to gain satisfaction - not the editor who had to make sense of a limp weight of word information that doesn't resonate with a vision (any vision), not the publisher who felt dirty (maybe only some publishers have the moral to feel this) knowing they're helping to ship fast product, not the author who felt his/her vision was quite elucidated.
You know, I hadn't really considered that perspective, Melanie.
I know ghostwriting is a huge and lucrative market, but I never thought about how many hoops all the mass media writing had to go through (which Maryan certainly has vast experience in throughout her career).
This is why I've enjoyed being a guest poster for her and for this publication. I write my own work, edit with AI feedback, then I publish. With her expertise, Maryan makes light edits to my submission and can bring out the message with more bite to it. Genuine effort in writing is something to be preserved and enhanced with the tools, resources, and people we connect with. It's something all of us who aspire to be quality authors strive for.
AI is only the latest in a line of things that can tempt us to water down what is meant to be ours: the satisfaction of our effort in expressing ourselves. ⚡
I think, literally, it IS too" large." I can now pick out writers who use it, and it's like overnight they gained a masters in -name a subject- and the post goes on and on, with numerous sets of bullet points (this seems to be a dead give-away but maybe I'm wrong). The length of these pieces, when they've never been so verbose before, tends to be a tip off, imho.
I will admit that in some of my pieces, I tend to ramble a bit when I get into the groove. AI definitely points this out; that my voice "meanders" from the topic.
Using bullet points like you're in a shootout doesn't really help your case so there are times when I ask AI whether or not some of them can be dropped. To the extent that I appreciate it telling me to maintain momentum in my work, I also know that there are limits in how comfortable I feel about being lectured out of my own voice. 😁
I do enjoy the flexibility and potential. It can be used to handle incredibly large amounts of data that are beyond human capacity.
When you dig into how it really works, you realize that you operate in very similar fashion. If you speak any other languages or even program, this is something to play with when it comes to identity, personal beliefs, and all manner of metaphysics.
I like to think of my writing "style" as "casual" and "fun" but yeah, I kind of resonated with "lacking cohesion" and "verbose." Machines can write correctly but where' the fun in that?
Yeah, no kidding. Don't prune the rose bush until there's only a stump left. The thorns are there for a reason.
While AI is getting better at avoiding "taming" your writing too far, I've noticed that it likes to point out that my writing might potentially alienate different audiences...
That's the point, though! You aren't supposed to be editing your message until it becomes so palatable that everyone can consume it. It's like making ramen and then not adding the soup base pack because it might be too spicy!
To your point, if you didn't have fun writing it, your audience won't either. 😆
This is the conclusion I came to yesterday so thanks for the validation. Im dyslexic so often when I'm trying to express.myself I find writing in full prose hard. But I start out with bullet points, half sentences and a vague description and see how AI expands it all. Then I tend to do a heavy rewrite, aftwr that I ask for suggestions but try to follow my gut. A bit of waffle is 2hat makes me, unique
No, I think that's a powerful approach for those who face these challenges. There is a certain danger to settling too comfortably into that rhythm, and that was the message I wanted to share with you. AI is a model. It's a powerful one that is constantly expanding in its predictive capability, but that's the key word that is its inherent operation. We aren't meant to be absolutely predictable.
In a sense, I think you have a slight edge over it. Don't hold back when it comes to tearing up whatever it throws as you and reconstructing it. Just because you didn't buy the Legos yourself doesn't mean you can't build something awesome with it. 😋
I'm just now getting to that point with my children as their vocabulary expands. 🤣
But yes, there is a certain "art" to conversing with a LLM. You can certainly be surprised by some of the strangest tangents that it can take depending on the version you use.
Sterile - great word to describe AI writing. I've graded a few college essays this week that are heavy AI, and I told the students that they sounded like something out of a textbook with zero recognizable personal voice.
They need a reset, too! Thanks for sharing this article.
There's a certain irony to using AI like that isn't there? We were taught the scientific method in school and to write passively for technical papers.
We were taught to write without a personal voice.
Now, I'm over here re-learning how to express myself with my own words. In a way, I'm going through my own reset outside of academia. 😋
In this world, students do not believe they have a right to a voice. Sad, right?
AI is best used as an aid. As the writer you should always be in charge of the final product.
Absolutely, Edward! While there is something to be said about using AI to put together first drafts, I personally don't find that compelling for writing as a craft. Everyone has their take on that, and it depends on the situation. I'd rather use AI in the middle of the process.
AI never gets the nuances that give life to writing. AI is great for jump starting the bones of an idea but those bones need the skill of a writer for their meat.
That makes it sound like we're the Frankensteins putting together our own creations. 😁
AI can describe what it's like to hold your child for the first time, but it won't ever express it from personal experience.
Yesterday, I told Sparky, which is what I call my ChatGPT, 'No thanks, this is fine.' I've found it so helpful because I tend to write long posts and share unneeded details or repeat them in some way. Sometimes I'm happy with the results, and sometimes I tell it, "You whacked the heck out of my post and it doesn't sound like me anymore." It always apologizes, of course. 🤣 I love using the helpful tool, but sometimes, as you say, we need to step away and put "us" back into our writing. Thanks for the great post.
Thanks for reading, Charisse!
That's exactly the role that they're meant to be: an assistant. The moment you hand over the reins to them and start relying on them to drive your life, that's when your style can get watered down.
Everyone has their line in the sand with AI (at least I hope they do). It's like what Meat Loaf said about love...😋
Your last statement reminds me of what happens when I'm making soup and get distracted. Most of the time, you just need to add a little back. Sometimes you need more...and sometimes you just throw the whole thing out and start again!
I like your take on it. Writing is a beast, but it's ours to hone.
Before AI hit the news, authors were trying generic ghostwriters and basic AI to write for them. When the process is outsourced, it's hard to gain satisfaction - not the editor who had to make sense of a limp weight of word information that doesn't resonate with a vision (any vision), not the publisher who felt dirty (maybe only some publishers have the moral to feel this) knowing they're helping to ship fast product, not the author who felt his/her vision was quite elucidated.
You know, I hadn't really considered that perspective, Melanie.
I know ghostwriting is a huge and lucrative market, but I never thought about how many hoops all the mass media writing had to go through (which Maryan certainly has vast experience in throughout her career).
This is why I've enjoyed being a guest poster for her and for this publication. I write my own work, edit with AI feedback, then I publish. With her expertise, Maryan makes light edits to my submission and can bring out the message with more bite to it. Genuine effort in writing is something to be preserved and enhanced with the tools, resources, and people we connect with. It's something all of us who aspire to be quality authors strive for.
AI is only the latest in a line of things that can tempt us to water down what is meant to be ours: the satisfaction of our effort in expressing ourselves. ⚡
I like having you here, too. Gives my readers a different set of puzzlements to puzzle over. We’re all in this together.
I think, literally, it IS too" large." I can now pick out writers who use it, and it's like overnight they gained a masters in -name a subject- and the post goes on and on, with numerous sets of bullet points (this seems to be a dead give-away but maybe I'm wrong). The length of these pieces, when they've never been so verbose before, tends to be a tip off, imho.
Fair point, Jeanine.
I will admit that in some of my pieces, I tend to ramble a bit when I get into the groove. AI definitely points this out; that my voice "meanders" from the topic.
Using bullet points like you're in a shootout doesn't really help your case so there are times when I ask AI whether or not some of them can be dropped. To the extent that I appreciate it telling me to maintain momentum in my work, I also know that there are limits in how comfortable I feel about being lectured out of my own voice. 😁
So interesting! It knows to let u know that. So do you like using it?
I do enjoy the flexibility and potential. It can be used to handle incredibly large amounts of data that are beyond human capacity.
When you dig into how it really works, you realize that you operate in very similar fashion. If you speak any other languages or even program, this is something to play with when it comes to identity, personal beliefs, and all manner of metaphysics.
I like to think of my writing "style" as "casual" and "fun" but yeah, I kind of resonated with "lacking cohesion" and "verbose." Machines can write correctly but where' the fun in that?
Yeah, no kidding. Don't prune the rose bush until there's only a stump left. The thorns are there for a reason.
While AI is getting better at avoiding "taming" your writing too far, I've noticed that it likes to point out that my writing might potentially alienate different audiences...
That's the point, though! You aren't supposed to be editing your message until it becomes so palatable that everyone can consume it. It's like making ramen and then not adding the soup base pack because it might be too spicy!
To your point, if you didn't have fun writing it, your audience won't either. 😆
This is the conclusion I came to yesterday so thanks for the validation. Im dyslexic so often when I'm trying to express.myself I find writing in full prose hard. But I start out with bullet points, half sentences and a vague description and see how AI expands it all. Then I tend to do a heavy rewrite, aftwr that I ask for suggestions but try to follow my gut. A bit of waffle is 2hat makes me, unique
No, I think that's a powerful approach for those who face these challenges. There is a certain danger to settling too comfortably into that rhythm, and that was the message I wanted to share with you. AI is a model. It's a powerful one that is constantly expanding in its predictive capability, but that's the key word that is its inherent operation. We aren't meant to be absolutely predictable.
In a sense, I think you have a slight edge over it. Don't hold back when it comes to tearing up whatever it throws as you and reconstructing it. Just because you didn't buy the Legos yourself doesn't mean you can't build something awesome with it. 😋
"That's not what I mean" is what I say/think 9 times out of ten with the AI rewrites.
I'm just now getting to that point with my children as their vocabulary expands. 🤣
But yes, there is a certain "art" to conversing with a LLM. You can certainly be surprised by some of the strangest tangents that it can take depending on the version you use.
😹about your children's vocabulary!
Exactly how I feel.
Yeah, the more I work with it, the more that niggling feeling creeps in. There is such a thing as over-editing...😋