Well said. I’m thinking about these questions, too. For all the writers complaining about AI, there are more using it to be “productive.” I especially see it on Substack lately. Long pieces packed with clever phrases and AI-typical rhetorical devices, often saying the same things over and over. I think many writers believe nothing is lost as long as the machine’s production stays true to their ideas. Maybe that would be true in isolation. But when the same writing style shows up in one post after another, it becomes annoying, at best. Also, when a writer hasn’t gone through the rigor of putting their ideas into polished words, refining those ideas in the process, I feel less inclined to do the work of reading and digesting. I say this as someone who’s worked a lot with AI as a writing tool. I probably wield it more skillfully than most. But I’ve let go the idea that it can write just like me, but faster. No matter how good the output is, something is missing. I can’t quite say what that is. Maybe the same ineffable something at the heart of human consciousness, something for which we also have no words.
Well said. I’m thinking about these questions, too. For all the writers complaining about AI, there are more using it to be “productive.” I especially see it on Substack lately. Long pieces packed with clever phrases and AI-typical rhetorical devices, often saying the same things over and over. I think many writers believe nothing is lost as long as the machine’s production stays true to their ideas. Maybe that would be true in isolation. But when the same writing style shows up in one post after another, it becomes annoying, at best. Also, when a writer hasn’t gone through the rigor of putting their ideas into polished words, refining those ideas in the process, I feel less inclined to do the work of reading and digesting. I say this as someone who’s worked a lot with AI as a writing tool. I probably wield it more skillfully than most. But I’ve let go the idea that it can write just like me, but faster. No matter how good the output is, something is missing. I can’t quite say what that is. Maybe the same ineffable something at the heart of human consciousness, something for which we also have no words.
That’s a thoughtful observation. Thanks for sharing
"AI hasn’t made us more “productive”. It has made us more prolific at performing productivity.
The gap between “busy” and “useful” was already wide. AI has made it a canyon."
Very well put.
Glad that resonate with you Charlotte.
Thank you