Back when I was seven years old, I wrote a story about Glinda the Fish. I don't remember anything about it beyond a few vague watery adventures Glinda had. Certainly the story rambled, had no story arc, and lacked a conclusion, though I did include crayon illustrations of a very pretty and feminine fish decked out in glittery scales. Hey, I was seven.
Obviously the writing bug bit early, and I've enjoyed practicing the written word ever since.
Perhaps for this reason, the artificial-ness of writing done by artificial intelligence drives me nuts. I'm complained about this several times (here and here).
Oddly I'm conscious of times I use turns of phrase that might be misconstrued as written by AI. I submitted a magazine article recently, for example, concerning the honey hunters of Bangladesh (people who harvest wild honey in the coastal areas of that nation). In the second paragraph, I set the scene by describing what the mangrove forests are like, which included this line: "It is a moist, humid, and unforgiving ecosystem that straddles land and sea, and protects the coast from erosion during high tides, tsunamis, and cyclones."
It was the term "straddles land and sea" that I almost took out because it sounded like AI, even though it describes perfectly the placement of mangrove forests.
Similarly, one line from our recent trip to Italy also triggered my AI radar. In this blog post, I described some Roman ruins we saw, including the impressive brick work, as follows: "The fact that the brick work has held up so splendidly for thousands of years is a testimony to the skills of Roman craftsmen." It was that word "testimony" that tipped the line over into the realm of sounding artificial. It's bugged me ever since.
Every writer develops his own unique voice when mastering the craft, and I guess you could say the same applies to artificial intelligence. In a piece entitled "The Rise Of AI Writing And The Decline Of Human Voice," it states:
"New research suggests that widespread use of large language models is
making language more uniform. A study conducted by University of
Southern California found that after the release of ChatGPT, diversity
in writing styles declined across several forms of communication,
including scientific publications, local journalism, and social media
posts. Researchers observed fewer differences in vocabulary choices and
sentence patterns, pointing to a growing preference for polished,
formulaic language. ...
"Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development analyzed more than 740,000 hours of spoken and written material and found that certain words commonly associated with ChatGPT responses are appearing more frequently in everyday communication. Words like 'delve,' 'meticulous,' 'boast,' and 'comprehend' have become increasingly common, suggesting AI-generated language may be shaping human speech habits as well. ...
"Not everyone sees that as progress. Alex Mahadevan of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies argues that AI-generated content often feels empty despite being technically sound. He described it as noticeably 'soulless' and 'mediocre,' adding, 'There's no art in it.'"
Or, as I'm fond of stating, AI writing is a lot of "blah blah nothing."
At this moment in time, we are straddling (that word!) the cusp of human-generated writing and AI writing. But the handwriting is on the wall, and the latter will become the norm. Not only is it easier (give a command, and hey presto! your essay or advertising copy is written), but the younger generation will grow up unable to discern between the real and the fake ... especially since AI shows every indication of becoming indistinguishable from the human voice. Personally I find that very sad.
I don't know how long I'll be able to cling to a career as a writer, but I'll enjoy it while I can.
I notice Grammarly likes to suggest short sentences with few words and lacking any descriptive add ins. The read aloud feature drives me crazy. Errors such as, to read, and having read, to live, and going live, simply shows the lack of command it has concerning the English language. It makes one fear audio books.
ReplyDeleteI admit to speaking emphatically to my laptop when writing about a spaceship. It kept changing the word to space boat. I must have gotten through. I just checked and if I write space boat it now suggests spaceship. May the human touch cease to be dismissed as second rate. It is masterful and always will be.
Please keep writing. I have enjoyed everything I've read of yours.
ReplyDeleteDebbie in MA
I like the way you write. Your books have relatively transparent themes but the way you write them it is still enjoyable. Kinda like the journey is worthwhile even when you know where you are going!
ReplyDelete"At this moment in time....." is one of those phrases that bothers me!! Why not, "at this time," or "now?"
ReplyDeleteJust remember or consider, AI got it all from mimicking our writing! We set the stage!
ReplyDeletePatrice, I have the same concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe loss of vocabulary is not one I had thought of, but definitely strikes me as an outcome. It will likely become more pronounced as companies great and small continue to push conformity in language.
I do see a day - not far off if it has not already arrived - where writings are generated completely by AI and human written books, articles, and blogs are the sort of fringe culture that much else humans did by hand in the past has become.
I confess that I've succumbed to sometimes reading these AI stories on the Internet. Supposedly they are videos, but I skip that and go to transcript and read. They are unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteOne I just never made it through from laughing so hard at the beginning, was set in 1983, and was about a covered wagon going west!
And all these sweet survival stories. In one, some poor woman was cast out of town when her husband died, and of course she survived by eating berries in the forest during a blizzard, when she wandered out from a cave hungry. All the berries I've ever found were during warm weather, and birds and animals usually get them before me!
Anyway, it's amusing to go into these little stories ready to count the glitches A man with no horse and no stuff or money rides a horse drawn wagon into town to buy lumber to build a cabin and food to last a while.
Anyway, you'll be writing at a hundred years old if the Lord tarries. Keeps your mind young.
My daughter teaches junior high English. She says she can immediately spot an AI paper because the vocabulary will be so different from what the kids know and use.
ReplyDeleteI confess i have dabbled with AI, but only with a paid ai that is a lot stronger on privacy than the free versions. I have used it to draft a first cut or outline of marketing materials and invariably they are terrible but no worse than an undergrad would draft. I can tell when someone has used ai to draft a contract…. And not checked it carefully. They are terrible. Ai has a place as a tool, but free ai means you are the product. They are training it at your expense, your privacy will be compromised. More recently, complaints from consumers have been flowing across my desk that were written by ai. They are largely inflammatory and assert legal rights that dont exist and legislation which doesnt apply. I wish people would at least exert a little more care when using ai!
ReplyDeleteAs a high school History teacher, I see kids trying to take the "easy way" by using AI all the time. The issue is that 80% of the time, this information is actually incorrect. Also, the kids who come through my classes are not really skilled writers, so what they turn in as theirs is a dead give away that it really isn't.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem with AI is it takes a massive amount of resources to produce documents or images, and it only benefits the extreme wealth hoarders. We the people need to take a stand now and block AI from getting a foothold. Don't buy into the 'creating jobs' trap they're trying to sell you. There are very few long-term jobs in data facilities and they cause so much long-term harm to the environment and the community.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is AI is a dirty word and should have NEVER been allowed except for use as a tool for use only as opposition to hostile countries wanting to harm us and no other way to keep up but using it.
ReplyDelete