I’m Begging You: Never Write With A.I., by Bret Stephens in the NY Times

A while ago, I did a quick blog post on my own personal approach to using AI when writing, i.e. don’t start with AI. Instead, start with a blank piece of paper, and while it can be beneficial to use AI to challenge your ideas, don’t copy and paste from it, lest you lose your voice.

AI is always tempting. It can quickly create comprehensive documents. Sometimes too comprehensive. It can be verbose, repetitive, bland. Content that looks contextually appropriate, with the right words in the right order, but adds little actual value. Fluff, you might say. Or AI slop, perhaps, which wikipedia defines as “digital content made with generative artificial intelligence that is perceived as lacking in effort, quality, or meaning”.

So I was intrigued to see this opinion piece in the NY Times (paywalled but trials available), by Bret Stephens, discussing the same topic.

Some highlights below, but I highly recommend reading the article.

Don’t use artificial intelligence to help you write, in any form.

The problem with writing with A.I. is that it’s mentally enfeebling — an escalator toward a result when you really need to make a daily habit of taking the stairs.

Writing compels us to subject our thinking to the effort of articulation, the rigor of grammar, the tests of intelligibility and coherence, the inspection of others. In doing so, it also enjoins us to be clear, logical, accurate — and accountable.

• We become better writers by the effort that mundane writing demands.
• We become better thinkers by investing into that writing attention.
• We become more creative when we put a personal stamp on things.

We use the expression “I want that in writing” not only so there’s no mistaking the exact words that have been agreed upon but also as proof that the words are meaningful in the first place.

With AI, words become hollow. Writing is an act of resistance against an ever-dumber world.

 

 

 

Tags: AI, artificialintelligence, nytimes, writing