Let's Talk About This AI Thing
Hi! I'm Deb, and welcome to The Night Shift, where just about anything is up for discussion. It's about 4AM as I start this post.
Parkour is my writing buddy tonight; the other pets have been put to bed and are quietly snoozing away.
The neighborhood is quiet.
I have coffee.
Let's do this thing.
So. Lately, I've been seeing all sorts of ‘is this AI’ discussions all over the cotton-pickin' place.
I've never before seen folks get this upset over what's essentially (for the sake of this discussion anyway) software, and I was once married to a software engineer who got bent out of shape over crappy code!
Anyway.
On the technological front, a decision from some random on the Internet, ‘I saw some awful AI-generated content once, so now every bit of writing or artwork needs to get run through some sort of checker’ kinda reminds me of the day I had to talk my now ex-husband off of the proverbial ledge over some particularly bad code that had driven him up the wall. At the end of the day, the software just wasn't worth that kind of kerfuffle. In time, that particular software got improved enough to be used in the way that nerdy guys intended, and on a daily basis, and everyone eventually got on board with it..until the next nifty thing came along. Now mentioning that software, or the ones that came before it and after it, is a ‘remember when?’ kinda thing.
Moving on.
History is full of examples of similar things:
Digital Photography ( folks used to ask: is that a real photograph)
Photoshop (folks ask: has this been manipulated)
Calculators (folks used to insist and maybe still do: students won't learn math)
Further looking back..
Centuries ago, even novels were criticized for making folks lazy or morally suspect.
So asking if someone used AI as a tool is a bit like asking a woodworker if they used digital woodworking design software and a table saw to make a cabinet, and getting offended when he says ‘Yes, and I designed and made the cabinet’.
Eventually, as time goes on with AI as a thing, I believe that the conversation will become more nuanced, just like what happened with computers and software and other tech tools; we will start asking more questions about exactly /how/ a tool was used, as opposed to whether or not it got used at all.
For now, this is all, because Parkour is biting my toes. I think she wants her breakfast early.
Talk again soon, Gentle Readers.
Deb
I have been doing a lot of thinking about how I feel about how people use AI since the Substack detector came out. It is such a useful tool for research (when checking sources), brainstorming, outlining, copy editing. I have no problem with it summarizing verified facts, for example. But the more I reflect on it, the creepier I find articles that use it to interpret emotional realities, create intimacy, or generate "profound" insights. AI generating perspectives portrayed as human doesn't sit well with me. I hope more people create AI disclosure statements to explain how they use it. I am going to add one to my next article even though my work is identified as 100% human -- I am using it as a tool even though I am the real author and it my articles have my authentic voice/emotions/insights.
It's becoming a moot point. If you are using a computer or the internet nowadays, you are using AI.