Love this. I just refrained from hurriedly posting something just because I felt I had to keep my schedule. You're right. Screw the schedule. I'd rather feel proud than fast.
Well, to be honest, this might explain why I lost interest in these seriously for quite a while now. I just did not want to do the 'unfriendly' act to unsubscribe. You never know when something interesting is there once more.
And talking about honest. It is honest to say this now (thank you) but it wasn't honest before even when it was labeled 'honest AI'.
And a little voice in the back of my mind asks: is this real or was this AI-produced as well? Give certain instructions, up the temperature a bit. So here is what AI is honestly doing to us: it is shattering trust even more than social media (algorithms) have already shattered it.
There is a Dutch saying: "Trust comes on foot and leaves on horseback". There are so many things the 'mental automation' revolution (IT) are doing to trust. It isn't going to be pretty.
Writing for paid on Substack is you becoming a day labourer having to feed the algorithm. Even serious journalists end up in that position these days. Not that different from the clothing artisans that ended up being underpaid worked in the textile factories at the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Hey Gerben, thank you for your insightful comment. Really appreciate your fine thinking, as usual. I love the Duch saying! And yes, I agree erosion of trust is already a big issue, which AI is amplifying by the minute.
And the name "Honest AI" has always meant that I promise to speak honestly about AI. I will never inflate a claim or pretend to know what I don't know. And I kept that promise. Moreover, I've never outsourced my thinking to the AI tools.
What I fell for over time has been too much indexing on the AI writing style: polished, sounding nice for a non-native English speaker and writer like me, until I started developing that sixth sense that told me that kind of writing style didn't look or sound authentic. I have discovered there's a minimum ratio of 70-30 for me: 70% my voice and style vs. AI polishing (minimum-I strive to achieve 90% nowadays). I discuss this further here (I'll send you a PDF if you can't claim this paid-subscriber post for free): https://honestai.substack.com/p/form-carries-care.
Yeah...someone else feeling like I have been. As a writer and non fiction writing and self publishing coach I've been participating and guiding others through this 'whole AI thing' all the while feeling deeply fractured and defiant about it. AI/content marketing all a bit like a destructive Ouroboros. Add in the big tech companies stealing our copyrighted content to feed the beast, it's been hard to know where to head. Thanks for your ideas about a pathway.
The one area I don't use AI is in the interviews and writing I undertake for company histories. It's the people stories that make these come to life. I guard the interviews I have with people closely.
Appreciate this insight, Jaqui. I've noticed that when I write real stories and prompt AI tools to polish them, they end up infusing them with many hallucinated facts and feelings I never asked for!
"Track your AI dependence for one day." -- well said. Some things need to remain you, protected, fiercely, on principle, "why? --> because!" even if they can be done easier and well enough, outsourced.
Love this. I just refrained from hurriedly posting something just because I felt I had to keep my schedule. You're right. Screw the schedule. I'd rather feel proud than fast.
Exactly, feeling proud is a great smoke test.
Playing with my kids
No way I outsource this
Well, to be honest, this might explain why I lost interest in these seriously for quite a while now. I just did not want to do the 'unfriendly' act to unsubscribe. You never know when something interesting is there once more.
And talking about honest. It is honest to say this now (thank you) but it wasn't honest before even when it was labeled 'honest AI'.
And a little voice in the back of my mind asks: is this real or was this AI-produced as well? Give certain instructions, up the temperature a bit. So here is what AI is honestly doing to us: it is shattering trust even more than social media (algorithms) have already shattered it.
There is a Dutch saying: "Trust comes on foot and leaves on horseback". There are so many things the 'mental automation' revolution (IT) are doing to trust. It isn't going to be pretty.
Writing for paid on Substack is you becoming a day labourer having to feed the algorithm. Even serious journalists end up in that position these days. Not that different from the clothing artisans that ended up being underpaid worked in the textile factories at the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Hey Gerben, thank you for your insightful comment. Really appreciate your fine thinking, as usual. I love the Duch saying! And yes, I agree erosion of trust is already a big issue, which AI is amplifying by the minute.
To be honest, I've always been honest about my use of AI - since post 1 when I started this: https://honestai.substack.com/p/introducing-honest-ai
And the name "Honest AI" has always meant that I promise to speak honestly about AI. I will never inflate a claim or pretend to know what I don't know. And I kept that promise. Moreover, I've never outsourced my thinking to the AI tools.
What I fell for over time has been too much indexing on the AI writing style: polished, sounding nice for a non-native English speaker and writer like me, until I started developing that sixth sense that told me that kind of writing style didn't look or sound authentic. I have discovered there's a minimum ratio of 70-30 for me: 70% my voice and style vs. AI polishing (minimum-I strive to achieve 90% nowadays). I discuss this further here (I'll send you a PDF if you can't claim this paid-subscriber post for free): https://honestai.substack.com/p/form-carries-care.
Yeah...someone else feeling like I have been. As a writer and non fiction writing and self publishing coach I've been participating and guiding others through this 'whole AI thing' all the while feeling deeply fractured and defiant about it. AI/content marketing all a bit like a destructive Ouroboros. Add in the big tech companies stealing our copyrighted content to feed the beast, it's been hard to know where to head. Thanks for your ideas about a pathway.
The one area I don't use AI is in the interviews and writing I undertake for company histories. It's the people stories that make these come to life. I guard the interviews I have with people closely.
Appreciate this insight, Jaqui. I've noticed that when I write real stories and prompt AI tools to polish them, they end up infusing them with many hallucinated facts and feelings I never asked for!
"Track your AI dependence for one day." -- well said. Some things need to remain you, protected, fiercely, on principle, "why? --> because!" even if they can be done easier and well enough, outsourced.
That's right, Amarda! Protecting our agency is becoming urgent.