AI, AGAIN: “STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES”

Since I read (was it by AI? There was an author name attached, but one never knows) that fifty percent of writers admit to using AI not just for grammar/spelling checks, (guilty here) but for story ideas and even writing, I decided to embark on a mini experiment.

 

I asked Microsoft’s co-pilot for blog post ideas. It was friendly, greeted me by name, and asked what general direction I wished to write about.

 

I typed, “about life.” Why make it easy (i.e. specific) for Mr. AI when I can be general and vague? If I knew specifics, I would not be talking to you, sir.

 

AI suggested I write a post about “Stories we tell ourselves; how these affect self-perception.”

 

AI already knows me well, and it’s only the second time I EVER talked to it.

 

AI also offered to write the post for me. I won’t copy and paste any of its output on the subject except to say it was so generic sounding that, at least for now, AI hasn’t gotten my “voice.” Anyone who has read more than a couple of posts on my blog would know AI’s reflection on our self-perception were not worded by me.

 

I’ll let you know if it ever starts sounding like me. But then, would anyone know if it’s yours truly or AI testifying to that? I wonder.

 

Speaking of wonder, this was the absent core in the post Mr. AI churned. Wonder was wholly missing.

A few days ago, I learned from a friend that their relative is having AI write songs for them, that is under their name as author. This, the relative is doing for commercial reasons. (I was so flabbergasted that I forgot to ask how many sales relative has made doing this.)

 This relative gives AI a general theme, mostly about love loss and disappointment, and AI comes up with the words and the music. What does AI know about love? Plenty, I'm told. How soulful are these pop songs? Convincing, I was told. How rewarding is it for the human who is making AI generate them? Apparently, my friend's relative is tickled pink. 

Call me a luddite, but I have no doubt these churned bonbons contain no wonder at all.

 

I won’t visit with the co-pilot for a long time to come. Let’s see if it passively follows my output, or if the choice to engage/invite it augments its learning.

 

Brave new world? More like cowardly new world. Just saying.

I’m an AI resister. That’s the story I tell about myself, and I’m sticking to it.

©Tom Gauld