Loved this. Yes to all the reasons you cited for pushing back, and also...why are so few people focusing on the not-insignificant (read: HUGE) environmental costs of AI when we're living through an era of escalating climate crisis???? Gah!
Thank you, Keith! And, yes, the environmental costs are HUGE. I was going to mention that in the post, but decided I'd already ranted enough :D .
I really don't know of any serious writers (or editors, for that matter) who use AI for their work; most I know oppose its use in creative work, and that, at least, is heartening.
I only use AI when I know the answer I expect. Yesterday, I asked "was there an underground hard station that broadcast from Chicago in the 1970s?" I knew darn well that there was, I just wanted to confirm a faded memory.
Yes, that makes sense! There is certainly use for AI, but it definitely needs to be fact-checked, which a lot of people don't seem to understand. Using it ethically requires critical thinking skills. And that's the big problem.
I, too, am a fan of em-dashes, and using them isn't hard to do. Word can be taught to automatically turn two dashes into an em-dash, but I prefer the numeric keyboard shortcut, ALT 150. Seeing the character appear on the screen has a prestidigitory zest that is oddly uplifting.
Loved this. Yes to all the reasons you cited for pushing back, and also...why are so few people focusing on the not-insignificant (read: HUGE) environmental costs of AI when we're living through an era of escalating climate crisis???? Gah!
Thank you, Keith! And, yes, the environmental costs are HUGE. I was going to mention that in the post, but decided I'd already ranted enough :D .
I really don't know of any serious writers (or editors, for that matter) who use AI for their work; most I know oppose its use in creative work, and that, at least, is heartening.
Thanks for reading!
So many things one could rant about, it’s impossible to hit them all! I don’t know any writers who love writing and use AI, either. Phew!
I only use AI when I know the answer I expect. Yesterday, I asked "was there an underground hard station that broadcast from Chicago in the 1970s?" I knew darn well that there was, I just wanted to confirm a faded memory.
Yes, that makes sense! There is certainly use for AI, but it definitely needs to be fact-checked, which a lot of people don't seem to understand. Using it ethically requires critical thinking skills. And that's the big problem.
I, too, am a fan of em-dashes, and using them isn't hard to do. Word can be taught to automatically turn two dashes into an em-dash, but I prefer the numeric keyboard shortcut, ALT 150. Seeing the character appear on the screen has a prestidigitory zest that is oddly uplifting.
I love em dashes! Semicolons, too, actually! :D
Love this article that a friend sent me after reading this post--an excellent supplement: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-em-dash-responds-to-the-ai-allegations