Reality Check Call me a Luddite, but this latest gimmick has annoyed me

[Rachel Caldecott]

I received this email the other day. I think it's a sad world where writers now have to certify that AI did NOT write their work. This is a marketing tool, but I imagine soon we'll all be doing it as a matter of course.


Talking of which, my son (studying film at university) was told that it was acceptable to submit a script written by AI, and tutors would mark it as if he'd written it. In fact, the tutor teaching scriptwriting regularly uses AI for his own scripts. He claims the talent lies in giving suitable prompts.
One of Stan's classmates has already produced (can't use the verb 'to write' here) his final dissertation with AI . . . not sure how much he's learned about his subject though.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I received this email the other day. I think it's a sad world where writers now have to certify that AI did NOT write their work. This is a marketing tool, but I imagine soon we'll all be doing it as a matter of course.

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Talking of which, my son (studying film at university) was told that it was acceptable to submit a script written by AI, and tutors would mark it as if he'd written it. In fact, the tutor teaching scriptwriting regularly uses AI for his own scripts. He claims the talent lies in giving suitable prompts.
One of Stan's classmates has already produced (can't use the verb 'to write' here) his final dissertation with AI . . . not sure how much he's learned about his subject though.

Kind of goes with the PHD doctoral theses that we encounter people doing in our research on horses. I am shocked at how silly and shallow some are. There are brilliant PHD scholars-but few that we encounter are in the US. It looks like it is about to get even worse.

 

[MattScho]

This is horrifying. I assume the scriptwriting issue will simply result in a lot of scripts that aren't ever up to being purchased by people making movies. the academic side of this, though, wow. I mean, can you prompt it to search out the info then create citation pages, etc? Seems kind of like the beginning of the end of actual research, at least in the humanities. My dad's Ph.D dissertation, while 450 pages, could be recreated in minutes by an AI writing program that has access to the web (though probably need some subscriptions to academia sites). OTOH, not sure the world is a poorer place for that.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

This is horrifying. I assume the scriptwriting issue will simply result in a lot of scripts that aren't ever up to being purchased by people making movies. the academic side of this, though, wow. I mean, can you prompt it to search out the info then create citation pages, etc? Seems kind of like the beginning of the end of actual research, at least in the humanities. My dad's Ph.D dissertation, while 450 pages, could be recreated in minutes by an AI writing program that has access to the web (though probably need some subscriptions to academia sites). OTOH, not sure the world is a poorer place for that.

Luckily my son is pretty horrified by all of this. The first thing he said was "where's the learning?" He's been enjoying researching and writing his final dissertation (thankfully). As for the scriptwriting tutor, my son's comments aren't repeatable in polite society.
But yes, overall, the whole subject is horrific. As a family, we were already worried about the increase in visual art being created this way (my daughter is graduating in Illustration), but it seems the applications for AI is never-ending.

 

[JohnBertel]

As a reader, I don't care how smart a spellchecker the author used, if they used a plot template, how many editors contributed ... or if AI was involved in some way. The only thing that matters is the finished book or movie.

 

[MattScho]

As a reader, I don't care how smart a spellchecker the author used, if they used a plot template, how many editors contributed ... or if AI was involved in some way. The only thing that matters is the finished book or movie.

Which is what will drive this forward.

 

[Hannah F]

The joy of writing is the creating. I have no intention of letting any AI tool take that pleasure away from me.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

The joy of writing is the creating. I have no intention of letting any AI tool take that pleasure away from me.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Although, given what I enjoy writing doesn't sell, and I've managed to shoot myself in the foot in terms of a pension, I'm tempted to write purely for money just to survive. So, erotic romance, crime and fantasy/extra-terrestrial creatures seem to do well, perhaps I'll just get AI to write something featuring one or more of the above.

 

[MattScho]

If you plug all of those into an AI program, you'd really have something. An fantasy erotic extra terrestial crime romance might just be the ticket!

Edit to add: If I had the slightest idea how to usse those things I'd use those inputs and post the story in this thread, just to see what they produce, also inputting the voice of PG Wodehouse.

Actually, thinking about it, isn't that kind of most of Vonnegut?

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

If you plug all of those into an AI program, you'd really have something. An fantasy erotic extra terrestial crime romance might just be the ticket!

I just tried on one of the free AI apps and it was hilarious...
My prompt was: A sexy human female is alone in trying to stop a series of mysterious murders. She suspects an alien is going on a killing spree on earth. Just when it all seems hopeless, a gorgeous extra-terrestrial police officer who can morph into a flying centaur from a galaxy far, far away, arrives on earth to chase the killer. They fall in love, kill the baddie, and fly off in his rocket to live happily ever after.

AI continued with this: The first day was spent in the basement, in our room, the room that was the only place we could all be together. There was no one else to talk to, no other family to see, just us. We were in a room in an abandoned warehouse. Our parents had left us in there, because they were afraid that if we were left in that room alone, we would all die. My parents were the first ones to leave, after I had been born.

 

[MattScho]

I just tried on one of the free AI apps and it was hilarious...
My prompt was: A sexy human female is alone in trying to stop a series of mysterious murders. She suspects an alien is going on a killing spree on earth. Just when it all seems hopeless, a gorgeous extra-terrestrial police officer who can morph into a flying centaur from a galaxy far, far away, arrives on earth to chase the killer. They fall in love, kill the baddie, and fly off in his rocket to live happily ever after.

AI continued with this: The first day was spent in the basement, in our room, the room that was the only place we could all be together. There was no one else to talk to, no other family to see, just us. We were in a room in an abandoned warehouse. Our parents had left us in there, because they were afraid that if we were left in that room alone, we would all die. My parents were the first ones to leave, after I had been born.

OMFG that is spectacular. I do love the humor of our paretns had left us in there because they were afraid that if we were left in that room alone, we would all die. So, murderous parents is good.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

And it continues: The room was dark and smelled of mildew and mold. In the corner of my eyes was my bed. On the floor were a dozen or so empty plastic bags of food. One of them was full of a yellowish liquid that looked like blood.

So murderous parents and yellow blood. We are doing well... not to mention that the character can see even with a bed in her eye. That must hurt.

 

[MattScho]

And it continues: The room was dark and smelled of mildew and mold. In the corner of my eyes was my bed. On the floor were a dozen or so empty plastic bags of food. One of them was full of a yellowish liquid that looked like blood.

So murderous parents and yellow blood. We are doing well... not to mention that the character can see even with a bed in her eye. That must hurt.

Well, if the alien species are pig like, wouldn't that mean she has a sty(e) in her eye?