To anyone in livestock production, A.I. means artificial insemination. In cattle, it’s a way to introduce expensive bull semen into cows for a small fraction of the cost of a high-powered bull. That kind of A.I. is also a safety concern for dairy farmers as Holstein bulls are known for their mean dispositions and they will maul farmers, sometimes to death.
To the current world, A.I. means artificial intelligence. For sure, it is artificial, intelligence, I’m not convinced. As a writer, I do not use it. I’ve never even dabbled in it, just to try it out. Original writing needs to be done by people, not machines. The thinking processes for such writing requires not a mashup of others’ thoughts run through a computer, but primary work. Writing contests generally do not allow A.I. created stories to compete. Any section of an article or book that is A.I. cannot be copyrighted because they are not written by a person, according to the Writers’ Guild. Attempts to use A.I. then try to call it your own, would be considered plagiarism.
I have seen it used and the incorrect information that it yields. Unsuspecting readers wouldn’t know it’s Fake Intelligence. After all, it’s on the Internet, so it has to be true, right?
There is a website I ran onto that is a good example. The listing for Fall River County Historical Society, Hot Springs, S.D., starts out OK. In the second sentence, it falls apart, when it says “founded in 1954” (actually 1961), and “the society operates two museums,” when in fact it has just one. The claim, “The second museum, the Evans Plunge Mineral Springs Museum, is located in the historic Evans Plunge building and explores the history of mineral springs and their role in the development of Hot Springs as a health resort,” is completely made up.
Since I haven’t used A.I., I have to use conjecture as to how it helps “write.”
With my limited knowledge, I would say the telltale signs are an overabundance of descriptive words, and exclamation points! making anything sound like it’s the absolute best. Watch for multi-uses of words like legendary, exciting, fascinating, in every sentence. You may feel like you are drowning under the weight of glorification.
After perusing some blogs that are A.I. written, it appears a person must give information to feed the beast. Apparently, one gives the name of pets, specify horse, cat or something else, breed, and name, as they are woven into the story. Exaggerations abound, but can only be determined when a reader has personal knowledge of the actual activities of the one who is posting. Some commentary on daily routines helps A.I. fill in the blanks as it “writes” the story. The giveaway is each entry looks eerily similar to the several before it, the adjective level is over the top, and the day’s early activities are nearly carbon copies. Introspectively though, such posts may reveal the sameness of each day, which is likely how lives actually go.
The best way is for a writer to keep plugging away at original content, not relying on A.I. to flesh out the work.
Sanders’ internet latchstring is always out through peggy@peggysanders.com.