AI

watch out....

I had my first real experience dealing with someone who used AI to create a social media post this week. This person is very well intended and just wanted to help. Let’s call him Sam. Sam admits he is not a writer. But he loves gadgets and new stuff and wanted to use AI. So he enlisted it to write a promo for an event on social media. When I read it online, without knowing any back story, I knew immediately “someone” different had authored the piece from anything I had seen before from these folks. It was flowery, bombastic beyond Barnum and used more adjectives in 2 paragraphs than I had ever seen. It also had more than a few inaccurate statements…which I was not totally aware of as I read it, since I didn’t have first hand information on the event.

The folks who run the organization, first tried to edit it…but then took it down, because they felt it reflected badly on what they have worked years to create. Then they had to reel in Sam…which in a small, largely volunteer organization can be touchy. I think they succeeded…we will see over the next few weeks. He really does just want to help out.

My main purpose in writing this is to caution you all about using AI. I’m sure it can be well used. In this case, we saw how poor a product it can produce. What I’m seeing out in the world is a pitch that AI can make everything faster, easier and better….

Well you still need taste, experience and knowledge to use and guide the tool. It can’t do it all by itself. It’s a tool…and in inexperienced hands…not a good one. You can’t just turn on the Black & Decker saw and expect it to cut the line straight.

Peace to all