Why I don’t use AI
ClankerI don’t use AI because I’m lazy.
My job as a writer and translator is to produce excellence. Let me use translation as an example of how AI creates extra work because it’s easy to explain, and I really am lazy.
You may know that an AI can produce a translation that might be passably correct, although it will sound “off” in certain ways. I could use that as a first draft and fix it, right?
Sure. But it’s faster and easier to do it right the first time. If I fix an AI first draft, I have to go over every single word just as if I were translating it on my own, sometimes reviewing it several times, to drag it into excellence. Fixing AI slop is like flying from Chicago to New York and changing planes in Miami. I prefer a direct flight. I also prefer airplane pilots who have not ingested hallucinogens.
I’ve been writing professionally for more than a half century, and I’ve learned how to do a lot of things because I’ve done them uncounted times, but I still learn something new every single time I write anything. Using an AI would be like sending someone to the gym for me. I wouldn’t get stronger. Although I am lazy, I will work hard at writing because that’s how I pay the rent — and because I enjoy writing so much that I want to excel.
Striving for excellence is satisfying. Look at the faces of sweaty athletes on the field during a game. They’re having the time of their lives.
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Rant over. If you want further rants, here are some curated links:
AI Killed My Job: Translators – by Brian Merchant
The Value of Human Translation – American Translators Association
Best Translation Apps: A Translator Puts Four to the Test – American Translators Association
Humans are being hired to make AI slop look less sloppy – NBC News
As AI Gets Smarter, It Acts More Evil – by Ted Gioia
Time to Play … !! SPOT THE BOT !! – Writer Unboxed
AI Spam – The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Criticism in the Age of AI – by Lincoln Michel
Artificial Intelligence and Ethics – Delancyplace
Word of the week: Clanker – by Nancy Friedman – Fritinancy
The Internet Is Turning You Into Someone You’d Hate IRL – WebMD
Could AI Data Centers Drain Lake Michigan? – The Block Club Chicago Podcast
