Friends, what are our thoughts on AI-assisted writing? Is it a digital darling saving us time and effort, or a Terminator-in-waiting ready to eradicate our creative brains? I decided to try it this week to see what kind of local newspaper humor column it could produce. I began with some basic inputs, including word count, “opinion” and “funny.” The result? Mid.
It generated sentences like, “Gone are the days of struggling to string together coherent sentences; now we have AI to save us from the perilous task of using our noggins. It’s like having a literary Groundhog Day, but less entertaining.” Not a bad start, but a bit boring. So, I had ChatGPT refine it, with instructions to be “snarkier.”
In less than 10 seconds, I had, “Who needs human wit when algorithms can churn out content as charming as my Mamaw’s cat memes, even if AI has the charm of a rusty can opener?” And, “Who needs originality when a machine can regurgitate clichés and tired expressions with unparalleled efficiency?”
Better, but too repetitive (I’d never use “charm” twice in one question! The horror!). I ran it a few more times but couldn’t quite get my personal style and tone across. Conclusion? If I were scripting a form letter of sorts or perhaps a one-off editorial, ChatGPT might be my go-to. But for my voice, absolutely not. Bring on Sarah Connor!
I suppose AI-assisted writing is the savior we never knew we needed – or maybe we didn’t. So, here’s to a future where robots pen our jokes (and columns? Mwah-ha-ha!) and we all pretend it’s an upgrade. Cheers to progress, or whatever.
Peace out.
