news.volyx.in

I don't want to read what you didn't write (blog.colinbreck.com)

1070 points by mooreds · 19 days ago · 460 comments on HN

Article summary

The article discusses the author's frustration with reading AI-generated text, which they find to be unreadable and lacking in context and perspective. The author argues that AI is great for assisting with writing, but not for replacing human writing. They also mention that AI can be useful for tasks such as verifying information, completing citations, and suggesting simplifications to sentences. However, the author believes that AI-generated text often lacks the nuance and empathy that human writing provides.

Main themes

  • AI-generated text
  • human writing
  • context and perspective
  • information transfer
  • communication
  • language understanding
  • technology and society
  • information overload

What commenters say

  • Some argue that LLMs do not add new semantic information to text, but rather translate existing information from one format to another.
  • Others believe that LLMs can be useful for reducing noise and adding signal to text, but only when used judiciously.
  • There is a concern that over-reliance on LLMs could lead to a loss of attention to detail and a lack of understanding of complex relationships.
  • A few commenters suggest that instead of sharing AI-generated text, it would be better to share the prompts used to generate the text, allowing readers to generate their own understanding.
  • Some think that LLMs are not yet capable of truly understanding human thought and language, and therefore cannot write in a way that is enjoyable for humans to read.
  • Others propose that the value of writing is not just to communicate new information, but also to align everyone's assumptions and provide context.
  • A few commenters note that the use of LLMs can lead to a kind of 'lossy expansion' or 'bloat' of text, where the original message is obscured by unnecessary information.
  • There is a concern that the increasing use of LLMs could lead to a future where people rely too heavily on AI-generated text and lose the ability to communicate effectively with each other.