12 Comments
Apr 4Liked by John Birmingham

I think I'm getting to the "I'll do me" part too. There are a growing heap of AI searching tools coming out, all claiming to save you time and money, and doesn't everybody just love us. I have to take an interest of course, but there's something in me that is saying 'stay human', be the last one standing when it all turns to shite because some computer can't understand a bit of nuance in a sentence construction and someone gets sued for a billion dollarydoos.

By the way, you need to remove a comma in para...

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billion dollarydoos here and billion dollarydoos there soon that adds up to real money.

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Apr 5Liked by John Birmingham

Couldn't agree more. Actually, a fixture of my fiction since I began this long, strange writing thing is the need for more, not less, future human and machine intelligence collaboration, for the precise reasons that you and the Japanese author above state. Enhancement, as opposed to replacement.

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I'm also holding out for AI not to evolve into replacing me in my work for the next 10-15 years which will get me to retirement age. Gonna be hard if that timeline shortens (and most likely will) but i work for an "Institution" which are notorious dinosaurs when it comes to change and do it slowly but then fast and usually poorly because of it. I am all for AI to help though - whatever works. Just another tool yeah?

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We had a seminar, in two parts, from our government counterpart, let's call them IP Australia so as not to ID them. The first part was be very very careful when using AI, you might fall into all sorts of traps. The second part was we're using AI here, here and here to do this stuff, it's so easy and carefree. FMD

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Buahahhahahahaha

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"Aphantasia" (weird neurological condition where he has no visual imagination) is unsurprisingly hard for me to imagine how that works. I think I first heard about it on "Smart Enough to Know Better", or "No such thing as a fish" podcast (hard to tell them apart they are so similar).

I know very little about Ms Rie Kudan's work or the Japanese literary scene so as a old English speaking white guy I am immensely qualified to provide an opinion. I'm with you I fear Ms Rie Kudan will be a horrifying epicentre for the earthquake that these tools can have on writing. Almost tempted to buy her book just as a gesture of condolence for the undeserved rage ahead.

Also re your commapocalypse, surely you are now established enough to pass it off as some literary avaunt guard affection that if your editors or readers don't realise is actually genius. Throw in a couple of "language evolves", and "my talent is too great to be held by the tired chains of 20th century bourgeoisie syntax" and you will be the toast of the literati.

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author

I am fascinated by your arguments and would very much like to subscribe to your pamphlet so I am cancelling all of my AI writing tool subscriptions and sending the money to you.

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I don’t mind doing me every once in a while.

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author

Oh vicar, you are awful.

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I’m not sure she’s even real . Frankly her name sounds made up.

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Strictly speaking all names are made up.

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