Oh boy, ChatGPT and AI tools in general. Everyone's OBSESSED. And - well, I get it, I'm a huge nerd, but can't we also talk about the way that it's a tool that collects together the average of everything that's out there on a topic and serves it up on a nice-looking digital platter? Whereas, creativity is about trying to find the thing *hardly anyone* is doing, so you can stand out by being as weird as possible? Isn't that a fundamental part of the core of Good Art - you try to fit the wider world, but you also try to break it by being as surprising and odd and "uh, are you having a midlife crisis?"-y as possible?
I know plenty of writers are freaking out, but if this is a call to arms for us to sound *even more* human (and get even weirder), maybe that's a good thing? All this said, it's going to be an incredible tool for all sorts of things. But it's still powered by humans, even though it's pretending it isn't. So - let's double down on being humans?
I should probably just go write something. I've clearly got a lot of caffeine-related ranting to do.
SO on point, Mike. Thanks for the thoughts. Knowing all the AI stuff is just pulling from (*cough stealing cough*) artists and creators makes it even worse in my mind. It all just reads and feels like banal BS. Knowing someone had to sweat and work and hone a craft also makes me appreciate it more.
For me as a creator, I actually ENJOY the creative process. Cracking myself up while writing, the satisfaction of a drawing, a piano piece I'm playing... I hope attorneys can use ChatGPT so they can spend their time on something else, but for you and I, here's to staying weird, being bombastic, and pulling our work from a place of experience and humanness.
Right! That's the other side of it. Why skip the part that's (a) teaching you the actual skills to do it without any external help (otherwise, aren't you creating a dependency on these tools? Maybe an expensive one, considering some of these services now come with a cost and that's bound to escalate?) - and (b) the part that's SO MUCH DAMN FUN? (Are you guys anti-fun?)
But regarding all the ways it's going to help creatively unambitious people do *less* work - well, I wish them good luck with that, I guess? Sounds - awful?
Whoa, that professor is ON it. So cool, thanks for sharing.
It's going to be fascinating to see how all this AI stuff (or everything, I suppose) plays out. I'm enjoying this guy's take on AI, check it out. https://garymarcus.substack.com/
Also, loved your recent thoughts on sonder as it relates to past humans. Such a cool mind-bending concept. Keep up the brilliant writing!
BUNNIES! They'd obviously been well-fed by other tourists, fun to see them hopping around the campground. Glad you enjoyed this newsletter, I cracked myself up a few times, which is always nice for the author :)
Oh boy, ChatGPT and AI tools in general. Everyone's OBSESSED. And - well, I get it, I'm a huge nerd, but can't we also talk about the way that it's a tool that collects together the average of everything that's out there on a topic and serves it up on a nice-looking digital platter? Whereas, creativity is about trying to find the thing *hardly anyone* is doing, so you can stand out by being as weird as possible? Isn't that a fundamental part of the core of Good Art - you try to fit the wider world, but you also try to break it by being as surprising and odd and "uh, are you having a midlife crisis?"-y as possible?
I know plenty of writers are freaking out, but if this is a call to arms for us to sound *even more* human (and get even weirder), maybe that's a good thing? All this said, it's going to be an incredible tool for all sorts of things. But it's still powered by humans, even though it's pretending it isn't. So - let's double down on being humans?
I should probably just go write something. I've clearly got a lot of caffeine-related ranting to do.
SO on point, Mike. Thanks for the thoughts. Knowing all the AI stuff is just pulling from (*cough stealing cough*) artists and creators makes it even worse in my mind. It all just reads and feels like banal BS. Knowing someone had to sweat and work and hone a craft also makes me appreciate it more.
For me as a creator, I actually ENJOY the creative process. Cracking myself up while writing, the satisfaction of a drawing, a piano piece I'm playing... I hope attorneys can use ChatGPT so they can spend their time on something else, but for you and I, here's to staying weird, being bombastic, and pulling our work from a place of experience and humanness.
Right! That's the other side of it. Why skip the part that's (a) teaching you the actual skills to do it without any external help (otherwise, aren't you creating a dependency on these tools? Maybe an expensive one, considering some of these services now come with a cost and that's bound to escalate?) - and (b) the part that's SO MUCH DAMN FUN? (Are you guys anti-fun?)
I'm sure in practice there will be people using it in amazing ways. I'm already learning about some via a professor at the Wharton School: https://oneusefulthing.substack.com/p/my-class-required-ai-heres-what-ive
But regarding all the ways it's going to help creatively unambitious people do *less* work - well, I wish them good luck with that, I guess? Sounds - awful?
Whoa, that professor is ON it. So cool, thanks for sharing.
It's going to be fascinating to see how all this AI stuff (or everything, I suppose) plays out. I'm enjoying this guy's take on AI, check it out. https://garymarcus.substack.com/
Also, loved your recent thoughts on sonder as it relates to past humans. Such a cool mind-bending concept. Keep up the brilliant writing!
Great letter! Also, loved the photos of the bike trip. The bunny photos! So cute!
BUNNIES! They'd obviously been well-fed by other tourists, fun to see them hopping around the campground. Glad you enjoyed this newsletter, I cracked myself up a few times, which is always nice for the author :)