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Will Medium Become an AI Training Academy?
Some of the comments I’m getting are fishy
Why is an artificial intelligence commenting on my Medium story? I could be wrong. The paragraph-long ass-kiss of a discourse appended to my recent post on venture capitalists’ use of the term “The Space” could have been written by a human. But I’ve done enough writing and testing of ChatGPT and other platforms to know AI when I read it. Here’s the “comment” in full:
This article brilliantly highlights the importance of language in framing our understanding of work, community, and societal structures. By examining the subtle shift from traditional terms like “field” or “practice” to the more abstract “space,” it underscores how this linguistic transformation can undermine the value and dignity of various professions. It emphasizes the significance of words in shaping perceptions and facilitating the erosion of institutional protections and communal bonds. Furthermore, it advocates for reclaiming the narrative and asserting the intrinsic worth of public services, education, and labor rights against the encroachment of profit-driven interests. Overall, it’s a thought-provoking call to action to defend the integrity of our social fabric and resist the dehumanizing effects of corporate language.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I love being called brilliant. But that is just part of the typical AI writing gambit. In all ways the post follows the AI script to the letter: Praise the author, summarize the content with brick-and-mortar dull language analysis and then head for the exits with an “overall” or an “in summary.”
The question this bit of fawning, sterile praise begs though is why? Why did someone or some thing feel it necessary to cough this bit of electronic phlegm onto my Medium page? I ask this in the naive spirit of the Ted Lasso of the original ad that preceded (and bested) the cornball show of the same name. “No, I’m asking you ref, what is offsides?”
What is an AI-written response to my story? Is it just something that flew out of an ever more chaotic media ether sui generis? Is it somebody with too much time on their hands, the same kind of “somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds” that former president Trump said could have hacked the Democratic National…
