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I asked AI to write a story like me. It sucked.
So does that mean I suck?
I am far from a luddite. Integrating technology into my everyday life is a normal and usually fun thing for me. I like wearing noise-cancelling earbuds when the bus is too loud, I like having a smartwatch tell me to get up and walk a few more steps by the end of the hour. I use a phone app that gamifies my daily habits and, as a result, I’ve been better about cleaning my cat’s litter box and writing in my journal. If I don’t, the ‘lil guy on my screen will die! I literally own a smart jacket because it amuses me to leave my phone somewhere in a room and make it play music by inconspicuously tapping my sleeve; it freaks people out and that’s funny. The idea of supplementing or improving myself through tech doesn’t bother me, yet AI writing is proving to be a bridge too far— not because it is bad, but because I’m now afraid I’m bad.
My first taste of generative text AI was just last week, but I’ve used different software programs and applications to write for years. In the past I have pasted work into websites like Hemingway Editor to make sure my sentences are neither too complex nor too simple. I’ve used predictive programs to…
