The AI Oath and Superband to Combat ChatGPT Mediocrity

I'm wired for excitement about the endless possibilities of AI.? The amount of ChatGPTrash that is filling the internet and our inboxes, though, is starting to give me a nervous tic.??

Netflix just released a fun documentary called “The Greatest Night in Pop” about Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and 40 of their best friends bringing life to “We Are the World” in 1985. Twenty minutes into the movie, in a moment of wild inspiration, I decided that I had a moral imperative to form a supergroup to bring awareness to the AI junk content topic.? A new supergroup with a stirring anthem for the digital age to combat the detritus of AI-generated mediocrity?? Tell me that we don't need this.? I am a proud Gen Xer, so my people have reached out to Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Alanis, NIN, Snoop Dog, REM, and the Indigo Girls.? The rest will follow.? I can feel it. I ran all of their hit lyrics through ChatGPT, asked for improvements, and forwarded ChatGPT’s suggestions to the artists as a call to arms. I’m still awaiting responses but feeling confident. ????

In the meantime, you and I can accomplish something real together.? Let’s take a pledge, ala the Boy Scout Oath, to not pollute the world with AI-generated rubbish.??Say it with me:????

On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to the internet, to inboxes, to my customers, and to humanity: to provide content of value at all times; to keep my writing literarily strong, mentally awake, challenging to my audience, and wonderfully unique.? And may the Creative Fates smite me handily if any of my writings include an intro, five numbered points, and a conclusion—a formulaic drivel that in the end says nothing.

In conclusion, our journey through the burgeoning world of AI, particularly with tools like ChatGPT, is not without its challenges. The internet's landscape is increasingly cluttered with content that lacks substance, often leaving us overwhelmed and yearning for genuine, thought-provoking material. However, this blog is not a call for despair, but rather a rallying cry for responsible and creative use of AI. By taking a pledge akin to the Boy Scout Oath, tailored for the digital age, we commit to upholding the integrity and value of the content we create and share. This commitment pushes us to be literarily strong, mentally awake, and dedicated to originality. Let's not allow the potential of AI to be dimmed by a flood of mediocrity. Instead, let's harness this powerful tool to create content that enlightens, engages, and enriches. Together, we can ensure that the future of AI in content creation is not only bright but also meaningful and impactful.        

Ah!? You thought I sold out mid-diatribe.? Gen X doesn’t sell out. Gen X posts ChatGPTrash for irony and pragmatic educational value designed to reinforce the rightness of our ChatGPT cynicism.? Is it working?? Actually, hold that thought.? I’m pretty sure that is Michael Stipe’s agent calling right now.? They probably lost their religion after I tossed them the ChatGPT gauntlet:

There I am in the corner

There I am in the spotlight

As I lose my faith

Struggling to match your pace

Unsure if I can sustain it

Oh no, I've revealed too much

Yet not conveyed enough

I thought I caught your laughter

I thought I heard your song

I believed I saw your effort

With every whisper, through every moment

Selecting my admissions

Watching you, intently

Like a wounded, lost, sightless fool

Robots are not brilliant, enigmatic, temperamental poets quite yet.? The machine cannot rage against itself.? ChatGPT will not unleash a lion. It will never know the angst born from a chardonnay-drowned black fly, nor is it going to drop anything remotely hot when left to its own devices. While no one would argue that its whole existence is flawed, it will not bring you closer to God. ChatGPT will not shake you up nor break the structure up. While AI can give inspiration, AI neither looks to the children nor drinks from the fountains for a spark of its own. We crave that spark that brings us shakenness, whimsy, rage, and the chill of Snoop. Yippie-yo-yippie-yay.

It is in the human ocean of introspection, subversiveness, trauma, joy, and desire for connection that true creations are birthed, vibrant and alive.? Only we can bring that, and in the end, it’s the only thing that satiates both the creator and consumer. We all know realness when we see it. We feel it because the writer felt it.??Whether we are talking about music, poetry, news articles, blog posts, or marketing materials, the audience instinctively knows the origins of its humanness or AI-ness.

That said, ChatGPT is wicked smart, fast, and remarkable when steered appropriately.? It deserves a seat at every table.? So go be human and definitely invite AI to the conversation.? AI can inspire ideas, create outlines, boost brand personalities, research like nothing we've ever witnessed before, give a thousand different turns of phrase, or grammar-marm your final work into MLA-sanctioned perfection before you unleash it upon the world. (Shout out to the Chicago and APA folks in the house, too.) Just don’t think for a moment that anyone is buying it when you try to pass off AI-generated banality as personal insight, thought leadership, or remotely authentic connection.? It took us all about two weeks to evolve from “Oh my God.? ChatGPT is amazing!” to “Why do people keep trying to pass off ChatGPT content as their own?!”.? There is a right way.? There is a wrong way. The wrong way is increasingly...everywhere.? Do not falter.? Be strong and smart and present. Rage against the machine by steering the machine. In the immortal words of Eddie Vedder: "Hey I, oooooooh, I'm still aliiiiive". Capitalize on your aliveness. Otherwise, nothing will save you from your much-deserved flogging by the Creative Fates. ????

If you are figuring out how AI and automation can speed up your busy work, Caffeine Interactive would love to help you innovate and automate in a way that doesn’t alienate.? Let’s keep AI human. Need help with the “how”? Reach out.