Are we still speaking "Human"?

Musings from a full-time wordsmith.

The advent of AI tools came at a unique period in my professional life.

As a salesperson, the ChatGPT renaissance represents a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of messaging, prospecting, and creating a robust ecosystem of tools and processes that allow me to connect clients with the tools they need.

As a copywriter (and former/perennial screenwriter), this era bears the shroud of dwindling opportunities, a wave of unemployment for my peers, and the gentle erosion of nuanced language.

Professionally and morally I exist somewhere in between these two worlds. Artificial intelligence is in essence just a tool we can use to tell stories - belonging to a long lineage that includes the computer, television, radio, camera, typewriter, printing press, and even writing itself.

With each successive generation, these technologies present us with a choice - the option to make more or less of ourselves with its use.

Warning Signs

If you are an avid user of LinkedIn (as I am) you are already a knowing or unknowing witness to some of the most concentrated forms of written persuasion. This platform's content is dominated by the written creations of some of the world's most effective salespeople and marketers. That also makes it the perfect canary in the coal mine for understanding the dangers of an overreliance on systems of ease (like ChatGPT and other recent automation entrants to the market).

With experience, screenwriters develop an instinct for written authenticity. Nevertheless, there are many misconceptions about how this talent should be used.

In the film industry, a stark immovable devotion to written authenticity is often the hallmark of snobbishness and will be a fast track to the labyrinthine world of indie cinema. Those more interested in creating art that appeals to the masses and has an impact on society as a whole are aware that there should be a balance of authentic themes seasoned with the appropriate about of pure fantasy.

Despite these differences in approach (and the vast spectrum between them), filmmakers develop a mutual sense of when a written message is "real" or "human". Unsurprisingly, this is not a superpower. It is merely the refinement of an instinctive muscle that all humans possess.

Since the most recent introduction of automated writing systems, people with a tuned sense of narrative authenticity have noticed a gradual but increasing change in the language of persuasion.

It has become very efficient, but it has lost most of its nuance. Yes, the model is predictive - but the language is also far too predictable.

Embracing the Unpredictable

Humanity loves patterns in its stories. Even cultures separated by eons and oceans will inevitably craft similar structures in the tales they tell. However, reliable structure is only the foundation of the communication of ideas. We also require flourish, nuance, and most importantly - imperfections.

Some of the most enduring aspects of any great writer's work are their unconventional mental approaches, their internal nature, and their perspective. Half of what we identify with when we consume the written word is the fact of it, the other half comes writer's internal world - a realm that borders fiction.

We lose some of the "humanity" of our language when we seek perfection.

We lose all of it when we create communication solely for the sake of ease.

A Challenge

I challenge every reader of this article to redefine their relationship with automated writing. It is not an evil, but it is a danger - a danger that lives within the choice we make now. We must decide (as we did with technologies of the past) to attempt to use its power to enhance our innate abilities - not replace our very nature.