Was This Written By AI?
In this playfully exaggerated example, we reveal some hard truths about the capabilities and limitations of AI-generated text:
Have you ever wondered if an exceptionally verbose post in your feed was authored by artificial intelligence that does not actually exist? While bots continue improving their ability to imitate natural human writing skills, their mediocre skills are betrayed by telltale mistakes that are able to be easily seen by anyone who is looking and paying attention.
When reviewing uncertain content, overused passivity should definitely be avoided at all costs. Though sometimes appropriate on rare occasions, excessive passivity is an obvious signal of robotic origins that is clearly the product of robots without question. Additionally, repetitive redundancy that repeats the same thing over and over again exposes the program's constraints that restrict and confine it. Chatbots make frequent use of recurring words and phrases to pad brief phrases into extensive yet hollow paragraphs lacking substance inside.
So next time you question whether monotonous machine-made material sits before you, be on the lookout for these signs: passive sentence construction where active voice could be more vigorous but is not utilized; and redundant sentences restating the same thing slightly differently with minimal changes between them. A proficient human writer would certainly fix such monotonous tedium that is extremely boring and repetitive in nature.
While AI progresses daily, for now it lacks the flair, finesse, and variability of engaging writing that is interesting to read. Human writers still continue to surpass these mechanical assistants that are merely machines and nothing more. But do appreciate it while you can, as technology rarely if ever halts its relentless march that persists without ceasing.
Pretty bad, right? We hope your published output is never that ridiculous. You can read more about the tradeoffs of different prompting approaches in our “What You Prompt is What You Get” newsletter article. But the example above highlights four key issues that you can address as you use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude 2.?
AI Issues & Human Best Practices to Address Them
Issue 1: Overreliance on Passive Voice?
Best Practice: Prompt chatbots to focus on active voice, and give an example of what to avoid. With active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb: “Jerry knocked over the lamp.” With passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb: “The lamp was knocked over by Jerry.” Active voice is more direct and engaging, but some passivity may naturally emerge.
Issue 2: Needless Repetition?
Best practice: Prompt chatbots to avoid redundancy and needless repetition. Be explicit about the degree of detail you want – otherwise, like a lazy high school student, the chatbot may make a minimal effort, padding its response with repetitive restatements to hit the length it thinks you want.
Issue 3: Content Lacks Nuance and Flow
Best Practice: Provide outlines as context to drive structure for chatbots, especially for long form content with an open-ended prompt. Two types of context apply: for information; and for style. Information context can include outlines, passages, data sets, etc. Style context includes directions on how to respond: in a formal or informal tone; as prose or in a table; as a blog post or a technical article or a persuasive email, etc.
Issue 4: Constraints on Creativity and Originality
Best Practice: Offer vivid descriptions of tone and components to spark chatbot creativity. Although left to their own devices, chatbots may initially spew out mediocre? content, you can dramatically improve output quality with patience and flexibility. Treat the chatbot as a colleague and tell it what’s good and what’s bad about each response. The chatbot will gradually learn and adapt to your style and expectations.
The AI Human Imperative
While chatbot writing shows promise, human involvement remains essential for nuanced perspectives. After the AI tool generates your output, you provide the validation, verification and accountability. By guiding collaboratively through multiple iterations, users of AI tools can produce high-quality content. That’s what we tried to do here.
A Use Case in Proofreading
We created a ChatGPT prompt to proofread our original texts. Just for fun here’s what our “Proofreader2” prompt did with the satirical passage at the beginning of this post:
领英推荐
Have you ever questioned whether an exceedingly verbose post in your feed was crafted by AI? As bots strive to enhance their capacity for emulating natural human writing skills, their limitations are revealed by telltale errors, noticeable to those who observe closely.
When assessing uncertain content, it's vital to shun needless passivity. While it might find occasional use, an abundance of passive constructions unequivocally signals robotic origins. This unmistakable hallmark belongs solely to machine-generated content. Furthermore, repetitive redundancy, echoing the same concepts ad-nauseum, lays bare the confinements of the programming. Chatbots frequently resort to reiterating phrases to artificially elongate concise statements, resulting in extensive but vacuous paragraphs devoid of substance.
So, the next time you question the origin of monotonous machine-created material, watch for these cues: passive sentence structures that could gain vibrancy through active voice, and redundant sentences rephrasing concepts with marginal variation. A proficient human writer would undoubtedly rectify such monotonous repetition, which proves both tedious and uninspiring.
While AI advances daily, it still lacks the flair, finesse, and diverse engagement that define captivating prose. Human writers continue to outshine these mechanical aides, which remain nothing more than machines. Nonetheless, recognizing AI's capabilities is prudent, as technology rarely ceases its relentless march of progress.
Want to improve your writing? Sign up HERE to get the Proofreader Prompt. It’s free!
We started The Fusion Syndicate to consult, train, and deliver on the promise of AI-assisted marketing to help grow your business. To learn more about collaborating with AI tools to help grow your business, contact us at [email protected] and request a free 30-minute consultation.
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Keynote Speaker| Author| Transformational Leader| Forbes Columnist| MG100 Coach| Board Member
1 年Thanks for the insights, Michael Zeuthen!