"The greatest use of a human was to be useful. Not to consume, not to watch, but to do something for someone else that improved their life, even for a few minutes.”
One thing I forgot to mention that I think is good AI: Waymos. I've used them on both of my last visits to LA and think they're kind of amazing. And, on the whole, better drivers than most humans.
Glad your boys liked California. When I first arrived in CA in 1988, I wasn’t sure I’d made the right choice. I’d moved to Sonoma County for a job all by myself. I had left West Virginia where I had lived and worked for 8 years. The economy was depressing, the attitude was depressing. it made me depressed.. So, after being offered the CA job twice I took it. It was so beautiful it took my breath away and 20 minutes to the west was the most beautiful coast and ocean views. On my first day driving to work, I turned on the radio and the drive time announcer said “good morning California , welcome to another day in paradise”. Yep, I was home. I still love so much about this state. We moved back here after 15 years in Georgia. Family is here. That is so important. And it is still paradise every single morning. Fate lead me here first time and it brought us back home a second time.
It was announced this week that they are building an AI data center in my county. This center will eventually use 300 megawatts of power. 1 megawatt is enough to power up to 900 homes for a year. Fuck AI.
Thank you for so thoroughly and eloquently saying what I too feel about AI. I’m another person who doesn’t use it, and won’t use it unless I’m forced to somehow. I commend you for trying not to be a scold about it, though. I find that with most things, berating someone won’t change their mind, but a solid argument in favor of the alternative (such as what you laid out), just might.
The act of creation, be it writing an article or a song, painting a painting, or coding, among many other things, is as much about what we learn and discover via the act, as it is about the end product. Value the work, including the process.
I'm really just trying to work through all this--by writing, of course, the only way I ever work through anything. The more I think about this stuff ... the sorta worse I feel about it?
I concur with all of this. I have zero interest in using it in my personal life. Unfortunately, I work in marketing in corporate America, so I'm being forced to deal with it there. But I'm trying to hold the line on doing it in the sanest way possible.
I find it wild how much corporate American seems to be MAKING their employees use it. I mean, if you're doing your job, why do they care? (This is why I'm so bad at corporate America, I think.)
My God, Will, this week's newsletter felt like it came from my brain. Everything you said mirrors my feelings, disdain, fear, disgust, despair... I could go on but I'd have to ask my phone for more synonyms.
Its so clear to me that this is being shoved down our throats while still a (half-assed, plagiarised) work in progress because our tech overlords have placed all their chips on this dystopian hand and they cannot be allowed to fail. Our society (or at least nearly half of it from what I can tell) has been brainwashed into believing what is good for billionaires is good for society.
Combine that with the inherent laziness that has invaded our world since technology became an overwhelmingly ruling part of it, and, well... can anyone blame you for going on a rant now and then? Sometimes its all i can do to get out of bed for another day of watching America sail towards the iceberg with nothing to redirect the momentum.
I've always appreciated (and lately needed) the optimism you bring to your posts, but this one, darker though it may be, makes me feel seen.
Your thoughts on AI (as it exists today, I'll caveat) felt so true to me. I've long said "I want machines to do whatever they can do humans can focus on what ONLY they can" - but I think I need to modify the last part to "what only they should".
I get the desire for folks to look for efficiencies - "it isn't critical for me to learn how to do this thing, but I need this thing done, I wonder if AI can help do it for me". I've also seen it be helpful as an editor when given specific prompts. I also like it for virtual meeting note taking because it frees everyone to fully participate and - THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT - there is a transcript alongside the notes for validation.
But then I hear people saying "I ask AI to help me do strategic planning" or "I needed to draft a thank you message to staff" and all I can think is "so you outsourced human value, both your own and making time and mental space to show it to others"?
I worry that the latter category is only going to expand, and the way you summarized that fear, and a call to an alternative, felt spot on.
Dave Barry had a funny column this week about how Google AI insisted he was dead, and even after he submitted corrections, it still got basic facts about him wrong.
The copyright page of the new Laura Lippman novel has a paragraph that explicitly forbids its unauthorized use for AI training. (Yours doesn’t, I just checked.) Hopefully, this will be standard going forward.
Agree with your great commenters--you nailed my thoughts and feelings, too, on AI! I also do not use it. Concerning an upcoming trip to Ireland, however, my wife did go to ChatGPT, plugged in points of interest, length of trip, no car (bus, train, e-bikes only), and the result was interesting--useful in an item 1 / calculator kind of way.
We're starting "Adolescence" tonight--our son told us this is the best thing he's seen in a while. I've been listening to the 4 Tweedy preview cuts since the release announcement--I'm liking these songs. He had some interesting comments in Pitchfork about the new work and where he's at: "...when you align yourself with creation, you inherently take a side against destruction. You’re on the side of creation. And that does a lot to quell the impulse to destroy. Creativity eats darkness.” Very un-AI of Jeff--just like Will Leitch, the work is the point.
Will, I cannot "Like" this post enough. Thank you. I think AI is an environment-wrecking plagiarism machine. I like using my brain. I want writing that moves and challenges me. I highlight favorite passages in books. I turn it off in search results. I know I sound like a Luddite, but I don't trust the damn thing.
As a writer/creator who has many similar thoughts on AI, I use it mainly for two things:
1. Simple tasks like the monthly calendar format I use to share all my activities with my wife. It is easier to type "give me the days and dates on next month with a colon after each one" for me to cut and paste into my notes doc
2. I drive a lot and will make voice notes of blog posts or lists or anything I need. Sometimes I use AI as a first editor on blog posts or marketing copy from my transcript. I don't love it, but it helps
Hope you enjoyed your time here in LA. It was great seeing you at Book Soup again, 17 years later. Looking forward to meeting up again in 2042 at Book Soup. And yes, I asked ChatGPT to help me with the math on that one.
I totally agree with everything you say about AI and you've put it much better than I could have. The essence of the problem is that AI is just a souped-up spell-checker and cannot produce anything original or surprising. Seeing its power usage and the hallucinations increase, I think we're heading for a drastic collapse. Nothing you write yourself can be worse than the slop produced by AI. I feel very sorry for the people putting all their faith in the AIs.
One thing I forgot to mention that I think is good AI: Waymos. I've used them on both of my last visits to LA and think they're kind of amazing. And, on the whole, better drivers than most humans.
Number 10 sums up my feelings about AI.
Glad your boys liked California. When I first arrived in CA in 1988, I wasn’t sure I’d made the right choice. I’d moved to Sonoma County for a job all by myself. I had left West Virginia where I had lived and worked for 8 years. The economy was depressing, the attitude was depressing. it made me depressed.. So, after being offered the CA job twice I took it. It was so beautiful it took my breath away and 20 minutes to the west was the most beautiful coast and ocean views. On my first day driving to work, I turned on the radio and the drive time announcer said “good morning California , welcome to another day in paradise”. Yep, I was home. I still love so much about this state. We moved back here after 15 years in Georgia. Family is here. That is so important. And it is still paradise every single morning. Fate lead me here first time and it brought us back home a second time.
It was announced this week that they are building an AI data center in my county. This center will eventually use 300 megawatts of power. 1 megawatt is enough to power up to 900 homes for a year. Fuck AI.
Yes, this is definitely *another* problem.
came here to add this note - the amount of power it takes is astronomical and irresponsible.
Thank you for so thoroughly and eloquently saying what I too feel about AI. I’m another person who doesn’t use it, and won’t use it unless I’m forced to somehow. I commend you for trying not to be a scold about it, though. I find that with most things, berating someone won’t change their mind, but a solid argument in favor of the alternative (such as what you laid out), just might.
The act of creation, be it writing an article or a song, painting a painting, or coding, among many other things, is as much about what we learn and discover via the act, as it is about the end product. Value the work, including the process.
I'm really just trying to work through all this--by writing, of course, the only way I ever work through anything. The more I think about this stuff ... the sorta worse I feel about it?
*standing ovation for your AI thoughts*
I concur with all of this. I have zero interest in using it in my personal life. Unfortunately, I work in marketing in corporate America, so I'm being forced to deal with it there. But I'm trying to hold the line on doing it in the sanest way possible.
I find it wild how much corporate American seems to be MAKING their employees use it. I mean, if you're doing your job, why do they care? (This is why I'm so bad at corporate America, I think.)
Great piece this week, someone has to say it! I definitely agree with this.
Glad the boys liked California! Still holding out for a book tour stop somewhere in Phoenix.
Excellent. Thank you.
The last two posts have been a little bleak — but necessary.
My God, Will, this week's newsletter felt like it came from my brain. Everything you said mirrors my feelings, disdain, fear, disgust, despair... I could go on but I'd have to ask my phone for more synonyms.
Its so clear to me that this is being shoved down our throats while still a (half-assed, plagiarised) work in progress because our tech overlords have placed all their chips on this dystopian hand and they cannot be allowed to fail. Our society (or at least nearly half of it from what I can tell) has been brainwashed into believing what is good for billionaires is good for society.
Combine that with the inherent laziness that has invaded our world since technology became an overwhelmingly ruling part of it, and, well... can anyone blame you for going on a rant now and then? Sometimes its all i can do to get out of bed for another day of watching America sail towards the iceberg with nothing to redirect the momentum.
I've always appreciated (and lately needed) the optimism you bring to your posts, but this one, darker though it may be, makes me feel seen.
I really, *really* tried to be optimistic on this one. I always do!
Your thoughts on AI (as it exists today, I'll caveat) felt so true to me. I've long said "I want machines to do whatever they can do humans can focus on what ONLY they can" - but I think I need to modify the last part to "what only they should".
I get the desire for folks to look for efficiencies - "it isn't critical for me to learn how to do this thing, but I need this thing done, I wonder if AI can help do it for me". I've also seen it be helpful as an editor when given specific prompts. I also like it for virtual meeting note taking because it frees everyone to fully participate and - THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT - there is a transcript alongside the notes for validation.
But then I hear people saying "I ask AI to help me do strategic planning" or "I needed to draft a thank you message to staff" and all I can think is "so you outsourced human value, both your own and making time and mental space to show it to others"?
I worry that the latter category is only going to expand, and the way you summarized that fear, and a call to an alternative, felt spot on.
I don't think I understand *why* people would do that, other than simple laziness.
Dave Barry had a funny column this week about how Google AI insisted he was dead, and even after he submitted corrections, it still got basic facts about him wrong.
The copyright page of the new Laura Lippman novel has a paragraph that explicitly forbids its unauthorized use for AI training. (Yours doesn’t, I just checked.) Hopefully, this will be standard going forward.
I'll confess, I didn't know this was an option.
Agree with your great commenters--you nailed my thoughts and feelings, too, on AI! I also do not use it. Concerning an upcoming trip to Ireland, however, my wife did go to ChatGPT, plugged in points of interest, length of trip, no car (bus, train, e-bikes only), and the result was interesting--useful in an item 1 / calculator kind of way.
We're starting "Adolescence" tonight--our son told us this is the best thing he's seen in a while. I've been listening to the 4 Tweedy preview cuts since the release announcement--I'm liking these songs. He had some interesting comments in Pitchfork about the new work and where he's at: "...when you align yourself with creation, you inherently take a side against destruction. You’re on the side of creation. And that does a lot to quell the impulse to destroy. Creativity eats darkness.” Very un-AI of Jeff--just like Will Leitch, the work is the point.
I always wondered what creativity liked to eat!
Has anyone asked Gemini if it would like to play a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with players = 0?
Will, I cannot "Like" this post enough. Thank you. I think AI is an environment-wrecking plagiarism machine. I like using my brain. I want writing that moves and challenges me. I highlight favorite passages in books. I turn it off in search results. I know I sound like a Luddite, but I don't trust the damn thing.
As a writer/creator who has many similar thoughts on AI, I use it mainly for two things:
1. Simple tasks like the monthly calendar format I use to share all my activities with my wife. It is easier to type "give me the days and dates on next month with a colon after each one" for me to cut and paste into my notes doc
2. I drive a lot and will make voice notes of blog posts or lists or anything I need. Sometimes I use AI as a first editor on blog posts or marketing copy from my transcript. I don't love it, but it helps
These both seem perfectly reasonable to me.
Hope you enjoyed your time here in LA. It was great seeing you at Book Soup again, 17 years later. Looking forward to meeting up again in 2042 at Book Soup. And yes, I asked ChatGPT to help me with the math on that one.
It has value as a calculator! (And great to see you too.)
I totally agree with everything you say about AI and you've put it much better than I could have. The essence of the problem is that AI is just a souped-up spell-checker and cannot produce anything original or surprising. Seeing its power usage and the hallucinations increase, I think we're heading for a drastic collapse. Nothing you write yourself can be worse than the slop produced by AI. I feel very sorry for the people putting all their faith in the AIs.