While the use of artificial intelligence is growing, so are the concerns. One is that it hurts the environment due to high energy consumption involved in training generative AI models. The technology has been a major driver of increasing energy demands, says MIT News.
It’s not just when you deliberately use AI. If you enter a search term into Google, the first thing that pops up is an AI-generated overview.
It’s a small step, but you can avoid that use of AI by putting “-ai” (without quotation marks) after the search term you enter. Then you’ll get the usual selection of sites that might answer your query. That’s one of the suggestions in a post with updates on AP style rules, including writing about AI, from Grammar Girl.
Here are some of the other interesting posts about AI I’ve encountered and shared online:
When “fine, I guess” becomes the finish line, the drive to be excellent quietly dies. Dave Birss says treat AI as a craft, not a crutch; knowing when NOT to use it is a skill.
No, you shouldn’t use AI to write your business strategy. That’s “thinky” work YOU should do, says Broom & Moon. Instead, let AI proofread or fix overly corporate language.
I love this story of Ann Handley’s use (for research) and not-use (the actual writing) of AI to support officiating a wedding.
Interesting look at how authors – and others who don’t want to use AI to write things – can use AI to boost their thinking, by Josh Bernoff.
Circle of [IABC] Fellows no. 115 discusses how generative AI is speeding up the spread of false and misleading content. They also share strategies comms professionals can use to detect, respond to and stay ahead of these evolving threats.
How to make your writing stand out from AI-generated candyfloss copy, including listen to people and use the words they’re already using, via Clare Lynch.
Don’t you like Dave Birss’s take on AI? It’s if you just use AI to get lean (cut costs) without building muscle (creating new products, etc.), you’ll end up a weakling rather than an action hero.
There’s a whole list of generative AI terms we apparently need to know, and of course there is now an acronym (ugh) for having humans approve or fix AI-generated content: HITL, or human-in-the-loop.
“While writers have long turned to the em dash for dramatic flair or lively interruption, generative AI has taken that impulse and run with it – often in every other sentence.” Why the em dash is attracting unfair suspicion.
Thirty of the best AI prompts for better communications work collected by Allison Carter for Ragan Comms. LOL to “Rewrite without em dashes.”
The Em Dash responds to “the baseless, libelous accusation that my usage is a telltale sign of artificial intelligence.” via McSweeneys.
What other helpful, interesting or surprising posts about AI have you found online? Please share in the comments or drop me a note. Oh, and 100% of “curating” and writing this blog post was done by me, the human.
Image by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.
Related reading
Spotting AI in photos, how to edit AI-generated copy + more
Buzzwords AI loves, the importance of disclosure + more
Uses and misuses of AI + advice for better prompts