I finally recuperated from the episode of AI shock I wrote about last week. But just after my psyche had fully absorbed the news, I got hit again. It took another few days to let the jolt sink in, since I think much slower than AI, which seems to process information at the speed of light.
I had just hung up the phone after talking with my friend Marge about a book I thought she might like to read. Since writing is my pastime — I don’t quilt, crochet, or watch TV — I decided to write her a book report. When I finished my one-page essay, I uploaded it to the AI and asked it to edit my work.
In less than a hundredth of a second (the AI could definitely win gold in the Olympics), it had completed the task. I expected my usual outcome: a polished version with corrected spelling and grammar and bulky sentences streamlined.
What I got this time electrocuted me again. Instead of the usual copyediting, the AI had completely rewritten my essay — and here is the alarming part — it added content: words and ideas I had not used. It completely rearranged what I wrote; the paragraphs were in a different order.
My first reaction was a slightly defensive, “Wait a minute, you just butted in!” After I calmed down and read it through, I realized the essay was more complete and read much better. Then I had my usual gamut of extreme, polarized feelings — utter awe and amazement, followed by terror about what this means for the long-term societal picture. I tried to push thoughts of The Matrix and The Terminator out of my mind, almost breaking into a sweat. Then I remembered Star Wars, where humans and robots work together in such a beautiful way.
The thing that was different this time, though, was AI’s agency. The AI decided my essay could be better and just went ahead and bulldozed it with precision and force. Next time, I will be careful to say “please copyedit” instead of simply “edit.” Maybe that will limit its range. But do I really want that, when the end result can be so stellar?
Next week, I will go back to writing about food. I will write about how lovely it is to live in a “warm, soft animal body” (a quote from poet Mary Oliver) and to experience the sensory joys of eating food that tastes and feels so wonderful a person could get goosebumps.
Maybe that’s where we have a leg up on AI. Despite its awesome intellect, savoring a ripe, juicy pear is something it will probably never do — no matter how fast it tries.