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How to write stuff no one else can

thewritetoroam.com

11–20 of 143 posts

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#11
post #5
post #2

This sentence caught my attention: > You can’t just Google these kinds of things. That’s why they’re so interesting. So what Google did is dilute the information advantage. The more interconnected we are, the harder it becomes to maintain that advantage.

Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc are all retrieval services (with some rudimentary remixing capabilities thrown in, for the latter few). Some human has to actually have interesting insights and write them. Retrieval services help with distribution & discovery. The less we’re connected, the harder it is to find the right audience who value your (niche) insights. Of course attribution and linking is important.

AI so much much more than retrieval since it knows how to correctly apply exist concepts to previously unexplored areas.

You can ask ChatGPT how one might implement and enforce laws in a world where magic exists. Or time travel. Or whatever. Because it knows laws and it knows common fiction tropes and can reason well enough to surmise how to apply them together.

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#12
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc are all retrieval services (with some rudimentary remixing capabilities thrown in, for the latter few). Some human has to actually have interesting insights and write them. Retrieval services help with distribution & discovery. The less we’re connected, the harder it is to find the right audience who value your (niche) insights. Of course attribution and linking is important.

AI so much much more than retrieval since it knows how to correctly apply exist concepts to previously unexplored areas. You can ask ChatGPT how one might implement and enforce laws in a world where magic exists. Or time travel. Or whatever. Because it knows laws and it knows common fiction tropes and can reason well enough to surmise how to apply them together.

Wanted to give it a try. I didn't even consider many of these and doubt I would've come up with such a good list even if I had a lot of time. Much less than 1 second it took to generate the response.

In a world where magic exists, laws and the legislative system would likely undergo significant adaptations to address the unique capabilities and risks presented by magic. Here are several ways in which these systems might be different, based on various assumptions about the nature and scope of magic:

1. *Regulation of Magical Practices*: Just as with professions and practices in our world, there would be regulations governing who can practice magic, how it can be learned, and where it can be used. Licenses or permits might be required for practicing certain types of magic, similar to medical licenses or driving licenses.

2. *Magic-Related Offenses*: New categories of crimes would exist, such as unauthorized enchantments, illegal curses, magical fraud (using illusions or mind control for deceit), and unlicensed necromancy. Laws would specify what constitutes a magical assault versus a non-magical one, with potentially different penalties.

3. *Enforcement and Jurisdiction*: Special law enforcement units trained in counter-magic or magical defense would be necessary to handle crimes involving magic. The jurisdiction might depend on the nature of the magic used; for example, cross-dimensional or time-altering magic could involve a higher authority or international magical council.

4. *Evidence and Investigation*: The collection of evidence might include magical means, such as truth spells, scrying (viewing distant or future events), or reviewing memories directly. However, there would also need to be laws protecting individuals against invasive magical investigations.

5. *Rights and Protections*: There would be laws to protect non-magical beings from discrimination or harm by magical individuals or entities. Similarly, sentient magical creatures or beings might have their own rights, leading to more complex legal considerations regarding interspecies interactions.

6. *Ethical Use of Magic*: Legislation would likely address the ethical implications of spellcasting, summoning, and other magical practices, including the use of magic on unwilling subjects or creating sentient beings. Regulations might prevent or restrict the use of magic that can alter someone's will, memories, or identity.

7. *Magical Contracts and Agreements*: The legal system would need to address the binding nature of magical contracts, which could have irrevocable consequences. Laws might specify how such contracts can be fairly negotiated and what remedies exist for breaking a magical contract.

8. *Intellectual Property*: In a world where spells, potions, and magical items are created, there would be intellectual property laws protecting the creators of magical inventions. This could include patents on spell formulas, copyright on magical texts, or trademarks on magical item designs.

9. *International Relations and Security*: On a larger scale, there might be international laws governing the use of magic, especially in conflicts or espionage. Treaties could limit the use of particularly destructive spells or ban the creation of magical weapons of mass destruction.

10. *Education and Public Safety*: Laws would govern the education and training of individuals with magical abilities, possibly requiring mandatory schooling to ensure that magic is used safely and responsibly. Public safety regulations would address the storage of magical materials and the construction of magically protected buildings.

In this magical world, the legal and legislative system would need to be flexible and innovative, capable of addressing the ever-evolving nature of magic and its impact on society. It would be a blend of traditional legal principles and new rules designed to manage the unique challenges posed by the existence of magic.

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AI so much much more than retrieval since it knows how to correctly apply exist concepts to previously unexplored areas. You can ask ChatGPT how one might implement and enforce laws in a world where magic exists. Or time travel. Or whatever. Because it knows laws and it knows common fiction tropes and can reason well enough to surmise how to apply them together.

Wanted to give it a try. I didn't even consider many of these and doubt I would've come up with such a good list even if I had a lot of time. Much less than 1 second it took to generate the response. In a world where magic exists, laws and the legislative system would likely undergo significant adaptations to address the unique capabilities and risks presented by magic. Here are several ways in which these systems mi…

All of these are basically "what we have now, but with magic".

I'm sorry but how magic and the legal system interact is a subject explored in fiction. Hell, even Harry Potter touched on the subject. And that's not going to even touch authors like Jim Butcher and Piers Anthony who have entire series about "this, but with magic".

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#14

I read the article, what mind opening tactic did the author explain to the public? Appears to be blogspam.

I think the extent to which writers have to get creative in finding sources for novel pieces is taken for granted. I did not realize how tactical and painstaking the process is to create the content that I casually skim and enjoy. So I strengthened my appreciation of the process

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#15
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc are all retrieval services (with some rudimentary remixing capabilities thrown in, for the latter few). Some human has to actually have interesting insights and write them. Retrieval services help with distribution & discovery. The less we’re connected, the harder it is to find the right audience who value your (niche) insights. Of course attribution and linking is important.

AI so much much more than retrieval since it knows how to correctly apply exist concepts to previously unexplored areas. You can ask ChatGPT how one might implement and enforce laws in a world where magic exists. Or time travel. Or whatever. Because it knows laws and it knows common fiction tropes and can reason well enough to surmise how to apply them together.

You make the following comment regarding artificial stupidity systems (AI)

> since it knows how to correctly apply exist concepts to previously unexplored areas

and yet these systems know nothing at all. Far too many people (including the developers of such systems) have failed to understand that none of these systems can go beyond the programming that humans have incorporated into them. Yes, they appear to exhibit certain [abilities] but no more than any other essentially mechanical device and the limited capabilities that we have been able to design in them.

You can certainly pose questions and these systems (within the constraints of the programming involved in them) can retrieve and correlate data that is accessible. Bus the insights drawn will require human involvement.

Over decades, I have built tools to help in the analysis of all sorts of data sets and it has taken a human asking the [right] questions to get appropriate outcomes.

We do not understand our own intelligence let alone being able to build any artificial intelligent system that can operate on its own.

What does amaze me though is that we create natural intelligence systems all the time and they are called children. I have been avidly watching the development of my youngest grandchild and she makes an absolute mockery of any artificial system we have built anywhere.

In a very real sense, every artificial stupidity system (AI) that we have built is as complicated as a hammer or a knife.

It is what we (human beings) do with these simple tools that determine the outcomes.

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#16
post #5
post #2

This sentence caught my attention: > You can’t just Google these kinds of things. That’s why they’re so interesting. So what Google did is dilute the information advantage. The more interconnected we are, the harder it becomes to maintain that advantage.

Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc are all retrieval services (with some rudimentary remixing capabilities thrown in, for the latter few). Some human has to actually have interesting insights and write them. Retrieval services help with distribution & discovery. The less we’re connected, the harder it is to find the right audience who value your (niche) insights. Of course attribution and linking is important.

The longer I think about something, the dumber AI gets.

I have given our internal knowledgebase documents to ChatGPT and asked for summaries, and it adds in things from the general internet that are wrong to very wrong contradicting our KB (we are very far off the beaten path of conventional audio studio design testing).

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AI so much much more than retrieval since it knows how to correctly apply exist concepts to previously unexplored areas. You can ask ChatGPT how one might implement and enforce laws in a world where magic exists. Or time travel. Or whatever. Because it knows laws and it knows common fiction tropes and can reason well enough to surmise how to apply them together.

Wanted to give it a try. I didn't even consider many of these and doubt I would've come up with such a good list even if I had a lot of time. Much less than 1 second it took to generate the response. In a world where magic exists, laws and the legislative system would likely undergo significant adaptations to address the unique capabilities and risks presented by magic. Here are several ways in which these systems mi…

Fun little exercise: while reading above, see what happens when mentally substituting “magic” with “AI”, words like “enchantments” with “algorithms” and so on.

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#18
post #3
post #2

This sentence caught my attention: > You can’t just Google these kinds of things. That’s why they’re so interesting. So what Google did is dilute the information advantage. The more interconnected we are, the harder it becomes to maintain that advantage.

That's also something I often encounter with ChatGPT. It often is very wrong about things I ask, because I often wonder and try things off the beaten path. That's our advantage against LLMs.

No the advantage is that you have context. That context is HUGE. That's why you can't and won't be able to have chat gpt actually do your job for you. You still need to ask it questions. And to even know what questions you need to ask you need to have context.

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#19
What was the answer?

Find a human who can bypass robots.txt/limitations of ChatGPT and find less traveled sources given the internet fails to archive itself and important information can be wiped any minute? Isn't that just called good journalism?

Re: How to write stuff no one else can

#20
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's also something I often encounter with ChatGPT. It often is very wrong about things I ask, because I often wonder and try things off the beaten path. That's our advantage against LLMs.

No the advantage is that you have context. That context is HUGE. That's why you can't and won't be able to have chat gpt actually do your job for you. You still need to ask it questions. And to even know what questions you need to ask you need to have context.

You don't just need a context, you need to finetune a model around that context since working memory isn't enough. That is what human workers do, they spend the first months finetuning their model around the company context before they can start to provide valuable code.

Once you can pay to get your own fine tuned version of the big LLMs maybe we can start to do real work with these.

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