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Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

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Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#111

Post by gtowey »

borski wrote: post #31

I find that AI is very useful for getting me past the 'blank page' writing block, but inevitably it writes in ways I would never, and so I end up editing it heavily. But, for me, a boy with ADHD, editing something is infinitely easier than writing it from scratch . I think this is the opposite of how most people tend to use LLMs, and I actually think my way is the "better" way. My issue has never been the act of writ…

> I find that AI is very useful for getting me past the 'blank page' writing block, but inevitably it writes in ways I would never, and so I end up editing it heavily. But, for me, a boy with ADHD, editing something is infinitely easier than writing it from scratch.

As someone who also has ADHD, I would beg you to reconsider this strategy.

Getting the first thoughts down on paper is the hardest part, especially for those who may have trouble with focus, but that's exactly why you should practice it!

It's 90% of the task, it's where you have to practice executive function to plan what you're going to write in the overall broad sense. Please don't give up on it and hand that task over to the LLMs There are a lot of strategies you can use to break through that barrier and you'll be better off by strengthening that muscle instead of leaving it to wither.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#112

Post by borski »

Kye wrote: post #104
kranner wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> you will not have that delightful experience of encountering something unexpected along the way to filling it. > There's nothing stopping you from doing that with an LLM. There may be, though. The LLM's initial output may anchor your thinking in insidious ways that may not be obvious at all especially since you're feeling productive. I bet the lack of confidence around starting would also increase over time every…

Not so far. I'm not talking about using a default mode LLM with LinkedIn Standard Obsequious Bullshit as a conversational imperative that emerges from simple prompts interacting with the heaviest weights. It pushes back because I told it to and it has redirects around common LLM failure modes, and modes unique to how I use them. That's in a set of instructions I've had a bunch of different models tear apart so I coul…

Yeah, precisely. My "Bobby" knows my voice, but is not me, and is bad at using it. It is aware of all the tropes, and I've built a writing skill that describes, in great detail, how I write. I have also set it up to challenge me, not make me feel good.

Moreover, it's not like I spend my entire writing time arguing with an LLM, lol. I spend more time writing myself and/or doing research on the internet without an LLM, because sometimes they still get things wrong.

In short: it's a tool, not a solution.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#113

Post by borski »

Nashooo wrote: post #40
borski wrote: post #31

I find that AI is very useful for getting me past the 'blank page' writing block, but inevitably it writes in ways I would never, and so I end up editing it heavily. But, for me, a boy with ADHD, editing something is infinitely easier than writing it from scratch . I think this is the opposite of how most people tend to use LLMs, and I actually think my way is the "better" way. My issue has never been the act of writ…

You're the first articulating my exact use case with AI as well! It really helps get me in 'the zone'. I actually now dictate as well and then the AI rewrite it and then I start editing. To lower the barrier even more.

Yeah, I've used dictation at times for the same reason.

I don't like how LLMs write. I like how I write.

But I do like that LLMs get me to write. People seem to miss that a lot, because most of the "AI slop" you see is AI-driven, not human-driven. But human-driven writing, with AI as a tool, is a far better way to go about it, imho.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#114

Post by borski »

gtowey wrote: post #111
borski wrote: post #31

I find that AI is very useful for getting me past the 'blank page' writing block, but inevitably it writes in ways I would never, and so I end up editing it heavily. But, for me, a boy with ADHD, editing something is infinitely easier than writing it from scratch . I think this is the opposite of how most people tend to use LLMs, and I actually think my way is the "better" way. My issue has never been the act of writ…

> I find that AI is very useful for getting me past the 'blank page' writing block, but inevitably it writes in ways I would never, and so I end up editing it heavily. But, for me, a boy with ADHD, editing something is infinitely easier than writing it from scratch. As someone who also has ADHD, I would beg you to reconsider this strategy. Getting the first thoughts down on paper is the hardest part, especially for t…

I can do it. It's not like I'm not capable. I've spent 38 years 'strengthening that muscle', heh.

But I also have an automatic car, even though I know how to drive stick.

Tools are tools, and how you use them is the important part.

For me, the issue of getting words on paper isn't focus, but an inability to decide how I want to start a page; it's decision paralysis. Whatever an LLM writes is going to be crappy, because it isn't me, but seeing it immediately gives me guidance as to what I want to say, because I have something to respond to as opposed to just being in my head.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#115

Post by thin_carapace »

gniv wrote: post #107
pmoati wrote: post #33

I totally agreed with you. I'm French (nobody is perfect ^^), I'm not so fluent in english and I'm dyslexic, that why I often write my message, then I ask to Claude to translate it in english because i'm feeling I will lose the credibility of my message if there is too much mistake... But you're right, so this message is not translated by LLM :D

It's perfectly fine to run your English text through an LLM if you're not sure about grammar/spelling. That's also how you learn to improve. Your post is comprehensible but has multiple mistakes and they are a distraction (which is fine in this context, but in other contexts it might hinder communication).

some people call moles an ugly disfiguration and would agree that having moles excised is the best idea.

some other people call moles a beauty spot and feel a genuine affection towards such aysmmetries.

theres a time and a place for everything. taking a look at the topic that the thread is discussing, and taking a look at the positive emotion in the comment that you responded to ...... well im not gonna argue that youre wrong per se ...

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#116

Post by Kye »

Ekaros wrote: post #100
stingraycharles wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if the way that LLMs write - the super generic, soulless communication - is also due to them being trained on public communication.

On other side it is what they are tuned to produce. It is what majority wants or accepts or at least expects. If that type of content is everywhere. And various types of "leetspeak" or slang is considered unprofessional and thus undesirable. That is what you have left. On other side, you have to think uproar what something that could be perceived as say racist by most radical people would cause... You really don't ha…

Claude says it can speak 5 kinds of 1337. It even built a simulated blue box for me complete with keypad, 2600 button, and KP tone button. Then it made a modem simulator with buttons for all the different tones/warbles/screams.

Which is to say, tuning fights with prompts less as the models and interfaces improve.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#117

Post by eden-u4 »

phillipclapham wrote: post #103

[flagged]

But what if your rubber duck is actually steering your thought process (since you may not have a consolidated one)? In this way I think the AI as editor is far better than a rubber duck AI. While in the former, it might point out your mistakes and give useful advices (which is similar to what you describe), it might not steer your thought (unless your mistakes are far too severe!), and actually help in your reasoning. But AI as a brainstorming rubber duck (or thinking tool) could be harmful to your thought process.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#118

Post by Leomuck »

treenode wrote: post #98

AI writing sucks. The punchy words, the hyperbole, the monotony and pervasiveness are all exhausting. But I can’t deny there’s one upside. People who grew up speaking and living in other languages, people whose english is poor, finally have a level playground. It’s a great equaliser of our english writing privilege. The thing that worries me most is that it's going to redefine the way we write. We absorb language. To…

There is already studies that confirm your fear, I think. They found that mainstream language is changing due to AI. Certain words get used proportionally more than before, etc. Also, if you check out some reddits, it's crazy how generic many things are. Because of AI. I do agree wholeheartedly that we need to read more. And also, that AI can also be a very cool tool for giving some people more power in a way.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#119

Post by Leomuck »

I very much agree with this. I had several experiences where I wanted to express something in a very particular way, told a LLM about it, and what came out was just so generic that it really wasn't authentic. It didn't represent me at all, not the morals I have, not the way I talk, not the way I want to express things. I do think more and more that authenticity and character are what we need to preserve with all power we have if we don't want the internet to become just a gateway for generic back and forth. After all, the internet was introduced so humans could connect and share.

Re: Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all

#120

Post by Leomuck »

phillipclapham wrote: post #103

[flagged]

I do agree on that take. I find AI to be most useful as a sparing partner for my thought process. I also agree with the other commenter that it, of course, can also influence your thought process. We have to stay aware of that and try to stay in control of that conversation.
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