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Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

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311–320 of 1001 posts

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#311

Even if people try to bypass it, having the official rule matters a lot. @dang, if you read this, why don't we implement honeypots to catch bots? Like having an empty or invisible field while posting/commenting that a human would never fill in

It's likely going to be a game of whack-a-mole, especially with AI as opposed to simple bots/scripts. Not that they shouldn't try to prevent it, but not entirely sure what the solution is.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#312

I occasionally used AI to edit and restructure my comments. I’m very open about it, and I don’t feel like I’m talking to non-humans when others do the same. To be clear, I'm neither proud nor embarrassed by this. I'm just trying to communicate in the most efficient way I can. I'm not sure how I feel about this new rule.

If you're not proud or embarrassed by it then I don't understand why it is an issue? If you miscommunicate something or don't get your point across, just try again, or apologize, and chalk it up to a learning experience.

If you think your writing could use improvement, then write your comment and let it sit for a few minutes before re-reading it and the comment you are replying to, make your edits and then post it. It will give your brain time to reset and maybe spot something you didn't earlier.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#313

How has Lobste.rs fared compared to HN in this regard? Lobste.rs is very similar to HN, but has an invite-only membership system.

These days, I've noticed that lobsters feels a lot more genuine to me, like hn was a few years ago. These days it feels like hn is bland and homogeneous, which I suspect is due to LLM-written comments.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#315

"AI-edited comments" is a very interesting one. Where is the line between a spelling/grammar/tone checker like Grammarly, that at minimum use N-Grams behind the scenes, and something that is "AI" edited? What I am asking is, is "AI" in this context fully featured LLMs, or anything that improves communication via an automated system. I think many people have used these "advanced" spellcheckers for years before Chatgpt…

There is no need to use any of it. Just use your own words.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#316

[flagged]

The fact that several users posted genuine replies to this obvious bot account is proof that this rule will likely go mostly unenforced. The average person is seemingly unable to notice they're reading slop, no matter how obvious it is.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#317

This policy will not age well.

> policy will not age well

I strongly doubt it. My AIs can generate infinite HN comments for me. I don’t do that because it isn’t interesting. But if the day arises where it is, I want that personalized content. Not something someone else copy pasted.

(I say this as someone who finds Moltbook fascinating and push myself to use AI more in my work and day-to-day life. The fact that it’s borderline trivial to figure out which HN comments are AI generated speaks to the motivation behind this guideline.)

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#318
post #286

What a welcome post. The whole reason I come here is to get thoughtful input from smart people, and not what I could get myself from an LLM. While we are at it; Think your own thoughts as well :) I know how easy it is to "let it come up with a first draft" and not spend the real effort of thinking for yourself on questions, but you'll find it's a road to perdition if you let yourself slip into the habit. Thanks to al…

Totally agree with you. I come here to read comments made by humans. If I need to read comments made by AI Bots I would go to Twitter or reddit, both made me not read the comments section entirely.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#319
This is a bit sad. The kind of people who post AI generated comments to farm reputation or exert undue influence will not be discouraged by politely asking them to stop. It's a toothless request that will only encourage people who clumsily police each other.

Without some kind of private proof of personhood enforced at the app level, this means nothing.

Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans

#320

I'm here to read what actual humans think. If I wanted to read what an LLM thinks, I could just ask it. But here's where it gets tricky: Do I prefer low-effort, off-the-top-of-my-head reactions, as long as it is human? Or do I want an insightful, well-thought-out response, even if it is LLM-enhanced? Am I here to read authentic humans because I value authenticity for its own sake (like preferring Champagne instead of…

> Or do I want an insightful, well-thought-out response, even if it is LLM-enhanced?

I'd argue that anything insightful or well-though-out doesn't use LLMs at all. We can quibble over whether discussions with an LLM lead to insightful responses, but that still isn't your own personal thought. Just type what's on your mind, it's not that hard and nitpicking over this is just looking for ways to open up unnecessary opportunities for abuse.

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