True that AI comments do degrade discussion. Though a forum enforcing human-only text also becomes an unusually clean training corpus. Both things can be true.
Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
551–560 of 1001 posts
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#552It's far from proven or obvious whether involving an LLM in your thought process degrades your thought process.
Sure, so we shouldn't assert that with confidence, but I think it's safe to guess that, for most people's use, that is probably the case.
Yes, some people (see some sibling commenters) do engage with an LLM in ways that might make them more thoughtful, but I have a hard time believing that's the common case.
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#553You're absolutely right
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#554While I understand the sentiment, it ignores many people have English as a second language, many people are dyslexic and have dysgraphia. AI is a great assistant. A good approach will be to encourage people to develop their thinking than use the AI tools.
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#555I'm absolutely 100% for this policy. My only caution is that good writers and LLMs look very similar, because LLMs were trained on a corpus of good writers. Good writers use semicolons and em-dashes. Sometimes we used bulleted lists or Oxford commas. So we should make sure to follow that other HN rule, and assume the person on the other end is a good faith actor, and be cautious about accusing someone of using AI. (I…
I don't really think that good writing and LLM writing looks all that similar. It's not always easy to spot (and maybe HN users aren't always doing a great job at it), but even the best LLM output tends to have an "LLM smell" to it that's hard to avoid. Like, sure, LLM writing is almost always grammatically correct, spelled correctly, formatted correctly, etc., which tends to be true of good writing. But there's a ce…
You're absolutely right!
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#556The next step is to forbid generated/AI-edited posts.
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#557[flagged]
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#558While I understand the sentiment, it ignores many people have English as a second language, many people are dyslexic and have dysgraphia. AI is a great assistant. A good approach will be to encourage people to develop their thinking than use the AI tools.
Using AI to craft a thoughtful, concise comment is different than synco-slop.
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#559I'm absolutely 100% for this policy. My only caution is that good writers and LLMs look very similar, because LLMs were trained on a corpus of good writers. Good writers use semicolons and em-dashes. Sometimes we used bulleted lists or Oxford commas. So we should make sure to follow that other HN rule, and assume the person on the other end is a good faith actor, and be cautious about accusing someone of using AI. (I…
Good writers use semicolons and em-dashes. Sometimes we used bulleted lists or Oxford commas.
- You seem to have a rather high opinion of your own writing :-)
- Why the mix of tense (use/used)?
- Oxford commas are a monstrosity
Re: Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans
#560HN is the best tech site on the web for a reason. It has a generally intelligent audience, and while there are certainly inappropriate comments, compared to what you find on social media or even other sites, it is unique and far more respectful. Due to this, you can often have better and more meaningful discussions.