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

news.ycombinator.com

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

#791

Post by dang »

caditinpiscinam wrote: post #745

We've all heard the phrase "the sum of all human knowledge". I've been feeling more and more that generative AI represents the average of all human knowledge. Which has its place. But a future in which all thought and creativity is averaged away is a bleak one. It's the heat death of thought.

Thought and creativity won't be averaged away because human beings have a drive for these things. This just raises the bar for it. And why not? We get complacent when not pushed.

Dostoevsky said that if all human knowledge could ever be reduced to 2 + 2 = 4, man would stick out his tongue and insist that 2 + 2 = 5. That was a 19th century formulation—he was a contemporary of Boole. I wonder what the equivalent would be for the LLM era.

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

#793

Post by dang »

kjuulh wrote: post #571

I am 100% behind this. I've been browsing hackernews since I started in tech, it is the only forum i regularly browse, and partake in. Simply because the quality of submissions and conversations are so high. There has been more AI related articles this part year, and it only seems ramping. I personally haven't found the AI part of the comments as big of a deal but dang and tom might be doing more than I realize on th…

The dynamics of content production are shifting hard right now. Things that used to signal something interesting are being generated in minutes with little thought. It's getting democratized, but also commoditized.

It's too soon to know how this is going to shake out, so we should resist the temptation to impose rules prematurely. And we should especially not do so out of resistance to change (when has that ever worked out?)

But we'll do what we need to do to keep our heads above water. Example: https://news.ycombinator.com/showlim. I figure pragmatics are fine as long one keeps adjusting.

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

#794

Post by teruakohatu »

a1371 wrote: post #792

My question is, and this is genuinely a question: Do you think YC-backed companies would have respected this guideline if it was posted on some other website they wanted to operate in?

> Do you think YC-backed companies would have respected this guideline if it was posted on some other website they wanted to operate in?

That is a false equivalence. What a YC-backed company does is not relevant to how a YC-owned web forum operates.

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

#795

Post by Nevermark »

Supermancho wrote: post #716

I use AI for the elements I feel are weak or unclear in the transcription. Sometimes I copy-paste a paragraph into ChatGPT or whatever, to ensure my (aging) thoughts are being communicated in a crystal clear manner. I cannot always point out why I think they are unclear or jumbled. I don't feel this is an imposition on others. I think it's the opposite. It enhances signal by reducing nitpicking, spelling/grammar erro…

There is a tradeoff for sure.

But, even though I think slippery slope arguments should be used very sparingly, there is a good case for one here.

Also, learning how to communicate better, and learning to listen better, is a real value add to this site. Which would get washed out if both writing, and therefore reading, were spoon fed by models, who are also washing away individuality of expression and nuance of views.

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

#796

Post by Nevermark »

This is a wonderful rule.

It also points out the need for AI writing tools that very strictly just:

1. Point out misspellings and typos.

2. Point our grammar mistakes, if they confuse the point.

3. Point out weaknesses of argument, without injecting their own reasoning.

I.e. help "prompt" humans to improve their writing, without doing the improvement for them.

In fact, I would like a reliable version of that approach for many types of tasks where my creativity or thought processes are the point, and quality-control feedback (but not assistance), is helpful.

This is a mode where models could push humans to work harder, think deeper, without enabling us to slack off.

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

#797

Post by cobbzilla »

Nevermark wrote: post #796

This is a wonderful rule. It also points out the need for AI writing tools that very strictly just: 1. Point out misspellings and typos. 2. Point our grammar mistakes, if they confuse the point. 3. Point out weaknesses of argument, without injecting their own reasoning. I.e. help "prompt" humans to improve their writing, without doing the improvement for them. In fact, I would like a reliable version of that approach…

I don’t want to read AI slop, but how do you feel about translations?

I don’t mind when non-native speakers use it to express themselves, especially if disclaimed (but I give a pass even if not). Does it bother you?

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

#798

Post by lelanthran »

dang wrote: post #793
kjuulh wrote: post #571

I am 100% behind this. I've been browsing hackernews since I started in tech, it is the only forum i regularly browse, and partake in. Simply because the quality of submissions and conversations are so high. There has been more AI related articles this part year, and it only seems ramping. I personally haven't found the AI part of the comments as big of a deal but dang and tom might be doing more than I realize on th…

The dynamics of content production are shifting hard right now. Things that used to signal something interesting are being generated in minutes with little thought. It's getting democratized, but also commoditized. It's too soon to know how this is going to shake out, so we should resist the temptation to impose rules prematurely. And we should especially not do so out of resistance to change (when has that ever work…

> The dynamics of content production are shifting hard right now. Things that used to signal something interesting are being generated in minutes with little thought. It's getting democratized, but also commoditized.

That's true, but it also means that Show HN has less value than it used to: the SNR is falling off a cliff :-(

I planned to post a Show HN for a new product I want to launch (all human written by myself, with only the GEO docs vibed currently), but not sure now that any decent/quality product will ever get air. All the oxygen is being sucked out by low-effort products.

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

#799

Post by cobbzilla »

nkh wrote: 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…

Amen and agreed 100%

There is no universal cure so every community has to figure it out. I know HN will.

If the community gets lazy with our standards, we drown.

Downvote & flag the AI slop to hell. If we need other mechanisms, let’s figure those out.

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

#800

Post by [deleted] »

tenahu wrote: post #373
meiuqer wrote: post #191

I feel a little bit of irony in this post of a company/forum that is asking its users to not use AI while simultaneously trying to fund countless companies that are responsible for ruining the internet as we speak.

Yes a bit ironic, but I am glad they can see that there are times to use AI, and times for human interaction.

[deleted]
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