Quality content is really important to me, and these days, I get the feeling we are drowning in AI-generated slop.
I think the following quote frames my stance pretty well (unknown origin, but shamelessly copied from other AI manifest pages):
If you couldn’t be bothered to write it, I won’t be bothered to read it.
However, I am using tools (including AI) to help me improve the quality of the content I create.
I often spend many hours writing, re-writing, editing, and polishing a blog post (I’ve used close to 3 hours writing this page). Since English isn’t my primary language, I use tools like Grammarly to catch grammar errors and remind me to avoid passive voice (which I’m apparently very fond of as en engineer).
Sometimes, if I have a sentence that is “slightly off”, like phrasing that doesn’t convey exactly what I have in mind, I will ask an AI to write a couple of alternative sentences, use Google Translate to translate a sentence from Danish (my mother tongue), search for synonyms on the internet, or ask my wife if she has a better angle.
But I keep coming back to: Does this sound like me, does it feel authentic?
I’ve also used Midjourney for most of my featured images. It usually takes many re-runs, prompt tweaking, and edits to generate an image that looks good and resonates with the post. Fun fact, I always include the “Midjourney prompt” in the alt property of the image tag.
I’ve always been using smilies (2004) and later emojies in my writing on the blog. But after having been exposed to AI, I’ve started using the m-dash as well. I love how it breaks up text that would otherwise have a monotone flow.
Before sharing any content on my blog, I spend a lot of energy evaluating its relevance and refining how to convey the topic. The wording, the order, the emphasis are deliberate. I want my content to be something that I would like to read myself, unlike AI slop which feels like consuming empty calories.
To that end, I will use every trick (and tool) I can get my hands on — the internet needs it.
For this page, I didn’t remember how to spell “mother tongue”, so I used Duck Duck Go and searched for my initial take “mother tunge” to find the correct spelling.
I gave Grammarly:
Quality content is really important to me, and these days I get the feeling that we are drowning in AI slob.
and it suggested the following, which IMO is better in several ways, while still being me:
Quality content is really important to me, and these days, I get the feeling we are drowning in AI-generated slop.
I wrote the following to ChatGPT:
I think “monotoneness” sounds weird in the following sentence, can you suggest other phrasings while still using the word “monotone” in some form:
I’ve started using the m-dash more. I love how it breaks up text in a way that counters monotoneness.
and it suggests:
You’re right — “monotoneness” is grammatical but awkward and uncommon.
Here are cleaner options that keep “monotone” in some form:
- “…in a way that counters a monotone feel.”
- “…in a way that keeps the text from feeling monotone.”
- “…in a way that breaks up an otherwise monotone flow.”
- “…in a way that helps avoid a monotone rhythm.”
- “…in a way that makes the text less monotone.”
Best all-around, stylistically:
“…keeps the text from feeling monotone.”
I went with “my own” based on the inspiration:
I love how it breaks up text that would otherwise have a monotone flow.
I asked my wife to read this page, and she commented on the following:
However, I am using tools (including AI) to help me create content
— NOT to deliverquantity, but to deliver quality.
She said: This sounds like AI, be more specific, what exactly is “high quality” for you.
She proposed:
However, I am using tools (including AI) to help me improve the quality of the content I create.
and further down I added:
The wording, the order, the emphasis are deliberate.
The above examples are a window into how I work with my content. I stand by and will take responsibility for everything I share.