As I understand it, AI is trained on a Pavlovian-style feedback: Yes this works (yay!) or no it doesn't, please try again. I know it's more complicated than that, but in a core sense most of the training input seems to come down to yes, I'm happy with this result or no, I'm not, please* … Continue reading AI Is The Ultimate People Pleaser
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Please Don’t Ask AI to Write -For- You
I could create a whole gallery of worst-case user failures, including my favorite new one from academia-- But we don't need to review a whole collection to recognize that most of the blatantly obvious, groan-inducing AI failures are really a failure to adequately learn appropriate uses for a new tool set. As always, let me … Continue reading Please Don’t Ask AI to Write -For- You
Let’s Be Less nice in the Workplace
Hang on, hang on. Stick with me. I'm not advocating for rudeness, meanness, or disrespect. But I think the emphasis on nice (over, say, kind or clear) can get in the way of effective communication--and reinforce some pretty awful power systems in the process. For instance, one of my current clients has explicitly asked me … Continue reading Let’s Be Less nice in the Workplace
Bot Bloviation
I have a friend: I may have once called him a robot bootlicker, but here let's call him Bob. It's not uncommon for other friends to mention AI near Bob and I...and then bust out popcorn. I want to tell you a story about Bob's failure to produce an AI story. Bob is a member … Continue reading Bot Bloviation
Let’s be More Un-just
Welp, it's the new year and I'm just now getting to just my first blog, because it's been just a whirlwind so far. I just wanted to say just a couple of things about just the start of the year, and just move on to the part where I just crank these out on my … Continue reading Let’s be More Un-just
The forever undead five-paragraph essay
Close your eyes. Picture one of your middle school English teachers handing you a sheet of paper to prepare for an upcoming essay. It has a series of fill-in-the-blank lines that you've seen before, adding up to a series of five short paragraphs. With me? Cool. Now let's crumple that handout, throw it in a … Continue reading The forever undead five-paragraph essay
Is The AI Assisting?
The short answer: sometimes. AI can certainly streamline our generative creativity, and help us move on our ideas faster and with less executive function expense. But...it can't replace us just yet. Take, for instance, the new built-in AI feature for WordPress sites like this one--which I noticed while moving through the final posting checklist on … Continue reading Is The AI Assisting?
Tomorrow! Workshop Time
Jenny and I really *should* work together, so we are! The first of (hopefully) many collaborations to come, we're tackling some practical writing advice tomorrow at the Unstoppable Women's Conference in Greeley.
Putting your Face on, Rhetorically Speaking
When I was small, I thought "putting my face on" was my aunt's term for applying makeup. What I didn't understand was the role that morning ritual played in helping my aunt prepare her private self for public consumption; putting her face on meant she was moving through familiar steps to create a space between … Continue reading Putting your Face on, Rhetorically Speaking
Rule of Thumb
Look, if I'm going to use this tag to collect this series, it makes sense to take a look at the origin of this phrase. It's a favorite for highlighting the risks of defaulting to inherited grammar rules without understanding how they've been set in the first place or whether the story you're told has … Continue reading Rule of Thumb
Something Polished 