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> It's not so much that I think people have used AI, but that I know they have with a high degree of certainty, and this certainty is converging to 100%, simply

> It's not so much that I think people have used AI, but that I know they have with a high degree of certainty, and this certainty is converging to 100%, simply because there is no way it will not. If you write regularly and you're not using AI, you simply cannot keep up with the competition. I am writing regularly and I will never use AI. In fact I am working on a 400+ pages book right now and it does not contain a single character that I have not come up with and typed myself. Something like pride in craftmanship does exist.

vouaobrasil 2y ago
Nice. I will definitely consider your book over other books. I'm not interested in reading AI-assisted works.
smitelli 2y ago
I'm right there with you. I write short and medium form articles for my personal site (link in bio, follow it or don't, the world keeps spinning either way). I will never use AI as part of this craft. If that hampers my output, or puts me at a disadvantage compared to the competition, or changes the opinion others have of me, I really don't care.
nyarlathotep_ 2y ago
In b4 all the botslop shills tell you you're gonna get "left behind" if you don't pollute your output with GPT'd copypasta.
low_tech_love 2y ago
Amazing! Do you feel any pressure from your environment? And are you self-funded? I am also thinking about starting my first book.
- nils-m-holm 2y ago
  What I write is pretty niche anyway (compilers, LISP, buddhism, advaita), so I do not think AI will cause much trouble. Google ranking small websites into oblivion, though, I do notice that!
  - marttt 2y ago
    I know your website by heart, so it is low-tech-bookmarked for life :), and I check in fairly often. Your work and general views are very inspiring.
lurking_swe 2y ago
do you see any benefits to using AI to check your book for typos, grammatical issues, or even just general “feedback” prior to publishing? Seems like there are uses for AI other than “please write it all for me”, no?
- davidgerard 2y ago
  "AI" isn't a technology. Do you mean LLMs? If so, then lol hell no, why on earth would I.
- nils-m-holm 2y ago
  I use a spell checker to catch typos. Occasional quirky grammar is mine. Feedback will be provided by the audience. Why would I let a statistical model judge my work? This is how you kill originality.
  - lurking_swe 2y ago
    i didn’t imply you’d need an LLM to “rate” your content. More so asking questions during and before the publishing step to help you improve your work. Not removing your identity from your work. Examples questions of what you could ask an LLM: • are there any redundant sentences or points in this chapter? • i’m trying to remember an expression used to convey X, can you remind me what it is? • i’m familiar with X from my industry Y, but i’m trying to convey this to an audience from industry Z. Can you help brainstorm some words or examples they may be more familiar with? Things like that. I think of it like having a virtual rubber duck that can help you debug code, or anything really. Obviously these are just some suggestions. If you don’t find any of this useful, or even interesting, then carry on. :)
    - nils-m-holm 2y ago
      I see. Most of the things you list I think I could do better on my own. The case of X from industry Y sounds interesting, but I would still prefer to hear from a real human being from industry Z. If no one is available, of course, a statistical model may indeed be helpful -- I still do not think it is worth boiling the oceans, though. :)
goostavos 2y ago
Also currently working on a book (shameless plug: buy my book!) and feel no pull or need to involve AI. This book is my mine. My faults. My shortcomings. My overuse of commas. My wonky phrasing. It has to have those things, because I am those things (for better or worse!).

vouaobrasil 2y ago

Nice. I will definitely consider your book over other books. I'm not interested in reading AI-assisted works.

smitelli 2y ago

I'm right there with you. I write short and medium form articles for my personal site (link in bio, follow it or don't, the world keeps spinning either way). I will never use AI as part of this craft. If that hampers my output, or puts me at a disadvantage compared to the competition, or changes the opinion others have of me, I really don't care.

nyarlathotep_ 2y ago

In b4 all the botslop shills tell you you're gonna get "left behind" if you don't pollute your output with GPT'd copypasta.

low_tech_love 2y ago

Amazing! Do you feel any pressure from your environment? And are you self-funded? I am also thinking about starting my first book.

nils-m-holm 2y ago
What I write is pretty niche anyway (compilers, LISP, buddhism, advaita), so I do not think AI will cause much trouble. Google ranking small websites into oblivion, though, I do notice that!
- marttt 2y ago
  I know your website by heart, so it is low-tech-bookmarked for life :), and I check in fairly often. Your work and general views are very inspiring.

lurking_swe 2y ago

do you see any benefits to using AI to check your book for typos, grammatical issues, or even just general “feedback” prior to publishing? Seems like there are uses for AI other than “please write it all for me”, no?

davidgerard 2y ago
"AI" isn't a technology. Do you mean LLMs? If so, then lol hell no, why on earth would I.
nils-m-holm 2y ago
I use a spell checker to catch typos. Occasional quirky grammar is mine. Feedback will be provided by the audience. Why would I let a statistical model judge my work? This is how you kill originality.
- lurking_swe 2y ago
  i didn’t imply you’d need an LLM to “rate” your content. More so asking questions during and before the publishing step to help you improve your work. Not removing your identity from your work. Examples questions of what you could ask an LLM: • are there any redundant sentences or points in this chapter? • i’m trying to remember an expression used to convey X, can you remind me what it is? • i’m familiar with X from my industry Y, but i’m trying to convey this to an audience from industry Z. Can you help brainstorm some words or examples they may be more familiar with? Things like that. I think of it like having a virtual rubber duck that can help you debug code, or anything really. Obviously these are just some suggestions. If you don’t find any of this useful, or even interesting, then carry on. :)
  - nils-m-holm 2y ago
    I see. Most of the things you list I think I could do better on my own. The case of X from industry Y sounds interesting, but I would still prefer to hear from a real human being from industry Z. If no one is available, of course, a statistical model may indeed be helpful -- I still do not think it is worth boiling the oceans, though. :)

goostavos 2y ago

Also currently working on a book (shameless plug: buy my book!) and feel no pull or need to involve AI. This book is my mine. My faults. My shortcomings. My overuse of commas. My wonky phrasing. It has to have those things, because I am those things (for better or worse!).