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Idk, I'm more optimistic than the author. I'm currently using a LLM to rewrite a fitness book. It takes ~20 pages of rambling text by a professional coach // a

Idk, I'm more optimistic than the author. I'm currently using a LLM to rewrite a fitness book. It takes ~20 pages of rambling text by a professional coach // amateur writer and turns it into a crisp clear 4 pages of latex with informative diagrams, flow charts, color-coding, tables, etc. I sent it out to friends and they all love the new style. Even the ones who hate the gym. My experience is LLMs can write very very well; we just have to care. Hubert Humphrey (VP US) was asked how long it would take him to prepare a 15 minute talk: "one week". Asked how long to prepare a two hour talk? "I am ready right now".

kaushikt 1y ago
this. I am almost addicted to dropping long voice notes (pronounced rambling) and LLMs do such a great job at creating and managing these notes. I can then convert that format into anything. although, I agree with the author since many emails and messages onlinkedin i get these days are just long post shits by AI. I am not reading them anymore but it's some other ai summarising ebcause no human talks or writes like basic ai prompting does. so so difficult to read that
ramesh31 1y ago
>My experience is LLMs can write very very well; we just have to care. My experience is that people who think this are really bad writers. That's fine, because most human writing is bad too. So if your goal is just to put more bad writing into the world for commercial reasons, then there's some utility in it for sure.
- api 1y ago
  As with visual art, AI is replacing humans when it comes to creating filler and background material. I haven’t seen many examples of anything in either visual or prose arts coming out of an AI that I’ve liked, and the ones I have seen seem like they took a human doing a lot of prompting to the point that they are essentially human made art using the AI as a renderer. (Which is fine. I’m just saying the AI didn’t make it autonomously.)
- Herring 1y ago
  Then in the A/B test you're the 1 fail out of 7 tries, everyone else loved it, and you haven't even looked at it. I can live with those results. Lesson is don't always publicize the LLM help.
  - the_af 1y ago
    > everyone else loved it Most people are very bad readers, too. For example, most of my coworkers don't read books at all, and the few that do, only read tech or work-related books. (Note that most don't even read that).
    - Herring 1y ago
      That doesn't matter. It's like code syntax highlighting -- A good tool benefits everyone. You can pride yourself on doing it the hard way, like reading monochromatic code, but the world has already moved on. FWIW I think there's a kernel of truth when you worry about reading skills, but 1) that's a longer trend involving all kinds of political and cultural issues, and 2) right now I'm happy with any improvement to technical communication. I think people might read more if books were better written & more respectful of their time.
      - the_af 1y ago
        > That doesn't matter. It's like code syntax highlighting -- A good tool benefits everyone. I obviously disagree: it does matter. "Most" people love your AI-assisted writing because they have no taste; or rather, they are not good at reading. Yes, one must become good at reading, it must be exercized. Reading and writing -- use it or lose it; the brain is a metaphorical "muscle". > I'm happy with any improvement to technical communication If you mean business emails, corporate communications, even teamwork related things, I agree. That's mostly boilerplate writing anyway, and everyone understands it's the "junk food" of writing and reading, so why not automate it? Like the person you replied to said, very aptly: > So if your goal is just to put more bad writing into the world for commercial reasons, then there's some utility in it for sure. If you instead mean creative writing -- as I thought you were also claiming -- I strongly disagree.
southernplaces7 1y ago
Might I ask what LLM you use for it to do all of that, including the visuals, so neatly?
- Herring 1y ago
  Gemini pro. The flow chart, color-coding, tables etc are just latex. The illustrations are picked off the web. I suspect I might have to hire a professional photographer eventually.
  - southernplaces7 1y ago
    >The flow chart, color-coding, tables etc are just latex. The illustrations are picked off the web Thanks for replying so quickly! Just to clarify, what do you mean by latex? So you don't use AI-generated illustrations. Those are real.
    - pillefitz 1y ago
      By latex he means LaTeX.
    - tonyedgecombe 1y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX
      - southernplaces7 1y ago
        Ahh. Thanks. Hadn't heard of this system, so obviously the word had me confused, especially without the specific capitalization.
wvenable 1y ago
> 4 pages of latex with informative diagrams, flow charts, color-coding, tables, etc. What tool are you using for this? I too have used LLM to do writing that, frankly, I wouldn't have done without it. Often I don't even take what it says but it helps to get the ideas out in written form and then I can edit it to sound more like how I want to sound.
- Herring 1y ago
  Gemini pro + overleaf (learned latex from a long stint in grad school). Cheers mate.
- intended 1y ago
  Production became easier - But your consumer changed as well.
  - wvenable 1y ago
    When I wasn't producing anything, I didn't have any consumers. But it's a fair point; I think a lot of effort needs to go in to not sound like an AI. I hate low-effort AI content in videos, text, etc. It still takes effort but I find it much less effort than sitting at an empty page.

kaushikt 1y ago

this. I am almost addicted to dropping long voice notes (pronounced rambling) and LLMs do such a great job at creating and managing these notes. I can then convert that format into anything. although, I agree with the author since many emails and messages onlinkedin i get these days are just long post shits by AI. I am not reading them anymore but it's some other ai summarising ebcause no human talks or writes like basic ai prompting does. so so difficult to read that

ramesh31 1y ago

>My experience is LLMs can write very very well; we just have to care. My experience is that people who think this are really bad writers. That's fine, because most human writing is bad too. So if your goal is just to put more bad writing into the world for commercial reasons, then there's some utility in it for sure.

api 1y ago
As with visual art, AI is replacing humans when it comes to creating filler and background material. I haven’t seen many examples of anything in either visual or prose arts coming out of an AI that I’ve liked, and the ones I have seen seem like they took a human doing a lot of prompting to the point that they are essentially human made art using the AI as a renderer. (Which is fine. I’m just saying the AI didn’t make it autonomously.)
Herring 1y ago
Then in the A/B test you're the 1 fail out of 7 tries, everyone else loved it, and you haven't even looked at it. I can live with those results. Lesson is don't always publicize the LLM help.
- the_af 1y ago
  > everyone else loved it Most people are very bad readers, too. For example, most of my coworkers don't read books at all, and the few that do, only read tech or work-related books. (Note that most don't even read that).
  - Herring 1y ago
    That doesn't matter. It's like code syntax highlighting -- A good tool benefits everyone. You can pride yourself on doing it the hard way, like reading monochromatic code, but the world has already moved on. FWIW I think there's a kernel of truth when you worry about reading skills, but 1) that's a longer trend involving all kinds of political and cultural issues, and 2) right now I'm happy with any improvement to technical communication. I think people might read more if books were better written & more respectful of their time.
    - the_af 1y ago
      > That doesn't matter. It's like code syntax highlighting -- A good tool benefits everyone. I obviously disagree: it does matter. "Most" people love your AI-assisted writing because they have no taste; or rather, they are not good at reading. Yes, one must become good at reading, it must be exercized. Reading and writing -- use it or lose it; the brain is a metaphorical "muscle". > I'm happy with any improvement to technical communication If you mean business emails, corporate communications, even teamwork related things, I agree. That's mostly boilerplate writing anyway, and everyone understands it's the "junk food" of writing and reading, so why not automate it? Like the person you replied to said, very aptly: > So if your goal is just to put more bad writing into the world for commercial reasons, then there's some utility in it for sure. If you instead mean creative writing -- as I thought you were also claiming -- I strongly disagree.

southernplaces7 1y ago

Might I ask what LLM you use for it to do all of that, including the visuals, so neatly?

Herring 1y ago
Gemini pro. The flow chart, color-coding, tables etc are just latex. The illustrations are picked off the web. I suspect I might have to hire a professional photographer eventually.
- southernplaces7 1y ago
  >The flow chart, color-coding, tables etc are just latex. The illustrations are picked off the web Thanks for replying so quickly! Just to clarify, what do you mean by latex? So you don't use AI-generated illustrations. Those are real.
  - pillefitz 1y ago
    By latex he means LaTeX.
  - tonyedgecombe 1y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX
    - southernplaces7 1y ago
      Ahh. Thanks. Hadn't heard of this system, so obviously the word had me confused, especially without the specific capitalization.

wvenable 1y ago

> 4 pages of latex with informative diagrams, flow charts, color-coding, tables, etc. What tool are you using for this? I too have used LLM to do writing that, frankly, I wouldn't have done without it. Often I don't even take what it says but it helps to get the ideas out in written form and then I can edit it to sound more like how I want to sound.

Herring 1y ago
Gemini pro + overleaf (learned latex from a long stint in grad school). Cheers mate.
intended 1y ago
Production became easier - But your consumer changed as well.
- wvenable 1y ago
  When I wasn't producing anything, I didn't have any consumers. But it's a fair point; I think a lot of effort needs to go in to not sound like an AI. I hate low-effort AI content in videos, text, etc. It still takes effort but I find it much less effort than sitting at an empty page.