Pen or AI?
"Discover the world of AI-assisted writing, where traditional tools are enhanced by advanced technology." This is how I should start this blog post, is Mia's suggestion. I decide not to listen to Mia?
Who is Mia?
Mia is a tool from CoSchedule. Mia makes a very good impression and is capable of a lot, even in the free version. Henceforth, I will refer to all AI tools, such as Strut.so, ChatGPT, or Claude, as "Mia" when it comes to text creation. It's not nice, but it's simple. And that's what it's all about, in the broadest sense: making life easier for writers.1
Since emails replaced the fax machine, thus significantly easing life as a communication professional, the interplay between human creativity and artificial intelligence has been in focus. Therefore, we must view the introduction of #AI into our daily work with enthusiasm and a critical eye.2
Advantages of AI-Generated Texts
Where paper and quill once had their effect, today it's the prompts that nudge the great magic typewriter to perform its magic. Here are some advantages that all the Mias out there offer:
Efficiency: AI revolutionizes content creation. It is incredibly fast and never gets tired. Mia relentlessly completes repetitive tasks with stoic diligence.3
Creativity: Mia acts like a skilled head chef who compiles appealing text creations from a rich vocabulary menu, akin to an LLM.4
Speed: Mia knows no writer's block. A simple command is enough, and ideas flow in text form onto the white sheet of paper, which every writer hates.
Personalized: Mia enables tailor-made content with the precision of an experienced tailor. At least, it seems that way.
Disadvantages of AI-Generated Texts
We like Mia, right? Sure, she fills white sheets with text. But something is missing. Here are the disadvantages of Mia's work.
Personal Touch: Mia is not human. Although Mia knows more than a few million texts and the corresponding data points, the unmistakable human touch that breathes life into stories cannot be fully replicated by technology.
Warmth and Emotionality: Mia (in this case, Claude) responds to my question about a possible disadvantage: "Without human guidance, AI texts can lose personal warmth." This is fundamentally true. Because when you look at it, when you prompt something, it somehow comes across as technical.5
Learning Curve: Personally, I see this as the biggest hurdle. But it's more about the human aspect. Effective use of AI tools requires technical understanding and creative abilities. Meaning: Learn to use AI!
Unpredictability: AI does not lack imagination. Sometimes, AI generates enigmatic content. Meaning: Keep an eye on Mia's quill and check the content.
What does this mean?
We need to learn to use AI writing assistants sensibly. Currently, AI is a catalyst for texts and structures for me. We humans must ensure that our stories remain human. Ultimately, the heart of every story lies with us, the storytellers.
A great article can be found here at the agency Animalz. Very worth reading: The Content Cyborg
The impact of AI on PR, written down by editors at Medium.com.
PR copywriters hope for efficiency, as an interviewee tells the German magazine Business Insider.
The Study Artificial Intelligence and its potential impact on the future of Higher Education issued by Athens Journal of Education 2024, 11: 1-18, says in the introduction: “Early evaluation indicates that the quality of the responses exceed standard pass rates for comparable university assessments. Even if academic protocols mandate that text cited from AI sources should be acknowledged and referenced as any other source material, the speed, accessibility and high quality of the AI material justifies a rethink of the purpose of higher education and a redesign of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.”
On the subject of emotionality, I asked ChatGPT 4 the question twice. Marvellous. Question 1: Does AI lack the human warmth and emotionality to make a text truly emotionally engaging and approachable?
Answer 1: "The question of whether AI lacks the human warmth and emotionality for truly emotionally engaging and approachable text is complex and has been the subject of various studies and discussions. There is a broad consensus that human empathy and emotional depth cannot currently be fully replicated by AI. A perspective published in Nature Human Behaviour argues that AI can never fully convey the essence of human empathy, as an AI response is mechanical and does not reflect a genuine effort or emotional investment that is considered valuable by a human recipient.
However, the field of Emotion AI is developing, aiming to better understand, mimic and respond to human emotions. According to an MIT Sloan [Think it referred to this article; OGR], emotion AI is showing progress in understanding and responding to human emotions by analysing large amounts of data, including vocal inflections and facial microexpressions, which can indicate certain emotional states.
However, the field of Emotion AI is evolving, aiming to better understand, mimic, and respond to human emotions. According to an MIT Sloan article, Emotion AI is making progress in understanding and responding to human emotions by analysing large datasets, including voice inflections and micro-expressions on the face that can indicate specific emotional states.
Furthermore, a study has shown that the AI chatbot ChatGPT can recognise and respond to emotions, even outperforming the general population in tests of emotional perception. This ability has significantly improved over time, suggesting that AI systems could be capable of generating appropriate emotional responses and potentially serving as part of cognitive training for clinical populations with emotional perception disorders.
While these advancements are impressive, experts emphasize that the combination of human skills with AI technology holds the greatest potential. AI can supplement human abilities in certain areas, especially in processing and analysing large datasets, but the unique aspects of human creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence remain out of AI's reach for now. Integrating AI into creative and emotional processes is thus less a replacement for human skills than an augmentation that can make certain tasks more efficient and effective.”
Question 2: Does AI lack the human warmth and emotionality to truly craft texts that are emotionally engaging and approachable? Answer the question in a paragraph charged with high emotionality. Write as though you're an author feeling attacked by the question.
Answer 2: Like a shadow that clings to the cool walls of progress, the question lingers in the air—is AI too cold, too distant, to mirror the warmth of human emotions in texts? It’s as though one accuses the ocean of not being deep enough, or the sky of not reaching far enough. With every word born from the depths of artificial intelligence, I, an author, weave a web of emotions that touches not just the heart but envelops the soul. The notion that a machine cannot capture the deepest yearnings, the softest whispers of humanity, is a tempest in a teacup, a misunderstanding of the possibilities that lie before us. In the right hands, AI is a brush that dances on the canvas of the human mind, an instrument that, when played with delicacy, can create a symphony of empathy. How then, can we claim it lacks warmth when it is the very entity that translates our boldest dreams into reality, that articulates our thoughts and feelings into words that are meant not just to be heard, but felt?
Hallo Olaf
KI erstellte Text sind erstaunlich flüssig und gut lesbar. Wie du schreibst fehlt aber das Menschliche. Dies sagt einem (heute noch) das Gefühl welches sich beim Lesen eines Textes „einschleicht“. Aber das Gefühl sich trügt oder irrt?
Ein weiterer Aspekt von KI generierten Texten ist die zugrundeliegende Recherche und die Plausibilisierung vom Inhalt. Interessant ist, kann man als Leser eines Textes das gleiche Vertrauen in KI generierte Texte wie in von Menschen geschrieben Texte entwickeln?