Language models can only write poetry

We’re far from replacing humans for many tasks now being delegated to large language models. That doesn’t mean LLMs can’t be helpful; it just means they’re being used wrong. The key is applying them to tasks they’re well-suited to, such as analyzing, synthesizing, and manipulating data, and not for making important decisions on behalf of people.

An ... See more

The model was helpful—but only to an extent. They found that while AI improved the output of less creative writers, it made little difference to the quality of the stories produced by writers who were already creative.

One of the misconceptions about AI is that it reduces the need for expertise. The opposite is true.

LLMs operate in a vast space of linguistic possibility: every word you input shapes what comes next. Ask it to write about walking through a city and you’ll get a generic response. But ask it to explore urban wandering in the style of Walter Benjamin... See more

he model produces better work. Some of my peers believe that large language models produce strictly better writing than they could produce on their own. Anecdotally, this phenomenon seems more common among English-as-a-second-language speakers. I also see it a lot with first-time programmers, for whom programming is a set of mysterious incantations... See more