Saved by Keely Adler
What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
To write well, you need the specificity of perspective that comes from communicating critically with others over an extended time. AI might make writing faster, but figuring out who we are in relation to others cannot be accelerated.
We may see writing as equal to thought, but it is also synonymous with power. Allowing AI to write for us gives away... See more
We may see writing as equal to thought, but it is also synonymous with power. Allowing AI to write for us gives away... See more
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
We write in conversation with what we read, and good writing balances our own words with others’. We summarize their ideas, using them as springboards and support for our arguments.
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
When I write, I imagine reaching up to a higher plane to access my thoughts and assign words to them, yet the words I find are approximate and never capture the ideas as fully as they appear in my mind. This is why writing feels so hard to me: Its labor involves grasping for a perfect translation and always falling short. But ChatGPT reminds us tha... See more
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
“So what?” is the common refrain of writing teachers. “Why should your reader care?” A key way that good writing achieves connection is by creating stakes, or engaging the reader by showing them why your ideas matter.
Fiction creates stakes through establishing consequences — what does the protagonist stand to lose in their journey? Argumentative w... See more
Fiction creates stakes through establishing consequences — what does the protagonist stand to lose in their journey? Argumentative w... See more
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
How we measure successful writing changes depending on what the writer is trying to accomplish, and good writers are flexible enough to adapt to different scenarios. They make intentional decisions around three elements: audience, purpose and context. Who am I writing for, to what end and in what circumstance? Answering these questions can offer gu... See more
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
language is a lens, and our thoughts and perceptions are almost certainly shaped in some way by its conventions and metaphors. It shows us that writing influences our thoughts even as we use it to describe them.
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
“You silly humans,” the chatbot seems to be saying. “Using the greatest technology of our generation to create funny memes. But okay, I’ll play along.” These moments convey a sense of energy that makes it hard for me to believe I’m not chatting with a sentient being. Perhaps having a strong voice simply means writing in a way that makes you seem al
... See moreLaura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
But what is general knowledge in a world where virtually any information is freely accessible online?
Laura Hartenberger • What AI Teaches Us About Good Writing
Their relevance is debatable, too — what’s the value we’re trying to preserve by differentiating human writing from AI? Is it really plagiarism not to cite an AI-generated phrase? Is plagiarism still the crime we think it is?