Hello!
It’s good to write to you here.
I’ve largely given up spending any time on social media except for LinkedIn and Notes in Substack. Both are civilised places to connect with like-minded people, and to discover new cartoonists and ideas. Substack Notes is the best for this. It reminds me of when my twitter feed was warm and fuzzy, circa 2008.
My sister (who knows a lot more about these kinds of things than me) suggested I update my profile on LinkedIn to show my interest in AI. I described myself as an AI sceptic. When I saw what LinkedIn offered to premium users, I was both intrigued and disturbed.
I’m conflicted about AI in general. I see its massive potential to do good in the world. To take away the drudgery, and to speed up innovation in things like clean tech or medicine. Personally, I use AI to do things like draft letters to the council about allowing dogs on buses* or to write marketing blurbs for my books. Neither are things I want to spend my time doing, and I wouldn't employ anyone else to do them. ChatGPT does a half decent job of writing first drafts I can work with. It gives me more time to do the creative work I love.
There are obvious threats to AI. It has the potential to increase inequality by destroying lower paid jobs (those of administrators, journalists, cartoonists…) whilst increasing the wealth of tech bros, banks and other corporations who can make money from the AI and rid themselves of expensive and bolshy humans. And then there are the dangers of AI itself. There is the threat of artificial general intelligence (AGI) which could attain consciousness and decide to wipe us all out. But it’s far more likely that bad humans will weaponise AI against others: malware, hacking, drone warfare, etc.
I’m not the best person to talk about the dangers of AI itself, but I can talk about the effect on me as a cartoonist. The thing that gets to me the most is that much of this is happening without our consent. My work has already been used to train Midjourney, an AI that generates images. But this week I found out that Instagram is going to mine our work to feed Meta’s AI. Some people might be okay with this, but I’m not. Not without consent and compensation. Not when consent means ticking a box with a vague statement about agreeing to updated terms and conditions. Not when those terms and conditions mean using our data to build their AI to then replace our jobs without compensation. The Hollywood writers and actors saw the writing on the wall and would not stand for it. Neither should we.
That's all for now. Thank you for being one of the good humans.
Alex
PS. *Molly loves going places. She would love to go on the bus. She would also love flying. When the boyf brought her to meet me at the airport she was thrilled. For a moment. I got a couple of ‘welcome home’ licks, but then she was off; she was just as excited to be at an airport.
PPS. I got chat GPT (the free version that comes as Copilot in Microsoft products like Skype) to critique this. Its response was:
Your newsletter post is articulate and conveys your perspective on AI with a personal touch. Here are some suggestions to enhance it:
1. Clarity on AI Benefits: While you mention using AI for drafting letters and marketing blurbs, providing specific examples or anecdotes could illustrate the benefits more vividly.
2. Balanced Viewpoint: You've highlighted the potential negative impacts of AI well. To balance the narrative, consider discussing how AI might also create new job opportunities or enhance human capabilities.
3. Engagement with Readers: Ask questions or invite feedback to engage your readers more directly. For instance, you could ask them to share their own experiences with AI or their thoughts on the ethical use of AI-generated content.
4. Actionable Steps: Since you're advocating for consent and compensation, it might be helpful to suggest ways readers can protect their work or support initiatives that promote ethical AI practices.
5. Formatting: Use bullet points or subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to read. This can also help emphasize key points.
6. Footnote Explanation: You've referenced drafting letters to the council with an asterisk (*). Including the related footnote or explanation could clarify this reference.
7. Closing Call-to-Action: End with a call-to-action, encouraging readers to join a discussion forum or sign a petition, for example, to foster a sense of community and shared purpose.
Remember, the goal is to inform, engage, and inspire your readers to think critically about the topic. Good luck with your writing!
Best regards,
Copilot
I didn’t edit the post, but regarding (7),
And if you are a subscriber, thank you.
Hahahaha that was cool! And I share the same opinion about AI.
Notice how the suggestions from AI keep suggesting you reference the positive aspects of AI?