from “Anamnesis”
Caroline McManus | Anamnesis | Inside the Castle | November 2024 | 698 Pages
When something pushes through the cracks, like a sprout through a bathroom sink, or a mushroom growing in a carpet, it’s a reminder that you’re not very far from nature. It will seep in if it wants. Total human control is illusory, despite what myths about machines as tools for that end purport. Can a developing system, such as ChatGPT, show its cracks? Beyond direct factual or obvious errors, how do we know it’s a crack? And can an object–in the form of language–seeping out of these cracks elucidate some semblance of a truth?
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Part V: Metempsychosis
TITLE: LOCAL EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON VIRAL AI-WRITTEN ESSAY
STAND UP: IF YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN AN EMAIL FOR WORK USING THE GMAIL APP, CHANCES ARE YOU’VE LET ARTIFI- CIAL INTELLIGENCE DO SOME OF YOUR WORK FOR YOU.
IF YOU’VE USED IT TO AUTO-COMPLETE A SENTENCE–MAYBE WISHING YOUR COWORKER A GOOD WEEKEND–YOU’VE USED THIS TECHNOLOGY TO WRITE.
AI MIGHT HAVE SLIGHTLY CHANGED WHAT YOU SAID–MADE IT MORE FORMAL, OR MORE POLITE.
LOCAL TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLISHING EXPERTS ARE NOW SAYING THAT THESE SMALL CHANGES WE MAKE USING AI ARE SHAPING HOW WE WRITE AND COMMUNICATE–IN WAYS BEYOND JUST EMAIL.
LITERATURE–BOOKS–ARE NOW BEING WRITTEN WITH THE HELP OF AI.
WRITERS SAY THAT
THEY AREN’T THREATENED.
BUT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND LOCAL EXECUTIVES ALIKE, HERE IN THE BAY AREA, THINK OTHERWISE.
THEY SAY THAT WORK MADE BY AI SHOWS IMMENSE PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE OF BOTH THE NEWS AND PUBLISHING INDUSTRIES.
TONIGHT KXXX’S RICHARD MARTIN IS GIVING YOU AN INSIDE LOOK AT WHAT THE LOCAL EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT WHAT A VIRAL NEW ESSAY MIGHT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF WRITING.
TAKE PACKAGE--
B ROLL: STUDENTS WORKING ON LAPTOPS IN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY LIBRARY
A NEW ESSAY PUBLISHED BY AN AI BOT HAS GONE VIRAL ONLINE.
THE PRESS THAT PUBLISHED IT, INSIDE THE CASTLE, SAYS THAT THE ESSAY WAS CREATED ENTIRELY USING NEW AI TECHNOLOGY.
NO HUMANS WERE INVOLVED IN ITS WRITING AT ALL.
CUE THE SHOCK WHEN THE OVERWHELMING FLOOD OF REACTIONS POURED IN.
ONE TWITTER USER SAID: “WOW SO CRAZY. MOST PROFOUND THING I’VE READ SINCE I WAS IN COLLEGE. I DON’T USUALLY READ STUFF THIS LONG NOW. EVERYONE CHECK THIS OUT!”
INSIDE THE CASTLE PRESS REP ON ZOOM: 13:42-13:43: “THE OUTPOURING OF INTEREST AND SUPPORT FOR THIS PIECE SHOWS THE KIND OF PROGRESS THE TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE, AND ALSO THAT THERE IS A REAL APPETITE FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK. IT’S A BIT FUNNY THAT THIS WAS THE THING TO GO VIRAL...”
B ROLL: WRITER WORKING AT DESK
ELIZABETH, A 35 YEAR OLD WRITER IN OAKLAND, SAYS SHE CAN’T FORESEE A FUTURE WHERE SHE DOESN’T USE AI IN HER WRITING–IT FEELS INEVITABLE.
BUT SHE CAN’T AFFORD
TO COMPETE WITH IT,
EITHER.
ELIZABETH: 12:50-12:54: “IF I STICK WITH WRITING AS A CAREER, I THINK USING AI CAN REALLY HELP ME WITH SMALL STUFF. IT’S REALLY USEFUL TO WRITE COPY, WHICH I DO TO PAY THE BILLS.”
LEXINGTON DRUTHERS, PRESIDENT OF THE NEWS CORP PRESS OF AMERICA: 6:53-6:59: “HERE IN SILICON VALLEY, WE ARE SEEING IMMENSE PROGRESS WITH USING AI IN OUR LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS. WE ARE USING IT AS A SUPPLEMENTAL TOOL TO WRITE HEADLINES, SHORT CLIPS, AND EVEN SKELETONS OF LONGER ARTICLES. WE’VE BEGUN TO IMPLEMENT IT IN EVERY NEWSROOM TO HELP OUR WRITERS–NOT REPLACE THEM.”
LEXINGTON DRUTHERS, PRESIDENT OF THE NEWS CORP PRESS OF AMERICA, SAYS THAT NOT ONLY IS THIS TECHNOLOGY PROMISING TO KEEP THE NEWS BUSINESS AFLOAT–IT ACTUALLY HELPS REPORTERS FOCUS ON MORE IMPORTANT WORK.
IT’S ONE OF THE MANY WAYS AI IS CHANGING OUR WORLD. AND HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO, WE’RE RIGHT AT THE CENTER OF THIS MOMENTOUS CHANGE.
B ROLL: PRESIDENT OF THE CONSORTIUM OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS ROLAND ROBINSON AT HOME IN SAN FRANCISCO’S PRESIDIO NEIGHBOR- HOOD.
THIS VIRAL ESSAY HAS GOTTEN PEOPLE TALKING–AND THAT’S A GOOD THING, SAYS ROLAND ROBINSON, PRESIDENT OF THE CONSORTIUM OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS.
ROBINSON SAYS THAT THE ESSAY’S VIRALITY IS EVIDENCE THAT PUBLISHERS ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO ENSURE THE LONGEVITY OF THE BUSINESS.
ROBINSON: 5:17-5:28: “YOU KNOW WITHOUT AI, THERE IS NO WAY THIS BUSINESS CAN STAY AFLOAT. THE NUMBERS JUST DON’T ADD UP. WE SHOULD ALL BE THANKING OUR LUCKY STARS THAT WE’RE ALREADY SEEING SUCH HIGH QUALITY WORK.”
THE SUBJECT OF THIS VIRAL ESSAY, A POEM TAKING A LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF CROWDSOURCING ON TECHNOLOGY, IS ALSO A HOT ONE HERE IN THE BAY AREA, WHERE WE’RE HOME TO THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF AI COM- PANIES IN THE WORLD.
THE ESSAY TAKES A CRITICAL LOOK AT HOW THAT POEM REFLECTS OUR CONNECTIVITY: BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE.
ELIZABETH: 13:50-14:14: “I THINK THAT VIRALITY IS NOT PROOF OF SUBSTANCE, OR OF QUALITY. AND PITTING WRITERS AGAINST THE MACHINES LIKE THIS IS A METHOD TO DISLODGE AI AS A USEFUL TOOL FOR WRITERS.
THE ONLY COMPETITION HERE–THE ONLY RACE–IS THE ONE TO THE BOTTOM! CREATED BY BUSINESSPEOPLE WHO DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT’S GOOD–ONLY WHAT SELLS.”
THE ESSAY HAS INDEED SOLD WELL.
RELEASED BEHIND A PAYWALL, MORE THAN 5,000 PEOPLE HAVE PURCHASED IT, AND THOUSANDS MORE HAVE SHARED IT ONLINE.
PORTIONS OF THE ESSAY AND REACTIONS ARE SPREADING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TIKTOK AS WELL.
TIKTOK USER GAIAMAMI 0:02-0:16: (QUOTING THE ESSAY) “DESPITE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON OUR LIVES, THE ACTUAL CONNEC- TIONS – THE WIRES, THE SIGNALS, THE BINARY CODES – REMAIN UNSEEN.”
TIKTOK USER CUBIC_ZRCON1A 0:02- 0:09: HEY GUYS EVERYONE SHOULD SE- RIOUSLY CHECK OUT THIS NEW ESSAY. IT MADE ME FEEL REALLY SAD AND I DON’T KNOW WHY. APPARENTLY IT’S WRITTEN BY AI. I JUST HAVE THIS WEIRD FEEL- ING IN THE PIT OF MY STOMACH NOW. I LINKED TO IT IN THE COMMENTS. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT Y’ALL THINK.
B ROLL: MORE ROLAND ROBINSON AT HOME.
AT 85 YEARS OLD, HE’S SEEN THE BUSINESS GO THROUGH PEAKS AND VALLEYS. AND HE THINKS THAT USING AI CAN INCREASE PRODUCTION, AND MAYBE EVEN BRING MORE BOOKS TO THE WORLD–SOONER, FASTER AND CHEAPER.
ROBINSON 15:23-15:25 “I’VE RETIRED IN SAN FRANCISCO BECAUSE MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, PEOPLE HERE I RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF USING AND PRIORITIZING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES.”
B-ROLL: PHOTOS OF MARILYNNE (AT HOME, IN THE LIBRARY, AND WITH HER SCULPTURES)
MARILYNNE, WHO IS A 72 YEAR OLD LIBRARIAN, IS THRILLED TO STILL BE WORKING. SHE’S ALSO AN ARTIST WHO LOVES SHARING HER ART. BUT SHE SAYS SHE WON’T BE ABLE TO AFFORD LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO IF SHE STOPS WORKING–THE COST OF LIVING HERE IS JUST TOO HIGH.
MARILYNNE: 12:25-12:30: “I AM CONSTANTLY WORRIED ABOUT LOSING MY JOB. MY HOURS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CUT IN HALF IN THE PAST TEN YEARS. I SEE WHY PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT THIS IS THE REALITY OF OUR WORLD–EVERYTHING IS MOVING ONLINE AND INSIDE.”
THE SAN FRANCISCO CITY BUDGET FACES MORE CUTS IN 2024 SINCE TECH COMPANIES HAVE FLED THE CITY FOR CHEAPER REAL ESTATE AND CLEANER STREETS.
EVEN THOUGH THE CITY STILL HOUSES THE GREATEST NUMBER OF TECH OFFICES IN ANY CITY IN AMERICA, RISING CRIME RATES AND HOMELESSNESS HAVE SCARED SOME BUSINESSES OFF.
THIS MEANS THAT THE CITY FACES TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE NUMBERS WORK. BUT ONE THING IS CLEAR: SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE. AND THE PROMISE OF AI–A BOON FOR DOWNTOWN–COULD HELP SOFTEN THE BUDGETARY BLOW.
B ROLL: SF MAYOR LONDON BRIDGE WALKS WITH RICHARD MARTIN DOWN MARKET STREET IN SAN FRANCISCO.
BRIDGE 17:25-12:30 “I THINK THAT THE POTENTIAL FOR AI NOT JUST TO HELP DEVELOP NEW TECHNOLOGIES–BUT REVITALIZE OLD INDUSTRIES LIKE PUB- LISHING–IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING PARTS ABOUT HAVING THIS INNOVATION RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY.”
ACROSS THE BRIDGE IN THE EAST BAY, STUDENTS AT UC BERKELEY WERE NOT SO OPTIMISTIC. A GROUP OF STUDENTS HELD A SMALL PROTEST AT HISTORIC SPROUL PLAZA TO SEND A MESSAGE:
B ROLL: 10 STUDENTS CIRCLING THE PLAZA WITH SIGNS.
NAT SOUND: “HEY, HEY, HEY HO HO AI WRITING HAS GOT TO GO...”
STUDENTS GATHERED TO BRING AWARENESS TO WHAT THEY SAY ARE UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES IN THE THIRD WORLD THAT HELP AI RUN. CHANCELLOR BUTIMA CHIER-LOEDER OF UC BERKELEY SAYS THAT THE CONCERNS OF THOSE FEW ARE FAR-FETCHED.
SHE SAYS THAT ANY WRITING DONE BY AI AT THE UNIVERSITY MUST BE WRIT- TEN WITH APPROVED ALGORITHMS– AND THAT THESE ARE ALL UP TO THE HIGHEST INDUSTRY ETHICS.
CHIER-LOEDER 17:33 - 17:48: “WITH THE GUIDANCE OF OUR INDUSTRY PART- NERS, WE HAVE SET THE LEADING ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR AI WRITING. WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER PROGRAMS SPECIALIZING IN THIS NEW FRONTIER OF TECHNOLOGY AND ART.
THE POPULARITY OF THIS NEW ESSAY HAS EVEN SPARKED NEW INTEREST IN OUR MASTER’S PROGRAMS AND IN OUR NEW TECHNOLOGY MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, WHERE WE PAIR ENGLISH UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS IN THEIR SENIOR YEAR WITH LOCAL TECH FOUNDERS TO TEACH THEM ABOUT AI AND PRACTICAL SKILLS.”
MARTIN, WALKING DOWN TELEGRAPH AVENUE IN BERKELEY.
THE FUTURE OF AI LOOKS BRIGHT. IT COULD CHANGE THE WAY WE READ AND WRITE, AND THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS. BUT IN THE HERE AND NOW, THIS ESSAY SURE HAS SET OFF A FIRESTORM HERE IN THE BAY.
IN BERKELEY, I’M RICHARD
MARTIN, KXXX NEWS.