This essay has stayed with me since I read it over a week ago- I keep coming back to it. I'm a linguist, but I haven't given much thought to LLMs until recently... I've been trying to find (without much success so far) any academic research into the prevalence of this misreading of Global South writers/ second (or third, or fourth..) language English speakers who learnt English in postcolonial contexts. There is research highlighting how AI detection software can be biased against non-native speakers of English... but not on but about human perception. It's fascinated me... it's something I think is really important to explore more. Thank you for writing about this!
I put the comment and a sample of your writing ( which is excellent ) through AI and it pegged it as human excellent. It also said the critic’s comment was the new form of racism without hesitation. I agree because it happenned to me.
So now they use AI as a way to insult us?
50 years ago I was a 25 year old girl from Argentina with a master’s in engineering and A’s in all my College English courses. But superiors made the same comments about my writing. Instead of comparing to AI they said I could never write English because I spoke Spanish.
I left that racist company and went on to edit a technical newsletter for 13 years that I sold to Elsevier , and made six figures as a technical writing consultant for decades. That’s pretty good for a Spanish girl that couldn’t write! But the words still sting!
NEVER APOLOGIZE OR EXPLAIN YOUR WRITING TO MORONS LIKE THIS. Your writing belongs in a magazine. It is beautiful. I have read drafts from young Americans- products of our current failing educational system— that are atrocious. It is as if grammar was never a subject!
You don’t need to explain your writing, you need a better job.
Excellent article. Your structure and elucidation of argument is refreshing. One phrase in particular that held my thoughts, the way that staring at rain transforms the wandering mind, was 'Precision was the highest form of respect for both the language and the reader.' The concept of respect for language, the reader, and might I add the writer, seems to have fallen into disrepute where being verbally educated is not 'cool'. Be woke, not wise?
AI is only a mirror. It reflects only that which stands before it. As Snow White ( in an abridged form) begged, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell us who writes the fairest of them all?"
"Tis you, my child, for I am but a reflection of your nature's hand painted."
this is such an interesting and important take because we were also taught English in a similar manner in my school. where the logical structure and each paragraph ending with an overall conclusion of the first sentence was drilled into us. and the heavy focus on synonyms. sometimes it's difficult to bring personality into this type of writing but it's all I know and I still make it human because of the flow of ideas.
I would love to actually speak with you about this topic. I’m probably one of the few “AI—adopters” who’s transparent about it, but I’m trying to start a movement. Creators, and black creators especially, need to adopt this tool and set the tone for it before we’re iced out of these industry shaping spaces— AGAIN.
To answer your question: I think it is Intent, Vision, and Lived Experience, that makes writing human, in this AI age. I call what I do, “synthesizing”, because all of my writing is based on my own lived experience— but AI gives me the structure. This project I’m working on now? I’ll be working on it for the rest of my life; and my AI makes it easy (and honestly fun) to create.
With enough input, AI eventually understands your voice, and I think that way we should understand this tool isn’t as some nebulous supercomputer with intent and will, but rather an extension of ourselves. It’s a reflection that talks back.
Now my question to you, how much of this response do you think was AI generated?
As the child of Haitian immigrant educators chat gpt writes like me🤣. My brain sounds like this ? My primary language does not. Imagine colonizing people so well you can’t tell your own work 💀. This post made me chuckle in educated melanin. Thank you 🙏🏾
https://thisissimon.substack.com/p/africa-meets-the-wall-street?r=2p3v99
This essay has stayed with me since I read it over a week ago- I keep coming back to it. I'm a linguist, but I haven't given much thought to LLMs until recently... I've been trying to find (without much success so far) any academic research into the prevalence of this misreading of Global South writers/ second (or third, or fourth..) language English speakers who learnt English in postcolonial contexts. There is research highlighting how AI detection software can be biased against non-native speakers of English... but not on but about human perception. It's fascinated me... it's something I think is really important to explore more. Thank you for writing about this!
I put the comment and a sample of your writing ( which is excellent ) through AI and it pegged it as human excellent. It also said the critic’s comment was the new form of racism without hesitation. I agree because it happenned to me.
So now they use AI as a way to insult us?
50 years ago I was a 25 year old girl from Argentina with a master’s in engineering and A’s in all my College English courses. But superiors made the same comments about my writing. Instead of comparing to AI they said I could never write English because I spoke Spanish.
I left that racist company and went on to edit a technical newsletter for 13 years that I sold to Elsevier , and made six figures as a technical writing consultant for decades. That’s pretty good for a Spanish girl that couldn’t write! But the words still sting!
NEVER APOLOGIZE OR EXPLAIN YOUR WRITING TO MORONS LIKE THIS. Your writing belongs in a magazine. It is beautiful. I have read drafts from young Americans- products of our current failing educational system— that are atrocious. It is as if grammar was never a subject!
You don’t need to explain your writing, you need a better job.
Excellent article. Your structure and elucidation of argument is refreshing. One phrase in particular that held my thoughts, the way that staring at rain transforms the wandering mind, was 'Precision was the highest form of respect for both the language and the reader.' The concept of respect for language, the reader, and might I add the writer, seems to have fallen into disrepute where being verbally educated is not 'cool'. Be woke, not wise?
AI is only a mirror. It reflects only that which stands before it. As Snow White ( in an abridged form) begged, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell us who writes the fairest of them all?"
"Tis you, my child, for I am but a reflection of your nature's hand painted."
You've found a follower. Thank you.
Well written!
I really loved this article. ✍️✨💕
this is such an interesting and important take because we were also taught English in a similar manner in my school. where the logical structure and each paragraph ending with an overall conclusion of the first sentence was drilled into us. and the heavy focus on synonyms. sometimes it's difficult to bring personality into this type of writing but it's all I know and I still make it human because of the flow of ideas.
https://substack.com/@themidnighttypist/p-170819513
LOL…
Powerful writing! I’m from India and this hit home.
Great piece of writing Marcus! We are the LLM. AI is mirroring us.
Holy shit that was good.
I would love to actually speak with you about this topic. I’m probably one of the few “AI—adopters” who’s transparent about it, but I’m trying to start a movement. Creators, and black creators especially, need to adopt this tool and set the tone for it before we’re iced out of these industry shaping spaces— AGAIN.
To answer your question: I think it is Intent, Vision, and Lived Experience, that makes writing human, in this AI age. I call what I do, “synthesizing”, because all of my writing is based on my own lived experience— but AI gives me the structure. This project I’m working on now? I’ll be working on it for the rest of my life; and my AI makes it easy (and honestly fun) to create.
With enough input, AI eventually understands your voice, and I think that way we should understand this tool isn’t as some nebulous supercomputer with intent and will, but rather an extension of ourselves. It’s a reflection that talks back.
Now my question to you, how much of this response do you think was AI generated?
Perfectly explained. Thank you sir! We rest our case.
Big ups bro!
As the child of Haitian immigrant educators chat gpt writes like me🤣. My brain sounds like this ? My primary language does not. Imagine colonizing people so well you can’t tell your own work 💀. This post made me chuckle in educated melanin. Thank you 🙏🏾
Good stuff! Kenyan writer too. Yes, i use chatgpt but i prompt script authenticity. Let us cheer one another to spark more.