Back in the days when rowdy Englishmen protested progress by blowing up newly-invented steam engines, they called the resisting hoodlums “Luddites”.
Skip two centuries ahead, and now we’ve got protestors calling for the government to regulate this new computer progression called AI, Artificial Intelligence.
The University czars fear high school students will use words stored in computers to write entrance-exam essays. As if they didn’t know many parents already add and correct words their adolescent submits.
And how will the Prof know if he’s reading an original term paper? As if originality will come from his lecture repetitions.
Many of the AI protestors are writers.
At this writing, my Screenwriter’s Guild friend may be on strike, pacing in front of the television network studio because the ‘moguls’ threaten to use AI to write gags for some comedian’s late show.
Want to reassure my readers that I will continue to write my stuff. I don’t need AI. And I don’t want another government regulator. I’m not an AI Luddite.
Does bother me that some readers have hinted that maybe AI might help my prose.
Photo by Casimiro PT at Shutterstock
