Surprising responses from Meta.ai to questions about how humans can improve AI writing

(PRUnderground) December 19th, 2024

“Will the $1 trillion of generative AI investment pay off?” That was the headline of an analysis on the Goldman Sachs website in August 2024.

While the financial possibilities may explain the current infatuation of business, government, and education organizations with AI, the rapid emergence of AI has given rise to some deeply disturbing problems — some new and some that have been around for a long time. One of those problems is the question about whether humans can maintain control over this relatively new and sometimes unpredictable technology: another problem is writing.

AI Dangers?

The warnings about the dangers of AI have come mostly from respected high-tech professionals. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has commented in several interviews about our increasing dependence on technology, relying on the computer to “learn everything and do everything.”

Currently, most humans assume that they are in control of the technology. Humans train AI, and the humans who use it tend to regard AI as a super smart technological assistant. In one interview, Schmidt used the term “dangerous” to describe the point at which the system learns to train itself. “When the system can self-improve,” he said, “we need to seriously think about unplugging it.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUErzvvKuaY

Otherwise, the roles will be reversed. The robots will be controlling us.

AI Writing — Who’s in Control?

What role does writing play in all of this?  When it comes to AI writing, the question of who’s in control is key. Of course, a lot of AI writing is just plain awful. Science fiction editor Neil Clarke has described the AI writing he reviews as “bad in spectacular ways … They’re just prompting, dumping, pasting and submitting …”

And then there’s the 2023 debacle involving a New York lawyer who used ChatGBT to prepare a legal brief. Almost immediately, he got a great-looking brief, but there was a problem. Turns out that ChatGBT didn’t fully understand what the lawyer wanted, so it fantasized — and fabricated citations of cases that didn’t exist! The judge described much of the brief as “legal gibberish,” chastised the lawyer, and fined him. The lawyer and his law firm were the butts of jokes for months afterwards.

It would be a mistake to conclude that AI writing is always bad. And when required to deal with day-to-day language interactions with humans, it frequently expresses the need for their help. Here are some responses from Meta.ai to questions raised about improving the quality of AI writing:

• AI algorithms rely on precise and well-structured input to provide accurate responses. Clear writing helps ensure that the AI understands the user’s intent, reducing errors and misinterpretations.
• Using plain English makes your ideas more accessible to a broader audience, including those who may not be familiar with technical jargon or complex terminology.
• Human editing can significantly help AI avoid grammatical errors and improve the clarity of messages.
• Editors can rephrase complex sentences or jargon to make the message more accessible and easier to understand.
• Editors can verify the accuracy of information, ensuring that the AI’s responses are reliable and trustworthy.

All of these are requests for writing and editing help from people who understand how to express ideas in concise, direct, grammatical sentences and well-organized paragraphs. Unfortunately, the writing skills of America’s high school and college graduates began to decline dramatically in the 1960s, and since the advent of the internet, they have become progressively worse.

Surveys conducted over the years by the National Association of Colleges and Employers reflect the consensus that most “college graduates lack writing skills.”  https://writesmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/nace-job-outlook-2020.pdf

When Meta.ai was asked what organizations could do to resolve the problem, it offered several useful suggestions. Here’s one of them:

• Provide writing workshops: Offer regular writing workshops or training sessions for new hires and existing employees to improve their writing skills.

Since the 1990s, Write Smart has been providing professionals in business, government, and education with affordable training that gives people the tools they need to express complex information in language that is clear, interesting, and persuasive. For details about our free online classes, please go to: https://writesmart.org/intro-contact/

About Write Smart LLC

When you participate in any of the online Write Smart programs, you will be partnering with Mike McClory, one of America’s foremost authorities on turning good ideas into good writing. You will be engaged in a series of live, 21st century, multi-media learning activities — not just sitting through another tedious PowerPoint slide show.

After graduating from Northwestern University, Mike began his career with the Congressional Digest, a publication that has earned a reputation — over a span of 90 years — for presenting different sides of complex issues in crisp, unpretentious language. Years later, in a 1996 interview, he recalled the experience:

Working with seasoned professional editors was full of surprises. I found, for instance, that people in the publishing business expend an enormous amount of time and energy applying the fundamentals of grammar and punctuation. In a few weeks, I learned more about writing than I had learned in four years of high school and four years of college.

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Original Press Release.