There’s this conversation that keeps happening, and… ok. Ok. This is the post that finally set me off.
The replies pointed out something crucial, something that makes this whole debate even more infuriating: Some of us actually had to learn English.
Let me explain.
The first incident - and perhaps what I should have taken as a sign of times to come - was earlier this year. I received a reply to a proposal I had laboured over for days.
“This is a really solid base, but could you do a rewrite with a more human touch? It sounds a little like it was written by ChatGPT.”
Human touch. Human touch. I’ll give you human touch, you—
Sorry. The intrusive thoughts were having a moment there. I’m back, I’m back.
Here’s the thing: More and more writers seem to be getting these sort of responses, and there is - in my observational opinion - a rather dark and insidious slant to it. Stay with me for a moment, and I’ll get back to that.
Part of the irony is of the flavour that would make our ancestors chuckle. Because the accuser, in their own way, wasn't entirely wrong. My writing does share some DNA with the output of a large language model. We both have a tendency towards structured, balanced sentences. We both have a fondness for transitional phrases to ensure the logical flow is never in doubt. We both deploy the occasional (and now apparently incriminating) hyphen or semi-colon or em-dash to connect related thoughts with a touch more elegance than a simple full stop.
With a calmer mind, I became a little more gracious. The error in their judgment wasn't in the what, but in the why. They had mistaken the origin story.
... continue reading