How Small Talk Led To Big Wisdom.

Sometimes the right conversation finds you just when you need it. 

It recently happened for me at a winery, where my wife and I wound up sitting next to two brothers. Our small talk eventually turned to AI, at which point it stopped being small talk. 

I shared how I write with AI: I let it prompt me, interview me, organize my thoughts, and give sound editorial advice. But the moment it tries to write a passage in my voice, I push back.

Its tone and cadence sound like me, but its ideas and points don't. 

The algorithm can predict what’s likely to be the next word, but it can’t predict my next 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵. 

The quieter brother spoke up. He was a professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth. As one might expect, he and his colleagues have been doing a lot of talking and thinking about the human-AI partnership. 

His perspective confirmed and expanded the conclusions I’ve been forming. 

He believes it’s critical for people to have the confidence and vision to push back against AI’s answers. If you can engage with it, question its output, and challenge it to push itself and you harder, you'll find that the partnership lifts you, and your ideas, to new levels. 

That’s what will separate those who thrive with AI from those who’ll fall behind. 

Those who don't push back risk accepting — and promoting — mediocre, generic output. The dreaded "slop."

I thought this was insightful. And inspiring. 

It also gave me a new lens on the cliché, “𝘈𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭.” That “somebody” won’t just know how to craft a prompt; they’ll know how to dance with a whole new kind of partner. 

On his way out, he mentioned “if you’re interested in this, you might like an essay I wrote for next week’s New Yorker.” 

Well, damn. Talk about a parting shot. 

I read it. It's worth your time. "What It’s Like to Brainstorm With a Bot," by Dan Rockmore. The New Yorker Weekend Essay from August 9. Link in comments.