Whether you’re an English grad or an Iron Maiden fan (or both, like me) you may have heard “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” at some point. In this famous poem by Coleridge, the title character and his shipmates are dying of thirst surrounded by (ocean) water, a cruel irony captured with the line “Water, water everywhere / Nor any drop to drink.”
That line floated through my mind the other day as I struggled to find the answer to a relatively simple question about a tech I wanted to learn more about. Googling gave me millions of results of varying quality. ChatGPT gave me answers I couldn’t know for certain were accurate without first mastering the tech in question. Youtube videos told me all about their creators’ offerings and expertise, but not about the specific aspect of the tech I needed help with. Soon, I was feeling as hopeless as the mariner, doused in virtually every bit of existing information on this tech—except the answer I needed.
Words, words everywhere / Nor any pause to think.
This, increasingly, is our reality, and I think it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. Surrounded by information and desperate for what we can’t find in almost any of it—connection, significance, and truth.
To me, this is the biggest danger that generative AI poses. It’s not even about the quality or purpose of its output. It’s the sheer quantity of outputs being unleashed on the world, like an ocean of thoughtless noise. The world is info-crowded enough with everything that humans have to “say” manually; can you imagine a future where there are millions of bots contributing their inputs to the conversation too?
The risk is further oversaturating an already oversaturated attention economy. We stop noticing the many things that we really should be noticing. We stop caring about the things that could be prevented now if any of us could muster up the focus and energy to do so. It becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish truth and expertise from what has been carefully engineered to look like truth and expertise.
I don’t write this to frighten or discourage anyone. Rather, I hope it helps you see the same path forward that I’m seeing.
Over the past several months, I’ve noticed that this raging tempest of information makes targeted, polished writing stand out like a beacon. In fact, based on what I’m seeing right now, AI is ensuring that skilled writers and editors will not only stay employed, but also see higher demand than ever. It’s rewarding those scholars who put real time and effort into their research and use their voices intentionally. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many of my clients have seen some of the biggest wins of their careers in the past couple years. As the pool of journal submissions grows and its overall quality sinks, it’s obvious that the “cream” of robust, well-written papers is already rising to the top.
As we wrap up 2024, I’m both nervous and excited to see what the future holds for us all. I know generative AI has huge potential to improve a lot of things for humanity (provided we can first find a way to limit its horrendous environmental impact) but I still don’t see our most important communications being one of those things. Instead, I see the value of well-chosen, well-researched words soaring even higher—and I’m thrilled to work with those who recognize that value every day.
Want to see how our edits can help your next paper become one of those standout successes? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. In addition to providing a no-obligation quote within 24 hours, we’ll be happy to edit a free page or two of your writing to show you exactly what it’s like to work with us.
Happy Holidays! ✨
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