A.I. Ain't Writin'

Artificial Intelligence shall permeate our lives, and cause us to question everything our fellow humans do: "Did you write that?" "Did you create that all by yourself?" "Did you really catch that ball, or did those techno-gloves catch that ball for you?' It's a fair question. "Are you insulated?" 

The Hollywood writers have settled their strike (for the most part) against the television studios. Those same writers who whined about A.I. stealing their jobs, according to the settlement, can now use A.I., themselves, to complement their work. Chances are, many of these so-called "writers" may not be true "writers", at all. Chances are, many of them have no more true writing talent than I have singing or drawing talent, though I do like to sing, and dabble. 

A.I. uses recycled content to create its poems, essays, and scripts, just as many Hollywood writers have been using recycled content for years, and pushing it off as their own "genius." We know better when we see so many television scripts and movies look and sound like the ones before. 

There was a time, in football, when we would marvel at the "great, soft hands" of elite receivers. You never hear such talk anymore because, now, they all wear gloves - even in 80 degree temperatures! - which obscure those with "great hands" from those with "good hands." It is the gloves that secure the ball on contact. These gloves - I call them "techno-gloves" - are a form of A.I. You might ask, "Why don't the gifted receivers chuck the gloves, and show the world how "real men" once did it? Too late for that. Today, a great receiver without the techno-gloves is like a great guitarist without an amplifier. 

The truth is: The studios have little respect for their so-called "writers" because they see little "true talent" among the lot of them. That is why the studios were so slow to settle. And, even then, look at the terms of the settlement: Where the UAW is asking for 20%, 10%, and 10% raise over the next three years, the writers have settled for a 5%, 4%, and 3% raise over the same period. It would seem that is apropos to the talent these writers apparently bring to work. 

Great writers never need A.I. When writers couple with A.I., they cease to be writers; they become construction workers. I say, "Let A.I. have the touchdowns. It ain't writin'."