Substack writers: Don't fear the AI reaper

Who wants to read AI generated crap content? Not me!

Sep 23, 2023

The Internet is being flooded with vapid AI-generated trash content, potentially making the position of human content creators even more precarious than before AI’s rise. Yet, I do not believe you should despair. On the contrary, AI is not going to replace human writers any more than it will replace human artists.

Read on to find out why.

Here’s a snippet of an excellent article about AI sludge content and SEO by Michael Spencer:

I’ve noticed this avalanche of AI generated content also hit new Substack Newsletters, popping up on the topic of A.I. faster than they should have been doing organically. Skillful humans can make it impossible to tell. But the robotic tone and content that seems gamified for selling is a dead giveaway. Often these authors won’t use their real names to avoid potential legal liability.
Generative AI models are changing the economy of the web, making it cheaper to generate lower-quality content. Now with Google’s change to SEO, it permanently will make the web a less human-centric place. Less real owned websites and more control by Google’s own SEO rules, also means Google can have more power in how it changes consumer behavior regarding Search and Gemini, a LLM that it is about to launch.
Recently Amazon said is has “created a new rule” limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale in recent months.

There’s much more to read in that post, so go and read it after you finish reading my post.

AI content sucks!

One of the worst things about AI-generated content is how bland it is, and how it lacks personality and passion. Perhaps that will change over time as AI becomes more and more advanced, but at the moment, most AI-generated content is as exciting to read as an IRS tax form.

For the record, I do not use AI to write any content for this substack. I, Morgthorak the Undead, write every single word. I have never used AI to write anything here, and I never will. When you read my content, you truly get the undead perspective on whatever topic I’m covering.

Unfortunately, others are not so honest and upfront with their readers. So have a care, and be careful who you give your subscription money to because you might be subsidizing the replacement of real content creators by AI.

I feel there needs to be some regulation or rules that AI-generated content be labeled as such whenever possible. People should know if a human (or undead) wrote the content or if it was artificially generated.

r/memes - Do you think AI will be out of hand in 2024?

AI content should be labeled as such for readers

I apply this idea to art and other media as well. If AI has been used to create music, paintings, books, etc., those works should be clearly labeled so prospective buyers know exactly what they are getting with their dollars.

Conversely, since AI is now everywhere, human (or undead) created content should be labeled as such so buyers know that they are getting products created by living beings, not machines. While that might not matter to some people, it certainly will matter to others.

Don’t try to compete with AI in terms of content volume

Regarding real content creators competing with AI, it certainly won’t be possible in terms of volume. AI can write faster than humans or undead; note that Amazon limits the number of books “AI authors” can publish on their platform. Amazon knows it will be flooded with trash AI content and is trying to limit the damage to its business.

Machine learning what the hell is this meme

Unfortunately for Amazon, just limiting the number of AI-generated books isn't going to cut it. The overall quality of Amazon's offerings will plunge with the onslaught of bland, robotic, and tedious AI content. Over time, that will destroy Amazon's book-selling business.

How to compete with AI: Be the human being you were born to be!

So, how can living or undead content creators compete with AI? Through the power of personality and the fire of the living (or undead) will. This means that when you write something, you let it rip, and you always put your heart and soul into it. Make sure you are giving your readers 100% at all times.

You see, that is what AI-generated content lacks: heart and soul. AI content is machine-generated trash. It cannot offer readers the passion of a human being (or undead). All it can do is try to mimic a real writer's qualities, but it will never be able to match them.

This is important for all writers here on Substack to fully understand. Many will soon despair at competing with the massive tidal wave of AI-generated sludge content flooding the Internet.

Don’t despair about AI, just keep writing

But I say to you: do not despair! Focus on your writing, be authentic, and be yourself because YOU are real, and you have something to offer that no AI-generated trash content can ever offer: the spark of life! Or, in my case, the spark of death. But you know what I mean, so keep your snotty teasing out of the comment section, you impudent little shits! 😉

As for me, I will continue writing, just as I always have. My content will always be there for my readers, and it will be unique and interesting because I wrote it. I did not use some trash AI tool to generate it; it all comes from inside me. From my heart and soul, those two things bring value to my readers that no AI can ever match.

Srew the AI bullshit! Keep on writing!