There has been a lot of controversy building about whether people should use AI to help them write. It has grown again with the announcement this past week that Substack has integrated Pangram Labs to help readers identify human-written, AI-assisted, or AI-generated posts.
This quote from the latest post by the Substack Team gets at the heart of the issue:
”… while the use of AI isn’t necessarily a problem, a lack of transparency around it definitely is. Our aim is to help writers get credit for the work that’s theirs and help their audiences make more informed choices about what they spend their time on.“
Personally, I don’t care if someone uses AI to help them write, or if they post something generated with AI, as long as it is disclosed in the first sentence. I think most people agree. In almost all cases, I will decide to use my precious time to read human-authored works and avoid those that are AI-generated.
Some people are claiming their human-written posts are being incorrectly tagged as AI. In my experience, and stating the obvious, at least some of those people are lying. They are upset that they have been found out or will be found out; normal human behaviour sets in. They get angry and defend themselves.
Those posting or publishing AI-generated content without disclosure are taking credit for what AI has done. And, people don’t like being deceived.
If a person uses AI to write with them or for them, fine. But at least have the decency to say so in the first line so the reader can decide if they want to invest their time. It’s an honor code thing.
Speaking of honor code: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has guidance that is easily applied to this controversy. The “Three Rules to Live By” are each directly applicable.
"A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."
"Cadets use the “Three Rules to Live By” to ensure that an action they are considering would not be dishonorable. The Three Rules ask:
Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived?
Does this action gain or allow the gain of privilege or advantage to which I or someone else would not otherwise be entitled?
Would I be dissatisfied by the outcome if I were on the receiving end of this action?
If a cadet can answer “Yes” to any of these questions, the act would likely be dishonorable, undermining trust in that cadet and tarnishing the honor of the Corps."
"This attuned focus equips cadets to recognize and then to “choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong” whenever faced with a difficult decision. This creates a baseline of honest behavior and a culture that supports character growth."
It is worth reading the entire Cadet Honor Code & Honor System.
This article was authored by a human, Trevor, without assistance from AI. It has been certified by Proudly Human.