Neven Mrgan describes what it was like to get an AI-generated email from a friend:
I knew that I didn’t want an algorithm to design layouts and draw illustrations “so I don’t have to,” but prior to this email, I never even pondered whether I wanted AI to call me up on behalf of people in my life. It had simply not occurred to me—and now that it has occurred to me, I definitely do not want small talk and relationships outsourced to server farms. This stuff shouldn’t feel hard or taxing; it’s what our presence here on Earth is mostly made up of. The effort, the clumsiness, and the time invested are where humanity is stored.
I got an alert for a link to FlowingData, and it was for a sloppy AI-generated site. The site covered a hodgepodge of topics with generated titles, text, and cover images. It looked like a news site on the surface but stripped of all meaning once you tried to read.
One of the “articles” was a “summary” of something I wrote. It felt lazy and offensive, which sounds familiar to what Mrgan felt about his friend’s “email.”
