It's funny, I had no real interest in reading the AI version of this you released. Not because I hate AI or have anything against it, I just feels like if I know I am reading an AI generated piece, I understand it will be good, but there is always something about it that feels uninteresting. Like someone's already given you a list of all the possible presents under the Christmas tree so there is no real way you can ever be surprised.
Not that I needed to be convinced of your work, but this is your best post yet. The reading feels like following a profound cultural change in real time. Eye-opening.
I would love to read your thoughts about what this means for education.
Fascinating exploration. Your link between AI and Ong’s oral cultures made me wonder: if Socrates feared writing would erode memory, might he have championed chatbots as a return to dialectic—only to recoil at their lack of true contradiction? The tension between AI as collaborative thinker and authoritarian enabler feels pivotal. Does the oral revival risk flattening discourse into algorithmically optimized “conversations” that simulate depth without the friction of literacy’s quiet heresies? Or can we design tools that amplify, rather than replace, the solitary act of critical thought? The Shoggoth’s smile hides a Sphinx’s riddle.
I like it when chatbots push back + wish they did so more / were trained to make us all better thinkers! (but this is where the product/profit concerns may come in tension)
Fwiw this is way better than your thread of llm essays. Saw the thread on my feed, thought: hm, interesting. Kept scrolling. This essay? Gobbled it up and it's sticking with me. I love the way you have used AI as a tool for deepening your thinking and creating some cutting-edge thinking, while putting in the work to fill it with your human spark
The post-literate society idea is incredible and definitely true, but imo oral communication is clearly not the future. Look at the trajectory of communication online: usenet -> forums -> blogs -> facebook/twitter/youtube -> instagram -> tiktok etc. The internet is like an information market where revealed preferences win out the same way they do in economic markets, and though people (especially influential people who shape culture) tend to assume the language of our mind is text and text=rationality, that isn’t what we observe winning in the information marketplace, even in many purportedly sophisticated discursive spaces.
Clicked the heart on this human-written piece. Cos, wait ... didn't you say in another essay a couple of weeks ago that "there is no better time to be a writer than now"? You're playing with my emotions, Jasmine! I'm keeping up with the concepts and the McLuhan-ness, and the unstoppable back-to-oral trajectory, sure. AND I actually do sometimes use AI similarly to you when writing (not willing to pay for it though and don't do the voice stuff), but ... I DON'T WANNA. I AM DOING THE GENERATING HERE.
lol fair to call out the whiplash! there's so much to write about, only a question if there will still be readers for it. (and I do think modern writers have to be much more 'flexible' as creators, engaging in formats beyond longform text, etc)
This is nerdbro lame, but it’s funny that Star Trek inspired smart phones and tablets. And now we’re seeing its conversational computer interface realized. There are full scenes where a character works through a complex problem while talking to a computer, and everyone gave them shit because “why would talking to the computer be faster than typing?” Obviously this was done because a scene where a character typed wouldn’t have worked, but the demands of drama are a little prophetic.
This is a great explanation of what I’ve been feeling lately. Brain-rot is pervasive, attention spans are shorter than ever. LLMs only play into this trend further. The more you itch for a relief to the scratch of not being able to formulate your budding idea from your own head, the more you’ll fail to articulate alone. You are your habits, after all. Thank you for the inspiration for a future post
That's my reluctance and caution. But I think the danger is far greater for the young. Born in the 1970s, I developed high level of literary skills and mentality. Digital media is added onto that, not replacing it.
For kids growing up right now, they simply might never learn reading comprehension, critical thinking, synthesis, etc. The ease and convenience of AI will do it better than they can, which will further degrade their cognitive abilities.
I'm not a luddite. I'm just highly informed and self-aware about how media affects psyche and behavior. I actually love how digital media has vastly increased the scope of what I can accomplish. Still, that's only possible because of a strong literary foundation.
"And at the risk of sounding hyperbolic: I think there is a correlation between oral culture and authoritarianism, between a less literate population and strongman leaders. When people don’t evaluate ideas separate from their speakers, power gravitates to the most magnetic voice in a room."
You wouldn't be the first. In 1922, Walter Lippman published "Public Opinion." He warned that orality would bring on totalitarianism. And he was proven right. His argument was how an authoritarian figure, such as Hitler, could be simultaneously heard by millions. But not only that, since it could be broadcast into the intimacy of people's homes. Someone else's voice of authority could become as familiar as one's own thoughts.
"It’s not superintelligent yet—but I also feel frustrated when litbros nitpick to say “AI is stupid because it can’t write like Proust.” It can write better first drafts than 90% of humans (I’ve edited many professionals, so I know), and will keep getting better."
As a highly literate working class bloke, I write complex, long-form essays that synthesize vast amounts of info in making coherent arguments. It took me decades to develop my writing skills. But there is nothing special about me. Most can learn to be a better writer (and a better reader, thinker, etc). But there is no incentive to do so if it's easier to let AI do it for you. I worry this will lead to a dumbing down of the population, such as we've already seen with the loss of attention span, reading comprehension, and cognitive complexity.
I too bristle at LLMs' first-person pronoun use! In fact, I think it should be strongly discouraged via appropriate guardrails. A couple of years ago I even thought of starting a campaign about this as a pillar of responsible AI. But I quickly realized it would have been doomed from the start.
This is such a good post.
It's funny, I had no real interest in reading the AI version of this you released. Not because I hate AI or have anything against it, I just feels like if I know I am reading an AI generated piece, I understand it will be good, but there is always something about it that feels uninteresting. Like someone's already given you a list of all the possible presents under the Christmas tree so there is no real way you can ever be surprised.
Not that I needed to be convinced of your work, but this is your best post yet. The reading feels like following a profound cultural change in real time. Eye-opening.
I would love to read your thoughts about what this means for education.
Thanks for the kind words, glad this was thought-provoking!! Still noodling on the education bit—but def very interested in that question
Fascinating exploration. Your link between AI and Ong’s oral cultures made me wonder: if Socrates feared writing would erode memory, might he have championed chatbots as a return to dialectic—only to recoil at their lack of true contradiction? The tension between AI as collaborative thinker and authoritarian enabler feels pivotal. Does the oral revival risk flattening discourse into algorithmically optimized “conversations” that simulate depth without the friction of literacy’s quiet heresies? Or can we design tools that amplify, rather than replace, the solitary act of critical thought? The Shoggoth’s smile hides a Sphinx’s riddle.
I like it when chatbots push back + wish they did so more / were trained to make us all better thinkers! (but this is where the product/profit concerns may come in tension)
Fwiw this is way better than your thread of llm essays. Saw the thread on my feed, thought: hm, interesting. Kept scrolling. This essay? Gobbled it up and it's sticking with me. I love the way you have used AI as a tool for deepening your thinking and creating some cutting-edge thinking, while putting in the work to fill it with your human spark
The post-literate society idea is incredible and definitely true, but imo oral communication is clearly not the future. Look at the trajectory of communication online: usenet -> forums -> blogs -> facebook/twitter/youtube -> instagram -> tiktok etc. The internet is like an information market where revealed preferences win out the same way they do in economic markets, and though people (especially influential people who shape culture) tend to assume the language of our mind is text and text=rationality, that isn’t what we observe winning in the information marketplace, even in many purportedly sophisticated discursive spaces.
Clicked the heart on this human-written piece. Cos, wait ... didn't you say in another essay a couple of weeks ago that "there is no better time to be a writer than now"? You're playing with my emotions, Jasmine! I'm keeping up with the concepts and the McLuhan-ness, and the unstoppable back-to-oral trajectory, sure. AND I actually do sometimes use AI similarly to you when writing (not willing to pay for it though and don't do the voice stuff), but ... I DON'T WANNA. I AM DOING THE GENERATING HERE.
lol fair to call out the whiplash! there's so much to write about, only a question if there will still be readers for it. (and I do think modern writers have to be much more 'flexible' as creators, engaging in formats beyond longform text, etc)
this is a fantastic post. so glad you pub’ed it. 🙏🏾
This is nerdbro lame, but it’s funny that Star Trek inspired smart phones and tablets. And now we’re seeing its conversational computer interface realized. There are full scenes where a character works through a complex problem while talking to a computer, and everyone gave them shit because “why would talking to the computer be faster than typing?” Obviously this was done because a scene where a character typed wouldn’t have worked, but the demands of drama are a little prophetic.
scifi predicted / invented all of modern tech!!!! (which does make me think whether we just need to be writing better scifi)
This is a great explanation of what I’ve been feeling lately. Brain-rot is pervasive, attention spans are shorter than ever. LLMs only play into this trend further. The more you itch for a relief to the scratch of not being able to formulate your budding idea from your own head, the more you’ll fail to articulate alone. You are your habits, after all. Thank you for the inspiration for a future post
That's my reluctance and caution. But I think the danger is far greater for the young. Born in the 1970s, I developed high level of literary skills and mentality. Digital media is added onto that, not replacing it.
For kids growing up right now, they simply might never learn reading comprehension, critical thinking, synthesis, etc. The ease and convenience of AI will do it better than they can, which will further degrade their cognitive abilities.
I'm not a luddite. I'm just highly informed and self-aware about how media affects psyche and behavior. I actually love how digital media has vastly increased the scope of what I can accomplish. Still, that's only possible because of a strong literary foundation.
"And at the risk of sounding hyperbolic: I think there is a correlation between oral culture and authoritarianism, between a less literate population and strongman leaders. When people don’t evaluate ideas separate from their speakers, power gravitates to the most magnetic voice in a room."
You wouldn't be the first. In 1922, Walter Lippman published "Public Opinion." He warned that orality would bring on totalitarianism. And he was proven right. His argument was how an authoritarian figure, such as Hitler, could be simultaneously heard by millions. But not only that, since it could be broadcast into the intimacy of people's homes. Someone else's voice of authority could become as familiar as one's own thoughts.
"It’s not superintelligent yet—but I also feel frustrated when litbros nitpick to say “AI is stupid because it can’t write like Proust.” It can write better first drafts than 90% of humans (I’ve edited many professionals, so I know), and will keep getting better."
As a highly literate working class bloke, I write complex, long-form essays that synthesize vast amounts of info in making coherent arguments. It took me decades to develop my writing skills. But there is nothing special about me. Most can learn to be a better writer (and a better reader, thinker, etc). But there is no incentive to do so if it's easier to let AI do it for you. I worry this will lead to a dumbing down of the population, such as we've already seen with the loss of attention span, reading comprehension, and cognitive complexity.
the tertiary orality of digital culture
I too bristle at LLMs' first-person pronoun use! In fact, I think it should be strongly discouraged via appropriate guardrails. A couple of years ago I even thought of starting a campaign about this as a pillar of responsible AI. But I quickly realized it would have been doomed from the start.
super interesting to read!! especially as i start writing in susbtack more and how to make that content appeal to others!
LM Sacasas has an interesting essay on the agonistic / warlike thing re: social media and oral culture! https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-inescapable-town-square
oh god I don't know, I can barely accept that we're entering one. I will think on it!