A sprawling article in The New Republic back in 2024 was one of many that questioned whether artificial intelligence (AI) spelled the end for human writers. Two years later, that question is as vital as ever.
“If a computer can write like a person, what does that say about the nature of our own creativity?” asked the author, Samanth Subramanian.
The answer was, after a long winding trail of considerations, that nobody can yet say for sure, at least according to this author. But he leaned into the notion that human writers would prevail in the end.
The key word in this equation is “human.” In our society, human writers do much more than simply write. They invent and provoke and stimulate and define. They give voice to voiceless as well as to the unspeakable. They create the public narratives that help define both our social and private lives.
In fiction and nonfiction alike, they articulate the inner longings of the human spirit, which machines may emulate but cannot replicate. They connect people with each other through stories. They even can evoke the ineffable — that which cannot be captured by words.
Like artists of all kinds, writers’ work can be copied — we call it plagiarism — but as creators they themselves cannot be replaced. AI may take away many of the jobs writers have; if so that will be a tragedy. But the writers will remain.
Writing is so much more than turning a phrase, word-smithing or even telling a story. Fundamentally, it’s about forging authentic human connections one at a time, word by word.
That will always be superior, IMHO, to the artificial connections enacted by machines.
And only a human being can tell the difference.
(This is an update of an essay I wrote last April.)
HEADLINES:
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Chinese firms market Iran war intelligence ‘exposing’ U.S. forces (WP)
Trump’s Pentagon-first presidency (Axios)
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Birthright Citizenship and the Constitution (WSJ)
The FAA’s “Temporary” Flight Restriction for Drones is a Blatant Attempt to Criminalize Filming ICE (EFF)
Judge rejects DOJ’s bid to reinstate Powell subpoenas (Axios)
China’s gravity-detecting SQUID gets closer to spotting US nuclear submarines (SCMP)
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Al Gore: The Trump Administration Is the Most Corrupt in History (Reveal)
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Two Philosophers on How AI Will Change Everyday Life (YouTube)
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