I'm trying to write like a person again

I still use AI pretty much constantly, but lately I have felt the urge to write again, completely unassisted.

Not because AI is bad. It is much better at writing these days with the correct constraints. More because it feels refreshing to complete something without using it at all.

I am not 100% sure why. Perhaps because it is slower. Perhaps because, funnily enough, my own writing being less perfect and well formed is a feature and not a bug. Or maybe something else entirely.

Regardless, despite not fully knowing why, I find myself wanting to do it.

I've also noticed that since using AI for writing my posts here have completely stopped. Again, not because I haven't had anything to say or any desire to write, just because using AI to produce the writing has not really ticked any of the boxes that writing on my own once had.

For better or worse, I'm still all in on AI

To be clear, this is not an anti-AI post. The use of AI has completely transformed how I work and many other aspects of my life. It is still, very much, ridiculously useful. For technical writing, coding, planning, and research it is unmatched in comparison to doing those things solo imo.

I have written a bunch, and so has EVERYBODY else, about how great AI is and what it is capable of. I will probably still occasionally write about that too, as it is a big part of my daily life and I am still tinkering and figuring things out all the time that I will want to share or understand better.

TL;DR: AI is fucking good, but for me some things are better the old-fashioned way.

Perhaps the friction was the point all along

However, for writing, for personal thoughts and dare I say it taste, it still mostly sucks. Everything is fully formed, everything is too polished, everything has a weird perfect structure.

Half-baked theories and ideas are useful. They're indicators of how you feel about something. Sometimes you write a few drafts before you truly know your take on it.

That messy bit is where a lot of the value is. You start with a vague thought or feeling, argue with yourself for a bit, and come out understanding either yourself or the subject a little better.

When using AI it gets you to the finish line so quickly, you end up not only outsourcing your opinion but you miss out on that journey of figuring out how you truly feel about something.

Mostly things are just too polished.

The writing will probably be worse

This is kinda my welcome back post. And my commitment to write a little more often.

It’s likely it’s gonna be worse, but I am ok with that. I write mostly for my future self tbh, but if others find it interesting then that is a bonus too.

If nothing else, I'd like to recognise myself in the sentence.