‘Large Language Model’ (LLM) and “Generative AI” statement

‘Large Language Model’ (LLM) and “Generative AI” statement: I am alive and I don’t agree.

As a professional writer who sells my creative services to clients, I unfortunately am forced to make a statement laying out my position on the use of ‘Large Language Models’ (LLMs) and ‘Generative AI’ tools like ChatGPT. 

I would rather not live in a world where this is necessary, but for the avoidance of doubt I do not use any LLMs or generative language tools for:

• Writing
• Research
• Ideation

My promise to clients is that I will never use them in the future either. I also won’t:

• Edit work that has been put through an LLM or “generative AI” tool first
• Supply prompts for these tools
• Accept edits of my work made using an LLM or “generative AI” tool

This is for the following reasons, none of which have to do with how “good” the tools may or may not be:

Environmental

These tools use a huge quantity of resources and have a massively negative effect on the environment. Every use wastes water and power at a time when we need to be reducing our consumption of resources, not increasing it. 

None of us can avoid negatively affecting the environment. There are some things in life that are essential, but which also harm the planet. LLMs are not one of those. I can choose not to use them and to avoid their negative impact in my work, in the same way that I can choose not to drink fizzy drinks and avoid rotting my teeth and insides. 

Theft

These tools are built entirely on the theft of people’s work. The term “AI” is misleading. It makes them sound intelligent, like they are capable of reasoning. This is not true. Instead, they are advanced word guessing systems that are “trained” on the other people’s work taken without their consent or knowledge.

I will not participate in this mass-scale theft. If that loses me work then so be it. 

Personal 

You might be expecting something along the lines of how I’m worried these tools will take work from me, so I’m not using them for that reason. That isn’t what I’m getting at. 

My personal reason for not using these tools is that I don’t want to. I’m a creative person, and I get a lot out of the creative process. I enjoy the challenge and would rather come up with the right idea or a great word combination myself. I don’t want all friction removed from my life. If anything, we all need more friction – that’s where the heat and sparks come from in this life of ours.

I like problem solving. I like creating. I like writing, and the process that gets me there. That’s what we humans are good at and it’s good for the brain. The idea that I would want to farm that out to a word-guessing machine is laughable. I am a human being and I intend to continue acting like it. 

The tools are boring

That brings us nicely to the next point: the tools are so, so boring. I honestly can’t think of anything more boring than sitting down to do something and asking a chat bot to do it for me. What’s the point? Does it make me feel good? Or feel anything at all? 

The tools are boring, their outputs are boring and there’s no reason I can see to spend my days choosing to do something that is boring. Thinking and doing are fun, outsourcing them is not fun.

The Luddites have been done wrong by history

The Luddites have gone down in history as enemies of “progress” (whatever that means) and people who wanted to destroy because they couldn’t face the future. Get with the times, man, we’re industrialising.

That’s not quite right, though. Luddites weren’t hostile to the machines they were breaking. They were hostile to the idea that machines were being used to undercut workers, reduce quality of the products and make the rich richer while the poor starved. The machine breaking was a tactic; the aim was a fairer society where the means of production were operated for the benefit of all, not just a rich few.

The broad strokes of the situation are repeating now. Vast numbers of people are being undercut and thrown on the scrapheap of life for the enrichment of a tiny number of tech ‘leaders’. It’s not the way things have to be, but it’s how things are being made to be. I don’t agree with any of it and I won’t take part.

To paraphrase Mark Fisher: “I am alive and I don’t agree.” 

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