over one-third of pages published after ChatGPT was released on November 22nd, 2022, “were likely written or substantially edited by AI.” Source: The Verge AI Slop is just one part of what is going to destroy the open web, but it will be another nail in the coffin. The biggest nail is still search engines not linking out to sources instead just summarizing and giving overviews or as The Verge calls it Google Zero . ...
Once upon a time, I thought nothing could be worse than the proliferation of websites driven by SEO. That was before I learned of the existence of AEO: answer engine optimization. In my day, I could get lost in the glorious SI Vault; now I can find those old gems only if I know exactly what to search for and deploy the Wayback Machine. Not all of this is specifically Google’s fault. But the company’s new priorities seem like they’ll only exacerbate the general state of dilapidation online. ...
This doesn’t mean that AI doesn’t work or is useless. But it does emphasize an important truth: AI is not a magic “infinity machine” that can solve all our problems, and ultimately deliver us a sense of meaning in a cold, confusing world. It’s a normal technology, and perhaps it’s time we start talking about it that way. Source: Cal Newport Newsletter Today’s newsletter is based on a few emails Newport got from a software engineer, and is telling a story over months that I am sure we will hear again and again from many others. Like most things, groups of people have lined up on the two extreme sides. Either you turned your life over to a language generating machine, or you think the technology is useless. Of course in the end the truth lies in the middle, and finding that middle is important. ...