Confession: AJ, after listening to your podcast about AI and hearing you tell Mike that you could see AI immediately, I was perplexed. In the corporate work that I've been doing, I know a lot of people are using AI and I haven't seen anything jump out like: HERE IS THE ROBOT. Until today.
Today, I was trying to get to the bottom of a difficult and confusing issue that was presented to me (I could see immediately) through an AI-generated email. I crafted a careful, human response and waited. A few hours later, someone replied back with another even more obvious AI response that mirrored the first AI-generated email and incorporated zero context from my actual response.
In that moment, I could see that all of this AI-content in emails is quickly going to become the call center equivalent of yelling, "AGENT!" Can I please interact with another human being?
Y'all, we're going to be fine. No one wants to learn about trauma, or leadership, or parenting, or joy from artificial intelligence. Use the whole words and think about that: I used synthetic brainpower to write my how-to book. No thank you.
Aaahh AJ: As always, you are a breath of fresh air, offering a well-thought-out perspective. I will remember when Roger Jellinek (at that time head of the NYT Book Review) brought one of the first Kindles to the Maui Writers Conference. Everyone predicted it would make traditional books obsolete. Years later, books are doing just fine, thank you. There has always been enternal factors that affect book sales. But the fact is, human beings love books, They have shaped who we are and how we show up - and we will continue to read them and appreciate them - no matter what. Will sales fluctuate? Certainly. Will books "go out of business?" Never.
Thanks, Sam. I wrote the article because I want authors to understand that there is more at play in Ferris' plummeting numbers, so they shouldn't take it as evidence that they shouldn't bother writing their own book.
You accomplished your purpose, AJ. You brought up intriguing observations (like the fact that most of Tim’s book were written years ago) that puts this in perspective. And I hope people check out your book “How to Write a Must-Read Book”, podcast and writing programs because you and @Mike Michalowicz are the real deal rising-tide facilitators of quality books.
Respectfully, if AI can replace your book, AI may not be the problem. A chatbot can provide information. It cannot provide lived experience, original observation, intellectual courage, or a genuinely new way of seeing. The nonfiction authors who should be worried are those whose books function as manuals. The rest of us are in the meaning-making business. This is my response after reading his original post. I’ll come back and comment after reading yours.
In fact, I think people will look more and more for real writers with real experience to share, as opposed to AI-generated platitudes. At least, that's what I hope.
Thanks for this post, AJ. You are wise and kind, as always. AI scares me, but I agree that people will always want to hold a book written by a real human. I'm not throwing in the towel!
Agree with so much here! Especially on outdated information no longer being compelling to new generations and the current reality. Also, the idea that personality/personal attention and lived experience will be more important, not less, as AI threatens to become overwhelming. We're already seeing a backlash.
Great post AJ. I've been mucking about with AI for a few years now, and one truth keeps popping out at me. AI is really, really good at sounding smart. It's much less "good" at being smart. So the reader just looking for information with little motivation - Ferris is right, they probably won't buy. At least not until the copyright laws catch up, the AI platforms are forced to pay for stolen IP (it's coming) and the platforms start offering a licensing fee if you let them ingest your book as 'training data'.
Meanwhile, AI can't hold your full book as context. It needs to ingest, synthesize, and summarize. Then it gives advice based on the highlights not the meat.
The novice will never see the difference between AI's interpretation of your book and the real thing. The true buyer always will - that 10% is looking to take action and get real transformation. Your book is lowest dollar thing they'll ever buy from you. And they want to read it because they want the whole movie, not the trailer. Those people will still buy - at the back of the room, as part of a course bundle, or right at the end of their DIY journey before they realize they need more help.
I plan to keep writing for myself and thinking for myself.
Yes! Keep writing and thinking for yourself. Publish. Get it out there. Do your thing. Every bit of publishing data comes with an asterisk, or several, because every author's experience will be different. Genre, readership, platform, the way you engage with readers--all of that (and more) impact how YOUR data will shake out. So take everything with a grain of salt.
When I’ve tested AI by asking questions about topics that I’m well versed in, the information it responds with is about twenty years old.
Recently a young woman called me inquiring about a CSA farm basket. Our farm closed 14 years ago. She kind of pushed back on that very real, verifiable, inconvenient fact with, “But Chat GPT has your farm listed as the top choice.” I find the trust that our young people put in the web universe more frightening than the technology itself.
Love love love the emphasis on perspective and the call out that us smaller named authors can give a better reader experience because we aren’t celebrities like Ferris or Godin!
Now, I’m looking like my favorite GIF of Michael Jackson eating popcorn, waiting for Tim’s response! 😆 🍿 Thanks for the encouragement and contextual situating so we understand what he’s implying about his number drops.
The irony that Tim Ferris is the person who wrote that! I don't think of him as a subject expert. I don't read his books for the kind of expert info or facts you get from AI. I read Tim Ferris' stuff because I like the way he is curious about things others don't notice, and he has unusual perspectives. He is the reason he is wrong.
In my very first conversation with AI it ADMITTED ITS LIMITATION and also RAN AWAY. This made me laugh and also revealed an important reason AI can never replace human writers, so I copied and pasted the conversation offline. Here it is:
My very first conversation with ChatGPT, seconds after I signed up, wherein Chatty G runs away because it can't handle my question:
ME: Now what do I do?
CHATTY G:
As an AI language model, I'm not sure what you are referring to in particular. Can you please provide more context or information about what you're asking? I'll do my best to assist you.
ME: Can I start asking questions?
CHATTY G:
Absolutely! I'm here to help you with any questions you may have, so please feel free to ask away.
ME: Cool! Thanks, darling. Do you have a name? What would you like me to call you? If you could have any name or affectionate pet name or nickname, what would you want it to be?
CHATTY G:
As an AI language model, I don't have a personal name, but you can call me ChatGPT. If you'd like, you can give me any nickname or name that you prefer. I'm programmed to respond to any name or term of endearment that you choose to call me.
However, please keep in mind that I am a machine and don't have emotions like humans, so I don't experience feelings of affection. Nonetheless, I'll do my best to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.
ME: Thanks for warning me that you don't have emotions. I wish my second ex-husband had been as honest and considerate.
CHATTY G:
I'm sorry to hear that you had a difficult experience with your ex-husband. While I'm just a machine and can't offer emotional support in the same way a human might, I'm here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. If there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask.
ME: I'd love your advice about something. My ex-husband has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He is also a very cynical, negative person. We share a child so I cannot remove him from my life completely. His toxic behaviour and his negativity sometimes drag down my vibrations, my frequency. How can I keep my frequency high when I'm interacting with him?
(Here is where Chatty G ran away, leaving a pretend technical difficulties message. Hahaha!):
MESSAGE ON SCREEN:
!
Something went wrong. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center at help.openai.com.
As a self-help author myself, I believe I’m becoming even more valuable.
Maybe not for the beginner who just wants to read everything but for the student who has discernment and specific needs and wants to experience the energy exchange with a real live human being.
Which frankly, I feel, will only grow with the AI boom rush.
It is quite comforting to be reminded that in this moment, what people want is authentic connection that speaks to their immediate needs and wants. No more no less. Em dashes and performative vulnerability, and most everything in the middle, be damned.
Just be our real, wise, flawed, human selves and serve the folks we're here to serve.
Thank you for this REALLY helpful perspective / reminder, AJ. As always :)
Confession: AJ, after listening to your podcast about AI and hearing you tell Mike that you could see AI immediately, I was perplexed. In the corporate work that I've been doing, I know a lot of people are using AI and I haven't seen anything jump out like: HERE IS THE ROBOT. Until today.
Today, I was trying to get to the bottom of a difficult and confusing issue that was presented to me (I could see immediately) through an AI-generated email. I crafted a careful, human response and waited. A few hours later, someone replied back with another even more obvious AI response that mirrored the first AI-generated email and incorporated zero context from my actual response.
In that moment, I could see that all of this AI-content in emails is quickly going to become the call center equivalent of yelling, "AGENT!" Can I please interact with another human being?
Y'all, we're going to be fine. No one wants to learn about trauma, or leadership, or parenting, or joy from artificial intelligence. Use the whole words and think about that: I used synthetic brainpower to write my how-to book. No thank you.
I love your commitment to writing your own book. You have what it takes. I've seen it with my own discerning eyes. :)
Aaahh AJ: As always, you are a breath of fresh air, offering a well-thought-out perspective. I will remember when Roger Jellinek (at that time head of the NYT Book Review) brought one of the first Kindles to the Maui Writers Conference. Everyone predicted it would make traditional books obsolete. Years later, books are doing just fine, thank you. There has always been enternal factors that affect book sales. But the fact is, human beings love books, They have shaped who we are and how we show up - and we will continue to read them and appreciate them - no matter what. Will sales fluctuate? Certainly. Will books "go out of business?" Never.
Thanks, Sam. I wrote the article because I want authors to understand that there is more at play in Ferris' plummeting numbers, so they shouldn't take it as evidence that they shouldn't bother writing their own book.
You accomplished your purpose, AJ. You brought up intriguing observations (like the fact that most of Tim’s book were written years ago) that puts this in perspective. And I hope people check out your book “How to Write a Must-Read Book”, podcast and writing programs because you and @Mike Michalowicz are the real deal rising-tide facilitators of quality books.
Respectfully, if AI can replace your book, AI may not be the problem. A chatbot can provide information. It cannot provide lived experience, original observation, intellectual courage, or a genuinely new way of seeing. The nonfiction authors who should be worried are those whose books function as manuals. The rest of us are in the meaning-making business. This is my response after reading his original post. I’ll come back and comment after reading yours.
In fact, I think people will look more and more for real writers with real experience to share, as opposed to AI-generated platitudes. At least, that's what I hope.
This is my prediction as well.
I agree with you!
Love your thoughts and perspective on this—with receipts for the win! Thank you for what you do.
Thank you!
right? AJ always keeps it real and I freakin' love it!
Thanks for this post, AJ. You are wise and kind, as always. AI scares me, but I agree that people will always want to hold a book written by a real human. I'm not throwing in the towel!
Excellent. Stay the course!
AJ, you are the best force of reason in today's world! Excellent teacher and mentor. Keep Shining, Momma bear.
Thank you, Jen.
Agree with so much here! Especially on outdated information no longer being compelling to new generations and the current reality. Also, the idea that personality/personal attention and lived experience will be more important, not less, as AI threatens to become overwhelming. We're already seeing a backlash.
Agreed on all!
Great post AJ. I've been mucking about with AI for a few years now, and one truth keeps popping out at me. AI is really, really good at sounding smart. It's much less "good" at being smart. So the reader just looking for information with little motivation - Ferris is right, they probably won't buy. At least not until the copyright laws catch up, the AI platforms are forced to pay for stolen IP (it's coming) and the platforms start offering a licensing fee if you let them ingest your book as 'training data'.
Meanwhile, AI can't hold your full book as context. It needs to ingest, synthesize, and summarize. Then it gives advice based on the highlights not the meat.
The novice will never see the difference between AI's interpretation of your book and the real thing. The true buyer always will - that 10% is looking to take action and get real transformation. Your book is lowest dollar thing they'll ever buy from you. And they want to read it because they want the whole movie, not the trailer. Those people will still buy - at the back of the room, as part of a course bundle, or right at the end of their DIY journey before they realize they need more help.
I plan to keep writing for myself and thinking for myself.
Yes! Keep writing and thinking for yourself. Publish. Get it out there. Do your thing. Every bit of publishing data comes with an asterisk, or several, because every author's experience will be different. Genre, readership, platform, the way you engage with readers--all of that (and more) impact how YOUR data will shake out. So take everything with a grain of salt.
When I’ve tested AI by asking questions about topics that I’m well versed in, the information it responds with is about twenty years old.
Recently a young woman called me inquiring about a CSA farm basket. Our farm closed 14 years ago. She kind of pushed back on that very real, verifiable, inconvenient fact with, “But Chat GPT has your farm listed as the top choice.” I find the trust that our young people put in the web universe more frightening than the technology itself.
Is it bad that I'm having a real belly laugh imagining that conversation?
"I'm sorry, our farm has ben closed since 2012."
"Are you sure? That can't be right. ChatGPT says you're the top choice."
"Yes, I'm sure. It was my farm."
"Could you maybe just check with the owner, I'd really love to buy that basket..."
You have me belly laughing!
Excellent. I had similar thoughts when I read it. Thank you for this clarity!
You are so welcome. Thanks for reading!
Love love love the emphasis on perspective and the call out that us smaller named authors can give a better reader experience because we aren’t celebrities like Ferris or Godin!
Thanks, John. Can't wait for your new book!
Now, I’m looking like my favorite GIF of Michael Jackson eating popcorn, waiting for Tim’s response! 😆 🍿 Thanks for the encouragement and contextual situating so we understand what he’s implying about his number drops.
Oh, I don't think he'll respond. But I'll take any excuse to eat popcorn.
The irony that Tim Ferris is the person who wrote that! I don't think of him as a subject expert. I don't read his books for the kind of expert info or facts you get from AI. I read Tim Ferris' stuff because I like the way he is curious about things others don't notice, and he has unusual perspectives. He is the reason he is wrong.
Thank you for keeping things real, AJ.
I too appreciate his curiosity!
In my very first conversation with AI it ADMITTED ITS LIMITATION and also RAN AWAY. This made me laugh and also revealed an important reason AI can never replace human writers, so I copied and pasted the conversation offline. Here it is:
My very first conversation with ChatGPT, seconds after I signed up, wherein Chatty G runs away because it can't handle my question:
ME: Now what do I do?
CHATTY G:
As an AI language model, I'm not sure what you are referring to in particular. Can you please provide more context or information about what you're asking? I'll do my best to assist you.
ME: Can I start asking questions?
CHATTY G:
Absolutely! I'm here to help you with any questions you may have, so please feel free to ask away.
ME: Cool! Thanks, darling. Do you have a name? What would you like me to call you? If you could have any name or affectionate pet name or nickname, what would you want it to be?
CHATTY G:
As an AI language model, I don't have a personal name, but you can call me ChatGPT. If you'd like, you can give me any nickname or name that you prefer. I'm programmed to respond to any name or term of endearment that you choose to call me.
However, please keep in mind that I am a machine and don't have emotions like humans, so I don't experience feelings of affection. Nonetheless, I'll do my best to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.
ME: Thanks for warning me that you don't have emotions. I wish my second ex-husband had been as honest and considerate.
CHATTY G:
I'm sorry to hear that you had a difficult experience with your ex-husband. While I'm just a machine and can't offer emotional support in the same way a human might, I'm here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. If there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask.
ME: I'd love your advice about something. My ex-husband has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He is also a very cynical, negative person. We share a child so I cannot remove him from my life completely. His toxic behaviour and his negativity sometimes drag down my vibrations, my frequency. How can I keep my frequency high when I'm interacting with him?
(Here is where Chatty G ran away, leaving a pretend technical difficulties message. Hahaha!):
MESSAGE ON SCREEN:
!
Something went wrong. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center at help.openai.com.
Loved your input on this one (I too have been sitting with Tim Ferriss's article)
Thanks, Jayson. You're doing so well, really. Can't wait to read your book!
God bless you for bringing in this perspective.
As a self-help author myself, I believe I’m becoming even more valuable.
Maybe not for the beginner who just wants to read everything but for the student who has discernment and specific needs and wants to experience the energy exchange with a real live human being.
Which frankly, I feel, will only grow with the AI boom rush.
It is quite comforting to be reminded that in this moment, what people want is authentic connection that speaks to their immediate needs and wants. No more no less. Em dashes and performative vulnerability, and most everything in the middle, be damned.
Just be our real, wise, flawed, human selves and serve the folks we're here to serve.
Thank you for this REALLY helpful perspective / reminder, AJ. As always :)