I recently tired to write a postcard using text generated by AI ( https://chat.openai.com/chat ). With the right prompt, the results are almost indistinguishable from those produced by a human. Sounds like a solution for those days when you are not inspired? Or not?
Looks as I should have an account to try.
But, I never draw an address unless I donât want to write. And normally I do
although, I hardly every write about a topic, because when I do, itâs never good and there is not enough space to write. I envy those who can tell a story in few sentences and itâs understandable.
My personal take is that if Iâm not inspired, Iâll hold off writing until I feel up to it.
I feel that the AI text doesnât have the human warmth to it.
I would like to try out of curiousity, or maybe get one. But with a note that AI wrote it Iâm curious what it would suggest like for example where one should visit and why if they spend a holiday here etc.
But not all cards.
And I forgot to answer, no I donât think itâs ethical in Postcrossing where the idea is to connect (with persons, I believe, but yes sometimes itâs a cat, so why not AI). But, if the suggested text would be as a base, then is it much different from other writing prompts?
I had a long chat with a help-bot yesterday and it was nice because he stayed so calm and didnât get annoyed with me
Sometimes, when Iâm just not âconnectingâ with a profile, Iâll use a postcard that has less message space than others, hoping theyâll appreciate the card itself and some âniceâ stamps.
Iâd argue that most people on Postcrossing want some degree of genuine human connection and do not want to receive something written by an AI.
If you tell someone that youâre writing the card with an AI, itâd be ethical, but they will likely not like it. If you donât tell them youâre writing the card with an AI, theyâd be unlikely to tell the difference and will be happy with it, but itâd be unethical as people would assume those were your genuine words.
I think this could be a great tool for those uninspired days, but as an idea generator. Instead of copying the text directly, it can be a way to get inspired. You could take some ideas from the text, or start with a sentence from the text and let yourself write what flows naturally after!
I understand the tempation to try a new toy like that, but⊠I donât think I would be particularly happy to receive a card like that.
If I wanted to communicate with AI, I can always call a hotline where âMaxâ has replaced the human customer consultants
These AI bots like Alexa and Cortana are not for me. I think if you use ChatGPT you should own up that you did not write the postcard text yourself. In my opinion the whole concept of postcrossing is to forge connections between people through writing words and thoughts from your own brain.
Why should I draw an adress if I donât feel like writing it?
So, no. I would not allow AI to take away my pleasure.
Furthermore used without explicitly stating it is used, to me it feels like cheating or even betraying the recipient of the card.
I tried your link and I think, inspiration wise, itâs actually a good idea. I donât see anything unethical about it as people already use writing prompts in similar situations, so this doesnât seem so much different from it (as an inspiration, not as a text ready to send like people have been mentioning).
Here a couple of examples of my try:
Why not just save a couple of your own fairly generic messages you can use on the days youâre not feeling inspired? At least they will be your own messages.
This! For me Postcrossing is about communications between human beings.
No way. I would not be pleased to receive this.
+100 to what @RalfH said.
Well, I think thereâs always inspiration to find (usually I have to write in very small characters because I write around 15 sentences and want to write even more )
However, as there are Postcrossing accounts of cats, dogs and plants, it may be interesting to create a Postcrossing account of artificial intelligence only.
I mean, if I received a postcard written by an AI, I would not feel offended if it is written explicitely that the person who is sending it is actually an artificial intelligence. But, it may seem strange, I would feel a bit âbetrayedâ if it wasnât mentionâŠ
Donât know how to explain, but I think it would be an interesting experienceâŠ
Dear LĂ©opold, I am intrigued by your comparison to the accounts for cats etc. It made me think!
I think what is different here, is that for those accounts, we understand that there is a creative human behind them, imagining and writing every word as though they are the cat, dog, or houseplant. ( Havenât seen that one yet!) In these examples, it is still a human in the creative act of imagining and writing. We receive the card from the âcatâ, but we know there is a person behind it who put thought and effort into writing the âcatâsâ message.
With the discussion here, the human part of the message is removed. It becomes only a human clicking buttons to generate a message from AI. There is no creative act in that.
I think youâre right that if someone wants to do this, they should be very explicit and should ask each time if the recipient wants it. And the answer of ânoâ should be respected.
I donât think itâs unethical.
But, and this is my honest opinion as someone who uses AI like Alexa and likes it: if you feel to use an AI / message generator for your Postcrossing messages you should take a Postcrossing break!
I am here to connect with real human beings and not with Alexa, Siri or any other.
You donât know what to write because of a (in your eyes) boring profile? So just write about your day or why you chose the card ect.
So it didnât give readily written messages? Or could it?
If the text was interesting, I wouldnât mind receiving such a postcard even if it was mentioned that the text was generated by a bot. Not everybody writes personal messages here on Postcrossing, so if a bot was trying to make a meaningful connection with me, that would be something I guess.
I had the same thought. Maybe itâs time to take a break if you are uninspired?
I am an artist, and I must say art is not always created by inspiration. Planning, habit, routine and ritual all contribute to art. And itâs ok to take a break too.
When I feel uninspired to write, I dig deeper, itâs a good mental exercise. It helps me reflect on my day or the past week, or the upcoming week, etc.
@wildernesscat
Could you give us an example please? Iâm curious to see an AI written message
I donât think itâs unethical. Also it could be a wonderful conversation starter if you added that this was an AI elaborate message. I think many would appreciate this kind of thing (not as a rule for every postcard but as an exception)