This is tough, Jesse. I do think it is possible to write without LLMs, depending of course on how we define "write". Some obviously copy and paste an LLM into their Substack without even mentioning it. Some use LLMs to rewrite, others to check for grammar. But I do believe it is possible to write without LLMs, without any of the above, and to produce 100% human-created content. Even if an LLM can write the same thing, writing is still a fundamentally human and crucial act. Few writers have ever said anything original. More likely they slightly retooled what has already been said. And yet they contributed to the ancient dialogue; they found meaning in the process; they saw the world through a new lens; they learned more about themselves during their time here. Maybe the solution is to slay a tree and enjoy its warmth in a fire—and then write about how and why this interaction of nature and human nature is so fundamentally human.
Love it, Sam. The value in the process is one thing I overlook in my rumination of the LLMs.
That dialogue through time, our discussion with history, IS fundamental. And its magical in the sense we are able to converse with people who lived thousands of years ago.
I’m also feeling an urge to shirk the digital realm in the face of LLMs, and trying to figure out what that means for my photography and writing. Ultimately, it’s about human experience. Just like your felling of trees. While an LLM may write “better” or make “better” images, they cannot and never will be able to describe a life lived. It may not monetize or go viral, but I find the creations born of real human experience are priceless.
Fantastic perspective, Erik. Finding the humanity is easily overlooked, which I often am guilty of. @Sam Alaimo reminded me of the dialogue we’re engaging in with history; those people who lived thousands of years ago. But also the value in the human process itself of generating this art. Growth, reflection, purpose, and mindfullness can be produced from this process which may otherwise be ignored, overlooked, or outsourced to an LLM. That’s a missed oppotunity.
“There are times when I’m sore from working in the woods, then there are other times when I’m broken. I ignore the soreness and go beyond that point to where it doesn’t feel good the next day; body is broke, muscles ache, Advil doesn’t help, and why not do that? Sure, it’s sore. But if we don’t feel that, then we never know how to fully appreciate that time of rest. That time of feeling good.”
So on point, Jesse. After a few hours of pruning and weeding and transplanting in my garden, I feel pain and exhaustion. But I love it and look forward to the next session because the time is coming when I won’t be able to do this. And so I am very grateful for the opportunity to tend my garden! 🌱
Baird- thankful that you relate. Its in these moments where our tactile, emotional, and mental realities hit a groove I thoroughly enjoy. Here’s to more gardening!
You know you've got a powerful line when it stays in readers' minds as they read--to the point it's hard to think about anything else. Great essay, Jesse.
"I wonder what’s left to write. And if that something I write could be written by an LLM?" It could. An LLM has the capability. But an LLM actually can't come close to writing something that you would. Writing by an LLM might be indistinguishable from human output, but it is not the truth.
If you asked me to describe a Bicknell's Thrush, I could do it. I've read the field guides. But if you ask whether I've seen one, I haven't. I'd be regurgitating from my Sibley. I've never stood among balsam fir and seen one. I can tell you they like balsam fir, I've read that, but I can't tell you what it's like to see the bird, smell the firs, and have cramps in my calves from hiking up there. You'd get a fuller, honest description from someone who has seen the thrush.
LLMs have read Sibley; humans have seen the bird.
If you tell Claude "I want 2500 words about hunting whitetails," it'll give you that. It'll be palatable and appeal to hunters and non-hunters alike. But Claude has never packed out an animal with reverence for the sustenance it will ultimately provide. The response to LLMs isn't to cede writing, but to be inimitable, the antithesis of artificiality. That might limit audience, leaning into niche (I know this: geese, footnotes a la DFW, often in the voice of Dostoevsky, while very "me," doesn't get tons of engagement) but I'd rather be niche and myself than widely-adored because of LLM flatness.
You write about chainsaws. No LLM has yanked a pull cord or smelled "gasoline, the chainsaw, the wood, the wood chips...mixed with leather of my gloves." LLMs know the chainsaw camps: Husqvarna & Stihl. If you prompted one, it would choose. (I just asked: Claude prefers Stihl). Of course. Claude has never, as I humanly did, negligently left a Husqvarna in a dump bed to get literal tons of 3/4" gravel/hardener dumped on it. It still started. That non-artificial mistake left a non-artificial, evidence-based preference: Husqvarna.
Claude talking about chainsaws is the same as me talking about Bicknell's Thrush before I actually see one. Even non-artificial intelligence isn't always real. Even in this comment, talking about "packing out" deer when hunting--I've never done that. I know the term but my knowledge ends there. The surface-level "I've read that" of LLMs can exist in humans too, not just AI.
Don't let LLMs cause you to resist writing. Be the way you are, do what you do, and write how you write. Keep being inimitable.
James- your depiction of this fork in the road is convincing and I’m convinced…just when I’ve been in a pretty low point in terms of my motivation to write.
“LLMs have read Sibley; humans have seen the bird.” That says it all!
What I appreciate most about your thoughtful comment is that it gets to the point of why I write- about experience, feeling, emotion.
And those are three things an LLM can never have! It can read about experiences, feelings, emotions--always a vicarious understanding.
You are a proud father, and you write about that experience. Right now, I don't have kids. Would anyone read an essay from me about the value and challenges of parenting? That'd be absurd. It'd be equally absurd to expect an LLM to be able to write with earned authority on any aspect of the human experience.
A hill I'll die on: AI is a mere tool humans can use to make their work, writing or otherwise, technically sound. It'll tell you if you're heavy on passive voice but can never tell you what it's like to hold a newborn or to live a life--with the minute idiosyncrasies that come with individuality.
Keep writing. I've got a hunter/woodworker friend who wants to start a Substack. Yours is a publication I shared with him to show what good writing that includes hunting, but isn't merely "hunting writing," looks like here. You and Lou Tamposi. I didn't say "ask ChatGPT if a Substack is a good idea." A link to your writing provided actual evidence. I'll repeat from my first comment: keep being inimitable (and sorry for two long-winded comments, I've just got a lot to say about this fork in the road).
You're right on with this, James. Yours is an encouraging perspective that is sound and really good to hear. And thanks for recommending my newsletter.
One of the things I like about your essays is the complexity. The layers that if peeled back offer so much more insight. The inefficiency of watering plants and maybe just throw them out - ☺️. The soreness pressed to be pain. The felling of a tree, to look at the rings, to know the time, the why, the life it has stood for.
Thanks, Stacy. I’m thankful you see the complexity I try to convey. In the age of attempts for going viral/subscribers, I sometimes wonder who’s picking up on the message. So this is great to hear.
I believe there are a group of us speaking to the choir, to the same circle of friends. That does not make the effort of putting words on a page any less valuable.
This is tough, Jesse. I do think it is possible to write without LLMs, depending of course on how we define "write". Some obviously copy and paste an LLM into their Substack without even mentioning it. Some use LLMs to rewrite, others to check for grammar. But I do believe it is possible to write without LLMs, without any of the above, and to produce 100% human-created content. Even if an LLM can write the same thing, writing is still a fundamentally human and crucial act. Few writers have ever said anything original. More likely they slightly retooled what has already been said. And yet they contributed to the ancient dialogue; they found meaning in the process; they saw the world through a new lens; they learned more about themselves during their time here. Maybe the solution is to slay a tree and enjoy its warmth in a fire—and then write about how and why this interaction of nature and human nature is so fundamentally human.
Love it, Sam. The value in the process is one thing I overlook in my rumination of the LLMs.
That dialogue through time, our discussion with history, IS fundamental. And its magical in the sense we are able to converse with people who lived thousands of years ago.
Time for a trip. It’s sometimes hard to locate, but it’s there, especially when a man returns.
Yes, agreed. Even shift in seasons often does the trick.
I’m also feeling an urge to shirk the digital realm in the face of LLMs, and trying to figure out what that means for my photography and writing. Ultimately, it’s about human experience. Just like your felling of trees. While an LLM may write “better” or make “better” images, they cannot and never will be able to describe a life lived. It may not monetize or go viral, but I find the creations born of real human experience are priceless.
Fantastic perspective, Erik. Finding the humanity is easily overlooked, which I often am guilty of. @Sam Alaimo reminded me of the dialogue we’re engaging in with history; those people who lived thousands of years ago. But also the value in the human process itself of generating this art. Growth, reflection, purpose, and mindfullness can be produced from this process which may otherwise be ignored, overlooked, or outsourced to an LLM. That’s a missed oppotunity.
“There are times when I’m sore from working in the woods, then there are other times when I’m broken. I ignore the soreness and go beyond that point to where it doesn’t feel good the next day; body is broke, muscles ache, Advil doesn’t help, and why not do that? Sure, it’s sore. But if we don’t feel that, then we never know how to fully appreciate that time of rest. That time of feeling good.”
So on point, Jesse. After a few hours of pruning and weeding and transplanting in my garden, I feel pain and exhaustion. But I love it and look forward to the next session because the time is coming when I won’t be able to do this. And so I am very grateful for the opportunity to tend my garden! 🌱
Baird- thankful that you relate. Its in these moments where our tactile, emotional, and mental realities hit a groove I thoroughly enjoy. Here’s to more gardening!
You know you've got a powerful line when it stays in readers' minds as they read--to the point it's hard to think about anything else. Great essay, Jesse.
"I wonder what’s left to write. And if that something I write could be written by an LLM?" It could. An LLM has the capability. But an LLM actually can't come close to writing something that you would. Writing by an LLM might be indistinguishable from human output, but it is not the truth.
If you asked me to describe a Bicknell's Thrush, I could do it. I've read the field guides. But if you ask whether I've seen one, I haven't. I'd be regurgitating from my Sibley. I've never stood among balsam fir and seen one. I can tell you they like balsam fir, I've read that, but I can't tell you what it's like to see the bird, smell the firs, and have cramps in my calves from hiking up there. You'd get a fuller, honest description from someone who has seen the thrush.
LLMs have read Sibley; humans have seen the bird.
If you tell Claude "I want 2500 words about hunting whitetails," it'll give you that. It'll be palatable and appeal to hunters and non-hunters alike. But Claude has never packed out an animal with reverence for the sustenance it will ultimately provide. The response to LLMs isn't to cede writing, but to be inimitable, the antithesis of artificiality. That might limit audience, leaning into niche (I know this: geese, footnotes a la DFW, often in the voice of Dostoevsky, while very "me," doesn't get tons of engagement) but I'd rather be niche and myself than widely-adored because of LLM flatness.
You write about chainsaws. No LLM has yanked a pull cord or smelled "gasoline, the chainsaw, the wood, the wood chips...mixed with leather of my gloves." LLMs know the chainsaw camps: Husqvarna & Stihl. If you prompted one, it would choose. (I just asked: Claude prefers Stihl). Of course. Claude has never, as I humanly did, negligently left a Husqvarna in a dump bed to get literal tons of 3/4" gravel/hardener dumped on it. It still started. That non-artificial mistake left a non-artificial, evidence-based preference: Husqvarna.
Claude talking about chainsaws is the same as me talking about Bicknell's Thrush before I actually see one. Even non-artificial intelligence isn't always real. Even in this comment, talking about "packing out" deer when hunting--I've never done that. I know the term but my knowledge ends there. The surface-level "I've read that" of LLMs can exist in humans too, not just AI.
Don't let LLMs cause you to resist writing. Be the way you are, do what you do, and write how you write. Keep being inimitable.
James- your depiction of this fork in the road is convincing and I’m convinced…just when I’ve been in a pretty low point in terms of my motivation to write.
“LLMs have read Sibley; humans have seen the bird.” That says it all!
What I appreciate most about your thoughtful comment is that it gets to the point of why I write- about experience, feeling, emotion.
And those are three things an LLM can never have! It can read about experiences, feelings, emotions--always a vicarious understanding.
You are a proud father, and you write about that experience. Right now, I don't have kids. Would anyone read an essay from me about the value and challenges of parenting? That'd be absurd. It'd be equally absurd to expect an LLM to be able to write with earned authority on any aspect of the human experience.
A hill I'll die on: AI is a mere tool humans can use to make their work, writing or otherwise, technically sound. It'll tell you if you're heavy on passive voice but can never tell you what it's like to hold a newborn or to live a life--with the minute idiosyncrasies that come with individuality.
Keep writing. I've got a hunter/woodworker friend who wants to start a Substack. Yours is a publication I shared with him to show what good writing that includes hunting, but isn't merely "hunting writing," looks like here. You and Lou Tamposi. I didn't say "ask ChatGPT if a Substack is a good idea." A link to your writing provided actual evidence. I'll repeat from my first comment: keep being inimitable (and sorry for two long-winded comments, I've just got a lot to say about this fork in the road).
You're right on with this, James. Yours is an encouraging perspective that is sound and really good to hear. And thanks for recommending my newsletter.
One of the things I like about your essays is the complexity. The layers that if peeled back offer so much more insight. The inefficiency of watering plants and maybe just throw them out - ☺️. The soreness pressed to be pain. The felling of a tree, to look at the rings, to know the time, the why, the life it has stood for.
➡️ "An itch to unsettle and be unsettled."
Thanks, Stacy. I’m thankful you see the complexity I try to convey. In the age of attempts for going viral/subscribers, I sometimes wonder who’s picking up on the message. So this is great to hear.
I believe there are a group of us speaking to the choir, to the same circle of friends. That does not make the effort of putting words on a page any less valuable.
Sometimes I am also comforted and calmed by what I do with my own hands. Otherwise, reading all the news about AI, you can get depressed...
Very true, Alexander. It can be both hopeful and concerning.