“Writers” Are Using AI to Game The System, and It’s Super Sleazy

AI and journalism CAN be friends, but some people miss the point

Wanda Thibodeaux
3 min readDec 14, 2021

I saw another one today. An advertisement, geared toward writers, for AI-based content generation.

There was a time when I hated these services just because they were so astoundingly bad. Flow and grammar were awful. The content barely made sense. But now, that’s not the case anymore. And some of the largest publications, such as Forbes and Bloomberg, now use some form of AI in their work. They assert that their systems actually free real reporters to do more fact-checking and quality control. Used that way, I don’t have a problem with AI at all.

But what about a writer who just wants to game the system? Who only wants to produce loads of content to ensure they outrank everyone else with Google, whose sole aim is to make buttloads of cash through affiliate and other forms of content-based marketing?

Excuse me as I hurl into a bucket.

Why? Because writing is not about ranking, getting seen, or driving revenue. Writing is about expressing. Storytelling. And when you use AI just to produce more, more, MORE, all you do is feed into the more-is-better complex society has. You know, the one that drives FOMO, depression, anxiety, and…

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Wanda Thibodeaux

Writer/Owner, Takingdictation.com. Interests: Christianity, business, psychology, self-development, mental health. Podcast Host, Faithful on the Clock.