My Own Vocal Manifesto: Thoughts on AI (AKA Tar & Feather These Remorseless Brass Studs)

The sheer contempt on display here is impressive, in a warped way.

I invite you to take a second to sit with it, and really absorb all the layers of "I don't give a shit" in that bio.

• I don't give a shit about creating quality content.
• I don't give a shit about the platform.
• I don't give a shit about the community here.
• I don't give a shit that many of them pay to be here, and work hard to put out content they can be proud of. Or that my own shocking lack of effort drags down the overall standard and takes the absolute piss.

U mad yet bro?

Not only could he not be bothered to write his own bloody bio, he couldn't even be bothered to remove the line at the bottom. It isn't even a part of the suggested bio. It's "communication" from the AI he was using.

His answer, writ plain in every line: No, I wouldn't like to tweak it, because I don't give a shit.

Not only, that, he is spamming stories with the same nonsense comment.

"support please"

"support please"

"support please"

Give.

Me.

STRENGTH.

His "stories" are utter crap. I am repulsed. I'm embarrassed to share a platform with that.

My message, no, my heartfelt plea to Vocal is

**PLEASE GET RID OF ALL AI GENERATED WRITING ON THIS PLATFORM**

No, I don't want it "disclosed". I want it gone.

This is probably my biggest beef with Vocal at the moment. It is insulting to take my money every month and make me sit next to that guy. I'm over it. And then some.

D.K Shepard has written a superb manifesto regarding suggested changes for the platform. You can find the intro for it here:

The piece specifically about AI is here (and it is well worth a read if you haven't already seen it):

AI is also mentioned in the section about the Vocal Leaderboard, because AI content has placed there. And the one on Vocal Challenges, because an AI generated piece placed in a Challenge on at least one occasion.

Take another second to sit with the layers of that. Let them sink in to your bones. Let them boil your blood and piss.

Is there a greater slap in the face we could get than that?

Be the change

It's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.

-Terry Pratchett

Instead of whinging for another 300 words about what I don't want, here is what I do want. Buckle up.

The Intelligence is Artificial But The Stupid is Real

• Longer moderation times for non-plus members
• The ability to restrict comments from non-plus members
• The ability to report profiles, not just individual pieces
• A small entry fee for challenges
• All AI gen writing removed
• Consequences for anyone producing AI-written content

Let's dig in to a few of these:

A small entry fee for challenges

I hope that would help slow down the flow of AI generated content. I'd like to see those fees expand the prize pots.

Since Vocal Plus members have already paid a subscription to the platform, I'd like us to able to submit our first entry for free, and then pay a small fee after that (maybe $2-3).

If entry is open to non-plus member, I'd expect they'd pay more (eg. $20 for first entry, and $10 for subsequent ones).

No AI Generated Writing AT ALL

I don't think Vocal should allow any written AI content at all.

It drags down the overall standard of work published here. If Vocal care about that, then it has to go.

If anyone is found to be posting AI content, that content should be removed.

Consequences

The person should also:

• have their publishing ability restricted
• face more stringent monitoring for plagiarism and AI content
• resulting in longer wait times for publishing
• forfeit the opportunity to be considered for any more Top Stories or Challenge placements
• be blacklisted

And I do mean BLACKLIST THEM.

Literally. I literally mean literally.

I'd like to see a huge black (stop it) stripe across the top of their page and all their individual stories, so everyone knows who and what they are and can avoid.

Yes, I'm in my feelings about it

Content that is written by AI is a study in bland, homogenous mediocrity. It is antithetical to creative endeavour. It thieves from writers without their consent and without giving credit.

I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you didn't have to run this piece through an AI checker to see if it was written by a person.

Good writing (and I don't even mean "excellent", just vaguely good) has a mother-loving voice. You can tell there's a human being on the other side of that matrix who is spitting nails, or aching with heartbreak, or overflowing with joy.

I'm telling you: AI and Plagiarism. The twin pillars upon which my rage rests.

In short: If you get AI to write for you, you're not a writer, I don't want to be friends with you, and I'm not sorry.

Good day.