Our Work is Drowning

With the turn of the year, I promised myself I would read more stories from my fellow creators on Vocal. I didn’t just want to read those who subscribed to me and who I subscribed to, but those on Vocal that I don’t follow. I seriously thought this would be one of the easier of my goals for this year to achieve. Boy, was I wrong?!

You see, I expected to meet up with the usual AI writers who didn’t disclose their work. Easy to recognize, easier to avoid. Vocal has had its share of them since AI writing came out. Judey has been teaching us how to identify AI work, all while she’s been (in a professional manner) reminding offenders of Vocal’s Policy concerning the use of undisclosed AI.

What I wasn’t expecting to see was page after page of attributed AI alongside the undisclosed AI stories. I’ve had to dig five pages deep into the Latest Stories section to see one article from a legit Vocal Creator! This is plumb ridiculous! Our stories are getting buried! They are being lost! Our work is being drowned out by AI pieces created by SPAM artists! These AI users produce five to ten stories in less than two hours effectively covering any chance of non-AI users' work from being seen!

I recently saw a story by a Vocal Creator where they singled out one “unknown” Creator and the awards they won while using AI. This writer made some valid points with their article. They also showed the tools they used to discern AI. I applaud this user for coming forth with their worries at this time.

I’d like to go a step further and ask you all to battle this undisclosed AI before it gets to the Award stage. Stop reading users' stories who comment links on your stories, asking you to read and support them, too. Don’t read anyone who publishes an un-godly amount in a short time, every day (Those who post ten stories in an hour or more, every single day!!!). Most of all, don’t read anyone who has a ridiculous amount of stories but has only been a member of Vocal for a very short time. (1420+ stories in less than three months!!) Stay away from anyone who publishes into the wrong community: i.e. The story was published to geeks but should have been Feast. These are all signs I have seen that most AI users have in common.

If you have access to an AI scanner, use it to check for undisclosed AI stories. I honestly use at least two of the three I have bookmarked on each article. If the reports come back at least 80% AI or more in both scanners, and their article has any of the markers Judey has taught us to look for, I report the stories. (Keep in mind, that scanners can have inaccurate results!! Do not go by a scanner's results alone when reporting!!) Over the last four days, it has taken me two extra hours a day to read through Vocal stories because of all the AI users and the scans I’ve done.

Sadly, since Vocal put the AI check box in place in the publishing phase, undisclosed AI seems to have gotten worse. It’s up to us to stand together as legit users and support each other. We need to be vigilant and not waste our time reading AI. I’m not talking about minor spell checks, grammar checks, or picture creators, either. I’m talking about the creators who use AI to create part or all of their written articles, stories, and poems.

As for the authors who post AI following the Guidelines, the only way around seeing them in the latest stories feed is to push Vocal to implement a filter for us to use, where we can select non-AI stories only. I, for one, have already asked for this feature because I’m tired of sorting page after page to find a good story created from an actual person’s mind. I encourage each of you to lobby Vocal for this added feature.

Now, I want to make myself clear. I am not calling for a witch hunt. That is not what this is about. I want you all to learn the signs of what an AI story looks like and learn how to report it properly. Don’t go reporting someone because you think they may be using AI. Know they are. If you can’t be sure, don’t report; just don’t read their work.

If we stand united, we legitimate Vocal Creators- plus and free members- can help clean the site of the many SPAMMY AI creations and the users that believe AI is worth using. Whether it's by reporting an undisclosed AI account, or by not reading their articles, we have options that we can implement. Together, we can let Vocal know that all this AI content flooding the site is not ok for us creators who are the real authors and writers of today and tomorrow.

So, I ask you to join me today and unsubscribe from anyone who posts twenty articles daily, every day. Don't read anyone who leaves a link to one of their stories in a comment on one of yours, UNLESS you've asked for links. Avoid users who have hundreds of stories in less than three months.

Please, I ask you, to let Vocal know that you are through with your articles, stories, and poems being drowned, covered, and buried by AI stories, and you want solutions to the AI Menace. AI accounts should have limits to the amount they can publish in one day! We should be able to have a filter allowing us to sift out the disclosed AI from the Latest Story section! Most of all, we should not have to wade through the undisclosed AI as we do.

Please don't use this or anyone else's call as a reason to create a "Witch's Hunt".

Thank you all for reading my rant. I'll end it here now. Looking forward to a civil discourse on the subject.

Please read this piece by another user, concerning their stance and worry about AI.