Comment by dkarl
1 day ago
AI output right now is like a final exam essay response from an anxious student. Instead of being edited for focus and clarity, it's anti-edited to cram in as many details as possible. Instead of worrying that the reader might get bored or confused, it assumes that the reader has no choice but to read the whole thing, even if they get a headache. It doesn't care about picking the most useful perspective on a problem; it cares about covering every possible angle that a grader might use to dock points from it.
It's basically the work you get from a smart, diligent person who is oblivious to any shared goal and approaches every assignment with a CYA attitude.
Pretty good analogy. I'd also compare it to a junior employee who tries to make people care about the how of their work rather than the results.
Here's my prompt when I don't know what the hell the AI is saying.
"Expand. Clarify for human. 5 minute read max. Senior engineer audience."
"Write short paragraphs with simple words, use bullet lists when appropriate."
"Be terse."
Thanks! I will add this to the tricks. AI is a fuzzy search and a fuzzy function.
That, and Every Sentence Is Punchy.
Every sentence sounds like it's trying to be in the trailer for a film.
That's how Henry David Thoreau wrote.
You just very nicely explained why I sometimes overcommunicate.... That's exactly how it feels
it's due to how rewards work during RL no? it needs to try to check off all the boxes to get a max score
ironically, this would be useful for a prompt on how not to build build a site.
This is a great analogy
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