I’m excited to announce a new premium membership offering! It’s called Creative AI Insider, and you can get it for less than five bucks a month. It’s easier to show than tell, so here’s a free copy of the August Insider.

✨ Personal Update

We went to see the Arctic Monkeys in Chicago last week, which was a blast. The unexpected treat was dinner at Kuma’s Corner, a heavy-metal themed burger joint that boasts the best burgers on the planet. My daughter and I both got the “Iron Maiden,” and I’m still not sure how we finished it.

📜 AI Writes, But Can It Own Rights? Copyright Office Asks, You Answer! 💡

Summary

It seems our pals at the Copyright Office have been getting more applications to register works produced by AI. They even had a scuffle in court last year with Stephen Thaler over an image whipped up by an AI platform. Spoiler alert: The court sided with the Copyright Office, stating that no work has ever been copyrighted without some human touch. Meanwhile, the major league AI models are chomping down on any data they can get online. And guess what? Not everyone's happy about it.

My Take

I'm all for the U.S. Copyright Office making an effort to hear from the masses. Really, I am. But this move? It's like deciding what videos to put on your YouTube channel based purely on the wild west of the comment section. We're seeing a reaction, not a well-thought-out action plan. And honestly, I've been preaching this for a while, but I genuinely feel we're heading into a post-copyright world.

Your everyday artist or writer isn't going to drain their bank account on legal battles. The copyright arena was always more favorable to the big guys with the big wallets. So, while it's great that the Copyright Office wants to hear from us, they might want to think a little more proactively. After all, in the age of AI, tomorrow's technology is already old news.

🤖 Slithering Through AI Hype: Debunking the Snake Oil Sales

Summary

Back in 2019, Professor Arvind Narayanan of Princeton University grabbed our attention with a presentation declaring a lot of today's AI as “snake oil.” Fast forward to now, and the guy’s been working on a book with his Ph.D. student Sayash Kapoor. Their topic? The wild whirlwind of generative AI hype.

They're not saying it's all bad. Heck, they even acknowledge the prowess of gen AI. The consumer tech side of gen AI is taking center stage, and Narayanan and Kapoor are urging people to be cautious and conscious, recognizing the potential hazards alongside the promised potentials.

My Take

Don't get me wrong, I'm not aboard the "all AI hype is bad" train, but I can't ignore the signs pointing to its spiraling out of control. Abstaining from gen AI altogether? Calling it "AI Snake Oil" is not about dismissing it, but about urging caution. In the grand tapestry of tech, we've got to weave our way responsibly, ensuring we don't get tangled in the potential pitfalls.

🎯 Prompt of the Week

🌐 Web of Controversy: Content Creators Cry Foul in AI Data Debate!

Summary

Tech companies argue that the act of reading and crawling the internet is as benign as, say, a human reading a book. Their mantra? "We're not copying, just learning." On the flip side, many content creators claim their work has been used without permission, and they're crying foul. To add to the mix, some legal experts believe that using content to train models without express permission could be a violation of copyright laws.

It's clear that both sides have valid arguments. On one hand, we've got an AI revolution that promises limitless possibilities, and on the other, artists and creators who deserve recognition and compensation. But, for those of us watching from the sidelines, one thing's for sure: the digital landscape is evolving, and as it does, we need to find a balance between innovation and respect for intellectual property.

My Take

The internet, in all its sprawling glory, has been scraped and probed by bots, and whether we like it or not, that ship might have sailed. I have nothing but respect for the Creative Commons gang. Their vision for a future where intellectual property is both free and protected? Pure gold.

But let's not kid ourselves. The digital realm has always been a wild west of sorts. The moment we started typing away and hitting “publish,” we knew the stakes. Digital text can be manipulated, copied, pasted, and transformed. So, as long as these fancy AIs aren't straight-up plagiarizing, I'm not convinced there's a solid legal argument against them. And while we're on the topic, these "walled gardens" everyone's so wary of? Maybe they're not the villains we make them out to be. Maybe, just maybe, it's high time content creators got their due. After all, we didn't sign up to build the internet pro bono, did we?

🎶 ChatGPT’s Greatest Hits: Enhancing or Replacing the Creative Process?

Summary

Ever heard of the “Milli Vanilli Line?” Well, for those of you who've been rockin' out since cassette tapes, it refers to an ethical boundary crossed when someone is deceitful about their authenticity. Just like when the infamous pop duo Milli Vanilli was caught lip-syncing and had their Grammy revoked back in the '90s, there's a debate on when and where AI writing crosses this line.

Is the use of AI just a little touch-up like auto-tuning a voice or a complete forgery of authenticity? And as we straddle the realms of real vs. AI, there’s a decision to make: how much of our work can we still call ours?

My Take

I recently shot the breeze with Mark and, fun fact, we're both Yinzers (native Pittsburghers). And sure, that connection was awesome, but this piece had caught my eye even before our chat. As someone who vividly remembers the Milli Vanilli scandal, this AI debate is different.

The music industry has changed – I mean, we've got avatars dropping tracks these days. These digital artists don’t just lip-sync; they're not even flesh and bone! But Mark's question hits hard: Where do we draw the Milli Vanilli Line with AI? I guess, like a good mixtape, it's all about the context. Maybe using AI in writing will soon be as everyday as hitting the spell check button.

🎙️ Storytelling Revolution: Humans and AI Unite!

Kathrese McKee recently invited me onto the Writing Pursuits podcast. If you’re interested in my latest ramblings about AI, especially as it impacts creative writing, make sure to listen to episode 66 of the podcast.

Listen to the full episode! 👇

✏️ Tell the stories of your life.

I haven’t tried this writing tool yet, but it looks fascinating.

From their website:

A platform dedicated to helping you write and share your unique life story. With the help of AI, storly.ai generates interview-like prompts for you to answer. Our technology beautifully crafts emotional, exciting, and engaging stories to share with loved ones. A lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy and learn from.

Try it out! 👇

⭐ AI Superstar - Kyle Balmer | Prompt Entrepreneur

I’ve been following Kyle Balmer because he’s creating seriously good content. His newsletter is full of in-depth prompts that teach you how to prompt instead of simply copy/pasting.

👇 Give him a follow!

😜 MemeMe

🌐 Rando Disco

Random images from the Midjourney Discord server, #newbies channel.

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