Playing the Fool

Not my favorite role

My instinct was to open this newsletter with “Happy Belated April Fools Day!” until I realized 1) this is something nobody has ever wished anyone, ever, and 2) being fooled doesn’t make me happy. I’ve realized I get disproportionately upset- triggered, if you will- at being tricked/hoodwinked/swindled/lied to. (And, as a Scorpio, I hold a grudge about it.)

Me (on the left), playing the fool, age 10

Why do I hate being duped? I suspect it stems from my childhood, from being the youngest among four siblings (at the time). Young Jill: equal parts naïve and desperate to be liked. I remember once, age 8 or 9, riding in the back of our blue Toyota minivan with my siblings. My older brother said something like “Did you see that limo that just passed?” and my sisters chimed in, yes, that was so cool. I had not seen the limo. Let’s be honest, I probably had my head buried in a book of logic problems. But this limo sounded like something I shouldn’t have missed—all the cool kids (my siblings) had seen it!—so I pretended I had, too. My brother went on describing these incredible details: the limo was purple, with flashing lights, and there were streamers and balloons, and there was someone riding on top. Yes, yes, I had definitely seen all of that, I affirmed unequivocally.

Then, of course, the beat dropped. There had never been a crazy limo! Hah hah, what a fool Jill is! They had been making it up to see how I’d react. And I’d taken the bait, hah hah!

And all of this brings me to what’s currently got my hackles up: AI.

Some of you (cough cough, my husband) will protest: “AI makes my work so efficient.” “AI makes travel planning so easy.” “AI is going to cure cancer.” Well, wonderful, I’m happy for you, and on the last count, I hope you’re right.

But when AI enters the arts, and specifically, when I’m being duped by AI fakery, that’s when I get angry. Is a song AI-generated? Please tell us that in the Spotify notes (or better yet, in the song title). How about that digital art, did you use AI? Fine, but say so. Did AI write the book for you? Writers, own up to it. Clearly state that it was written by AI and those who want to read it can choose to do so.

But please, DO NOT use AI and then pass it off as your own work.

Take the recent Shy Girl controversy. Alas, this feels like only the beginning; there will be more and more books in which authors pretend not to have used AI, even when they have. Some will get found out, and others won’t. In either case: yuck. (If you want to go deeper on the Shy Girl discussion, please enjoy this Reddit thread. Or find me in person and let’s talk about it; I have many, many thoughts.)

Relatedly, here is a quiz worth taking, about whether you can tell which writing sample is AI-generated. (Note, the quiz doesn’t ask “Which was written by AI?” but “Which do you prefer?” These are two different questions.) I “preferred” the human-written sample 3 of 5 times, but I think that some writing (I’m looking at you, science), taken out of context, makes for a flawed experiment.

Also, there is a galaxy between “can AI generate a paragraph-sized sample that fools me?” and “can AI write an entire novel that makes sense and is a pleasure to read?” On the latter count, the answer (blessedly), for now, is no.

If you’re interested in the AI topic and how it relates to the future of publishing, I recommend this Substack by Andrea Bartz.

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Enough about AI, how’s your writing going?

I’m still over here, crotchety old Luddite, writing short story fragments by hand in 10-minute increments. They’re adding up, these little snippets, and soon I’ll have to shift my goal to revising instead of generating new stories. Also, my goal of starting a new novel before the end of the year still stands.

And the running?

Tokyo marathon complete! PR achieved, despite thinking I’d “just have fun.” Also despite my injured right shoulder, which prevents me from raising both arms for the camera, as you can see below. [sigh]

Up next: Boston marathon in 18 days. Look for me and my one-armed salutes!

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Some things to make you laugh…

…if we share the same sense of humor.

1. This video of Amy Poehler / Tina Fey moments from the three years they co-hosted the Golden Globe awards. This is my ultimate comfort viewing: jokes from another time, celebrities I could name, a simpler, gentler, more peaceful era for our country. Seriously, cuddle up with this as your half-hour comedy before bed, you will thank me.

2. Mount Everest clip from TV news, h/t Jonathan Groff

3. The first 20 seconds of these news bloopers (watch them all if you’d like, but my favorites are the first few)

4. Another throwback: this episode of MTV “Cribs.” This guy keeps it real. No AI here! I also recommend reading the comments. h/t Austin Kleon

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Make me feel good

1. The Winter Olympics probably seems like ages ago, but bring back those vibes with Olivia Rafferty’s one tiny song that she wrote for each day of the games. My favorite is her first, “Watching the Curling,” here. If you like it, there are 13 others, including the most famous, about men’s figure skating.

2. Barbara Kingsolver and her giant flower

   

   see this on Instagram: instagram.com/p/DVE1m1ckeqz

   3. The most common dream in each country. Who knew so many of us have nightmares of our teeth falling out? h/t Jörgen Löwenfeldt

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Tell me what to read

Some books I’ve enjoyed recently:

1. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. (Thanks, Steve Kim, for this great suggestion!) This novel is based on the life of a real woman, a midwife in colonial-era Maine. It’s an engaging story, well told, and not so literary that you’ll miss something if you’re reading while tired (a challenge I’ve had with a few books lately).

2. This American Woman by Zarna Garg. I really enjoyed this comedic memoir on audio. Garg’s backstory (growing up in India, dodging an arranged marriage, migrating to America at 16 because her father had kicked her out) is already intriguing; couple that with her deadpan humor about America, India, and motherhood, and you’ve got a winner.

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And now it’s your turn. Tell me your thoughts about being fooled (by AI or otherwise), or what made you laugh recently, or what you’re reading. Tell me your childhood memory about being duped. Hop in those comments, and I’ll see you next time.