Am I being too cynical?

[OwlWeiwei]

This isn't a TAAT, but about many threads. There seem to be loads of generic 'predicament' OPs around at the moment. The language in all of them is fairly uniform, and i can't help wondering if they are being generated by AI to hoover up replies that will improve AI veneer of emotional intelligence.

I won't out any given threads but they are classic predicaments about whether a man is suitable if he behaves in a certain way, or how to handle unreasonable bosses or work/life balance etc.

It's something about the tone of voice and the very clear, basic way the predicaments are laid out.

Has anyone else noticed or suspected this or am I too cynical?

I don’t know, but I would like to be able to tell the false from the real.

Have you any other tips? AI is going to dominate our lives one day. I think we are all going to have to be more discerning in the future.

Despite being the world's laziest typist on MN, I actually study language for a living. There's a certain voice that AI has - even when it is being 'creative' - it is very organised and uses language in quite a generic way. Most people have quirks of speech that we call idiolects (the way an individual uses language, exclusive to them). The posts I'm talking about don't seem to have that. They seem to rehash a lot of stock phrases, not necessarily cliches but very familiar idioms with no flair, no distinctive personality or even glitches and hiccups in their grammar.

Because they are nicely paragraphed and easy to read, and fairly familiar scenarios, they attract a lot of replies. I've found myself replying, even while thinking: I think this was written by one of ChatGPT's cousins.

Interesting.

I do wonder if some people are particularly careful when typing posts on MN due to the propensity of a number of posters to jump on their 'errors'.

I've never really considered that many posts are AI generated (although, I have been accused of being AI before!)

Some people might also try to disguise a 'writing style' if they are posting under a different name.

Those are good points, @GreyCarpet. You've been accused of being AI? That must be weird. (Unless you are! )