Page 2 | To dislike chtgpt/AI being used on Mumsnet.

rewilded · 2025-01-20T08:39:04+00:00

Is anyone else getting bored of the proliferation of threads and posts that have being assisted by AI? Posts with reams of bullet points and carefully crafted arguments. We used to have the odd poster who could write like this...and be bothered to but now I see it in every thread multiple times. Is it time to embrace AI or move over to Gransnet?[grin]

Iamthewintersale · 20/01/2025 10:38

Totally agree! They’re popping up a lot in the anti VAT school fees threads by private school parents obvs trying to make themselves sound more intelligent! If you go on another thread comments by the same poster are much more human, with mistakes etc. rather than a regurgitated tosh from Torygraph/Daily Fail/ Times

Iamthewintersale · 20/01/2025 10:41

‘ChatGPT give me 32 bullet points about why independent schools are so bloody marvellous and a credit to our country! Be sure to include how fair they are and how they are mostly used by the children of miners, school dinner ladies and nurses’

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 10:48

I was asked whether a post of mine was generated by AI on a thread yesterday -it wasn't. I'd posted:

"Individuation time. This is when my DC work on spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces, honing social awareness in their friendship groups, figuring themselves out and sort of curating their fledgling independent lives. I offer auxiliary services such as food prep and transport when required. DP is like you, worrying they're not making the most of their time, harrying them to be more visibly active, while I feel there is significant intrinsic value in 'down time' and small niches of autonomous decision making at a point in their lives when they really control very little."

I was surprised: it's 4 sentences of fairly standard syntax, appropriately punctuated. Most people I know socially and professionally write like that. What's the issue?

MN is fucking weird. In one corner, there are women sneering and berating other women for grammatical infractions, poor punctuation or 'walls of text', claiming they 'can't understand a word' where a mere smidgen of imagination and empathy would render the gist of the post entirely clear. Then there are posts like OP's, which eye-rolls at those who have the audacity to express thoughts and ideas 'carefully'. Time was when MN posts more often than not read well and posters we're not trolled about their posting style.

Original poster

rewilded · 20/01/2025 10:57

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 10:48

I was asked whether a post of mine was generated by AI on a thread yesterday -it wasn't. I'd posted:

"Individuation time. This is when my DC work on spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces, honing social awareness in their friendship groups, figuring themselves out and sort of curating their fledgling independent lives. I offer auxiliary services such as food prep and transport when required. DP is like you, worrying they're not making the most of their time, harrying them to be more visibly active, while I feel there is significant intrinsic value in 'down time' and small niches of autonomous decision making at a point in their lives when they really control very little."

I was surprised: it's 4 sentences of fairly standard syntax, appropriately punctuated. Most people I know socially and professionally write like that. What's the issue?

MN is fucking weird. In one corner, there are women sneering and berating other women for grammatical infractions, poor punctuation or 'walls of text', claiming they 'can't understand a word' where a mere smidgen of imagination and empathy would render the gist of the post entirely clear. Then there are posts like OP's, which eye-rolls at those who have the audacity to express thoughts and ideas 'carefully'. Time was when MN posts more often than not read well and posters we're not trolled about their posting style.

OK, but your posts have a certain verbosity to them, which is not to everyone's taste. A lot of academics would have frowned at that style of writing in the 90s - I like it BTW.

OP posts:

Balloonhearts · 20/01/2025 10:59

Tbf I'd rather that than walls of text without a single full stop and so many misspelled words, I feel like I'm translating leet.

Original poster

rewilded · 20/01/2025 11:04

Balloonhearts · 20/01/2025 10:59

Tbf I'd rather that than walls of text without a single full stop and so many misspelled words, I feel like I'm translating leet.

Yes, too true but at least you can scroll past that immediately. I get drawn in sometimes and waste a lot of time.

OP posts:

Original poster

rewilded · 20/01/2025 11:09

I went over to Gransnet and it really is a breathe of fresh air. It is a glimpse of what we are losing with our online interactions.

OP posts:

PrincessAnne4Eva · 20/01/2025 11:46

@rewilded I might take a look, too.

SnapdragonToadflax · 20/01/2025 12:31

@WarmthAndDepth To be honest some of that paragraph does sound like AI. It reads more like a report than someone writing for a chat forum - I might write that at work, but I wouldn't speak like that with friends. It's the use of lots of words where one will do, or the use of longer or less commonly used words. Obviously everyone has a different vocabulary and speaks differently in different situations... but usually Mumsnet is quite informal.

Personally I would have said 'hanging out with mates' instead of 'honing social awareness'; 'learning how to be adults' rather than 'curating their fledgling independent lives' and 'help' rather than 'auxiliary services'.

I don't know what thread this was on so perhaps it was appropriate... but I would raise an eyebrow.

BlueberryShortcakePixie · 20/01/2025 12:39

Well OP, I asked ChatGPT to reply to your post and this is what it came up with

Here’s a possible reply:

I totally get where you're coming from. It can feel a bit too polished sometimes, especially when you’re used to the more spontaneous, ‘real’ feeling of Mumsnet threads. There’s something about the casual vibe and off-the-cuff posts that can get lost when everything’s too structured or too "perfect." It’s like when someone’s overly trying to sound smart or like they’ve researched a topic to death — it can feel a bit much.
That said, I think there’s room for both. AI can help with ideas, especially when people are feeling stuck, but it’s nice to still see those threads that have a more natural, conversational flow. Maybe it’s just about finding the right balance. Embrace AI where it adds value, but let’s not lose that personal touch that makes Mumsnet feel like Mumsnet!
As for Gransnet... well, maybe it’s time to see what they’re up to over there! 😉

Flipping scary if you ask me. How old does one have to be to use Gransnet? 😆

BlueberryShortcakePixie · 20/01/2025 12:41

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 10:48

I was asked whether a post of mine was generated by AI on a thread yesterday -it wasn't. I'd posted:

"Individuation time. This is when my DC work on spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces, honing social awareness in their friendship groups, figuring themselves out and sort of curating their fledgling independent lives. I offer auxiliary services such as food prep and transport when required. DP is like you, worrying they're not making the most of their time, harrying them to be more visibly active, while I feel there is significant intrinsic value in 'down time' and small niches of autonomous decision making at a point in their lives when they really control very little."

I was surprised: it's 4 sentences of fairly standard syntax, appropriately punctuated. Most people I know socially and professionally write like that. What's the issue?

MN is fucking weird. In one corner, there are women sneering and berating other women for grammatical infractions, poor punctuation or 'walls of text', claiming they 'can't understand a word' where a mere smidgen of imagination and empathy would render the gist of the post entirely clear. Then there are posts like OP's, which eye-rolls at those who have the audacity to express thoughts and ideas 'carefully'. Time was when MN posts more often than not read well and posters we're not trolled about their posting style.

Maybe you’re a robot and you don’t realise?

randomchap · 20/01/2025 13:05

To be honest, I prefer the AI formatted ones to posts that have zero punctuation, no paragraphs, and grammatical errors.

Some people are not great with writing things down, I don't think it's a massive problem if they use AI to get their point across if it helps with clarity and enables others to understand them better.

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 13:11

SnapdragonToadflax · 20/01/2025 12:31

@WarmthAndDepth To be honest some of that paragraph does sound like AI. It reads more like a report than someone writing for a chat forum - I might write that at work, but I wouldn't speak like that with friends. It's the use of lots of words where one will do, or the use of longer or less commonly used words. Obviously everyone has a different vocabulary and speaks differently in different situations... but usually Mumsnet is quite informal.

Personally I would have said 'hanging out with mates' instead of 'honing social awareness'; 'learning how to be adults' rather than 'curating their fledgling independent lives' and 'help' rather than 'auxiliary services'.

I don't know what thread this was on so perhaps it was appropriate... but I would raise an eyebrow.

To be honest, I was being a bit facetious as it was a thread where people were listing worthy things to do with secondary school aged DC on weekends, and I'm not into directing my teens' time during the weekend. A bit churlish, perhaps. But not AI

I think there's room for a variety of styles -I'm mostly on FWR where posters are perhaps a bit more wordy, but that's because the focus and purpose of discussion is so different to Chat or Relationships or AIBU.

Sofasogreat · 20/01/2025 13:12

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 10:48

I was asked whether a post of mine was generated by AI on a thread yesterday -it wasn't. I'd posted:

"Individuation time. This is when my DC work on spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces, honing social awareness in their friendship groups, figuring themselves out and sort of curating their fledgling independent lives. I offer auxiliary services such as food prep and transport when required. DP is like you, worrying they're not making the most of their time, harrying them to be more visibly active, while I feel there is significant intrinsic value in 'down time' and small niches of autonomous decision making at a point in their lives when they really control very little."

I was surprised: it's 4 sentences of fairly standard syntax, appropriately punctuated. Most people I know socially and professionally write like that. What's the issue?

MN is fucking weird. In one corner, there are women sneering and berating other women for grammatical infractions, poor punctuation or 'walls of text', claiming they 'can't understand a word' where a mere smidgen of imagination and empathy would render the gist of the post entirely clear. Then there are posts like OP's, which eye-rolls at those who have the audacity to express thoughts and ideas 'carefully'. Time was when MN posts more often than not read well and posters we're not trolled about their posting style.

@WarmthAndDepth Yes, agree with others that although correct and professional, certain phrases like 'spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces' and 'small niches of autonomous decision making' do sound more ChatGPT that the conversational tone of most MN posts.

I know friends from C-suite seniors and academics to shop staff and builders, and none of them would write in a chat forum like this with such robotic (sorry) syntax and phrasing. I don't want to feed the beast just in case you are an AI looking to make your tone more human, but if I was having a coffee with a friend (which I think is how most people write here) I'd be baffled if she started using phrasing like this.

Careful and thoughtful posts are great! But unfortunately thanks to the accessibility of AI, writing like this will set off alarm bells, for a while anyway, with humans who read a lot and are confident with human communication.

DreamW3aver · 20/01/2025 13:20

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 10:48

I was asked whether a post of mine was generated by AI on a thread yesterday -it wasn't. I'd posted:

"Individuation time. This is when my DC work on spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces, honing social awareness in their friendship groups, figuring themselves out and sort of curating their fledgling independent lives. I offer auxiliary services such as food prep and transport when required. DP is like you, worrying they're not making the most of their time, harrying them to be more visibly active, while I feel there is significant intrinsic value in 'down time' and small niches of autonomous decision making at a point in their lives when they really control very little."

I was surprised: it's 4 sentences of fairly standard syntax, appropriately punctuated. Most people I know socially and professionally write like that. What's the issue?

MN is fucking weird. In one corner, there are women sneering and berating other women for grammatical infractions, poor punctuation or 'walls of text', claiming they 'can't understand a word' where a mere smidgen of imagination and empathy would render the gist of the post entirely clear. Then there are posts like OP's, which eye-rolls at those who have the audacity to express thoughts and ideas 'carefully'. Time was when MN posts more often than not read well and posters we're not trolled about their posting style.

You must know that the vast majority of people don't write anything like that. Might it be time to expand your circle a little?

It reads like it was written for some kind of homework or in corporate speak to me.

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 13:44

Seems we cross posted -hopefully my response to a PP puts the post in question in context. No beast to feed, really just a regular mum.
Weirdly, last year I was asked whether I'd be interested in training AI as part of a colleague's project. Now if that isn't meta...

Dream, my circle is fine. I realise I don't actually know how all the people I know write as we don't communicate by writing, but as most of them are coherent and able to string together a decent argument, I imagine they could.

Original poster

rewilded · 20/01/2025 14:37

BlueberryShortcakePixie · 20/01/2025 12:39

Well OP, I asked ChatGPT to reply to your post and this is what it came up with

Here’s a possible reply:

I totally get where you're coming from. It can feel a bit too polished sometimes, especially when you’re used to the more spontaneous, ‘real’ feeling of Mumsnet threads. There’s something about the casual vibe and off-the-cuff posts that can get lost when everything’s too structured or too "perfect." It’s like when someone’s overly trying to sound smart or like they’ve researched a topic to death — it can feel a bit much.
That said, I think there’s room for both. AI can help with ideas, especially when people are feeling stuck, but it’s nice to still see those threads that have a more natural, conversational flow. Maybe it’s just about finding the right balance. Embrace AI where it adds value, but let’s not lose that personal touch that makes Mumsnet feel like Mumsnet!
As for Gransnet... well, maybe it’s time to see what they’re up to over there! 😉

Flipping scary if you ask me. How old does one have to be to use Gransnet? 😆

Haha! Blimey we are doomed.

I

OP posts:

Bjorkdidit · 21/01/2025 06:58

OP here's an example of what I meant yesterday when I said that people were posting AI generated nonsense on old threads. Look at the post from Johnhire at 6.20.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5194945-salaries

Totally irrelevant to the thread and clearly AI spam.

Salaries | Mumsnet

I've been out of the workforce for 10 years as I have been running my own business. Sadly this is looking like it's needing to close and I&#...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5194945-salaries

AlwaysLookOnTheSnarkSide · 21/01/2025 07:08

rewilded · 20/01/2025 14:37

Haha! Blimey we are doomed.

I

Show quote history

Maybe I’m the last real person left here, all other posts are AI robots 🤣

AlwaysLookOnTheSnarkSide · 21/01/2025 07:09

Bjorkdidit · 21/01/2025 06:58

OP here's an example of what I meant yesterday when I said that people were posting AI generated nonsense on old threads. Look at the post from Johnhire at 6.20.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5194945-salaries

Totally irrelevant to the thread and clearly AI spam.

No idea if it’s AI or not but it’s definitely spam/advertising…..amazed it’s still there.

BogRollBOGOF · 21/01/2025 07:11

WarmthAndDepth · 20/01/2025 10:48

I was asked whether a post of mine was generated by AI on a thread yesterday -it wasn't. I'd posted:

"Individuation time. This is when my DC work on spending non-directed time in the relative comfort of their own spaces, honing social awareness in their friendship groups, figuring themselves out and sort of curating their fledgling independent lives. I offer auxiliary services such as food prep and transport when required. DP is like you, worrying they're not making the most of their time, harrying them to be more visibly active, while I feel there is significant intrinsic value in 'down time' and small niches of autonomous decision making at a point in their lives when they really control very little."

I was surprised: it's 4 sentences of fairly standard syntax, appropriately punctuated. Most people I know socially and professionally write like that. What's the issue?

MN is fucking weird. In one corner, there are women sneering and berating other women for grammatical infractions, poor punctuation or 'walls of text', claiming they 'can't understand a word' where a mere smidgen of imagination and empathy would render the gist of the post entirely clear. Then there are posts like OP's, which eye-rolls at those who have the audacity to express thoughts and ideas 'carefully'. Time was when MN posts more often than not read well and posters we're not trolled about their posting style.

DS is autistic and his communication style can be quite formal like this. A conversation with him often feels like an introduction in a debating society. He hasn't nailed informal chatter. Conversations often have routine phrasing such as opening with "Would you agree that" or "In my opinion".

If he was inclined to find typing on MN a pleasurable way to spend time, he could easily be challenged on his communication style!

I rarely finish wall of text OPs.
The 21M, 34F style is also deeply irritating and clunky to read. 34F does read like a bra size rather than (usually unnecessary) personal introduction to the post.

BogRollBOGOF · 21/01/2025 07:13

AlwaysLookOnTheSnarkSide · 21/01/2025 07:09

No idea if it’s AI or not but it’s definitely spam/advertising…..amazed it’s still there.

Show quote history

Happens quite a lot in the smaller sections of the site. It's the main type of thing I tend to report.

Bjorkdidit · 21/01/2025 07:21

The 21M, 34F style is also deeply irritating and clunky to read. 34F does read like a bra size rather than (usually unnecessary) personal introduction to the post

Yes, when this started, before I realised what they were saying, I wondered why a load of posts started including people's bra sizes when they were posting about where they went on holiday or similar.