Image source: ClimbContent
Blog Post #8: AI- To Use or Not to Use?
By Madeline Feehan
If you're scared of AI, you're not alone! It seems like it's growing stronger and appearing everywhere, and it can be hard to know if we should keep resisting it or give in. Are we the dinosaurs who are out of date if we don't use it, or if we do, are we losing our authenticity? My rule when it comes to AI is to be less afraid of it, but don't necessarily rely on it. When considering whether or not to use it for your library's social media, consult with your team to see what's best. If anything, I'd recommend AI for analytics and behind-the-scenes monitoring rather than for creating posts. The creativity aspect should always be human.
In a helpful CNET guide, social media experts outline the general rule of thumb of when content creators should and shouldn't use AI. Something to remember is that AI can draft, but humans must polish. If you use AI to write something, never leave it as is. Use it as a springboard for ideas and inspiration, but not the finished product. This is because AI-generated content is not the same as human-generated content. Human-generated content is messy and imperfect, but most importantly, it's unique and individualized. Even if two librarians are inspired to create videos following the same TikTok trend, their approaches will be different. In contrast, AI-generated content usually appears more 'polished,' but it lacks uniqueness and individuality. If multiple libraries are using the same AI tools, there's the risk of all their posts sounding the same. As we've discussed in other blog posts, branding is an important aspect of social media and you want to make sure your brand is your own, not the same AI-generated brand five other libraries are relying on. I've been instructed to use AI for classes in this program before, so I've had experience playing around. I've noticed it uses the same phrases often and at this point, I can tell when something's written by ChatGPT.
Another thing to keep in mind when using AI for your social media is that AI, just like humans, makes mistakes. If you're using it just for accuracy alone, you'll be disappointed to find out that it's not an 100% reliable and trustworthy tool. It can repeat itself, get facts wrong, and have bias just like people do. This is because humans train it. If humans are inherently imperfect and have biases, of course the tools they create will have the same flaws. The line most people draw is that AI should never replace human creativity, yet we also shouldn't put AI in charge. If you're using a platform to monitor social media stats like Hootsuite and it uses AI, don't freak out. There's probably a good reason why. However, if you're having AI write your captions and create graphics, you're in danger of turning your account into one big pile of AI slop and losing your voice and authenticity.
Image source: Criterion.b
Whether you think AI is the bane of human existence or an exciting new tool, there's something we can all agree on: there needs to be a balance. Something else we can agree on is this: even if you refuse to use AI and hate it, you should still try your best to understand it and recognize it so you're equipped to navigate the digital world. Even if you never use AI, it's good to have enough digital literacy to identify AI-generated content. Protecting yourself from misinformation is always a good idea, no matter your personal beliefs.
I will say that parodying Chat-GPT's writing style can be a very fun activity for making your friends scream at you over text...
ReplyDeleteThat aside, this is such a topical discussion. We just rolled out Google Gemini in our email functions over here at NYPL, and there was a very popular thread discussing how to disable most of its feature. The anti-AI bias is real, and I hold conflicted feelings over it myself. I used to be a harsh opponent of basically anything AI-related, and remain leery toward it. Yet working in an information profession means that you'll inevitably come in contact with AI-related conversations, and I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want my relationship with AI to be. I've rarely used it, yet needed to brush off a sense of shame when I did, as if I had let it "defeat" me! You make a fantastic point about how "AI can draft, but humans must polish." AI should be a supplement to our work, aiding and enhancing it, but not replacing it. You're very correct that we should at least be trying to understand how AI works, even if we ourselves refuse to use it. I'm personally proud that I can now recognize when a post has probably been written by Chat-GPT...
Hi Kristen, I feel the same way! My opinion has changed from "I'm not touching AI with a 10 foot pole" to "I want to use it in order to understand it and from then on, I will be cautious and sparing." I think you being able to recognize AI images/posts written with AI is great and we should be training our patrons to do the same, especially since there are more developments every day, even things like convincingly real AI videos.
DeleteHello Madeline,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog post about using artificial intelligence for writing. I agree that it is more useful to “consult” with ChatGBT, for example, when seeking information or answers about straightforward facts or technical details. A few months ago, I used ChatGBT to design a graphic to use for a social media post for a multi-generational program in the library where I work. I provided it with all the language I wanted to use and requested specific images to be included in the design: make a social media post advertising a multigenerational program for learning knife skills. Include images of kids and adults, including seniors. The images must include people of several ethnicities and ages. The resulting post included an orange border with a title and four boxes of pairs of people cutting with knives on cutting boards (Blogger is not allowing me to past the image here).
ChatGBT cropped the bottom phrase "Join Us" and I found it interesting how it grouped together the various ethnicities and ages of the people. I don’t know about you, but it looks like it was AI generated. I asked Chat to make the ad “less AI” and it returned the exact same image – so funny! It’s not even aware of its downfalls. In the design there is no feeling of excitement or intrigue to draw people in. So, to your point, yes AI can draft the design, but we must polish and tweak it. In addition, I have found that many times the grammar is incorrect and the spelling is wrong.
Hi Maude, thanks for sharing! I always wonder about the ethics of AI and asking it to generate people. Personally, I'd always suggest using pictures of patrons (if you have them) or just graphics representative of diff age groups but I understand that in a pinch, that could be an option. You're so right about grammar and misspellings too. I also think it could be interesting to research more about if AI-generated material such as posts and flyers need to be labeled or flagged as such. I'm also curious if the flyer you made did typical AI-weirdness such as giving people extra fingers or oddly shaped hands or if the people genuinely looked normal enough.
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