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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   24545 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 10, 2026

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Using the AI to do something like summarizing some data relevant to the discussion seems like an unambigously good thing for the quality of discussion.

Using the AI to find a reliable source of the relevant data, and you presenting the data together with that source, would be far more valuable to the quality of discussion.

When we post on the Motte, we argue, even as we do whatever we can to not antagonize. If you post a summary of some crucial data that supports your argument and goes against mine, then either I get convinced by your data (and soften my position on the argument), or I question your data. None of the AI produce the data themselves, what sources (if any) are they using? How reliable are those?

Come to think of it, the argumentative nature of the Motte gives a reasonable guidance to appropriate AI usage. If I assume that my respondent may disagree with my position, and I genuinely wish to discuss an issue on which you'll disagree, I need to build trust and maintain transparency. In a text-based forum format, nothing undermines trust more right now than the suspicion that one is talking to a chatbot, so I would steer away from using AI for any editing. (I have found myself fondly noticing spelling and grammar errors. I don't make any on purpose, but I am sure I have dropped an article somewhere in my post.) I don't see any issue with using AI to search for evidence (data, quotes, whatever), it makes for a good search engine, so long as I ask for links to sources, check the source, and present it to my respondent.

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