This week, a post by Cal Newport caught my attention.
Titled “Easy is Overrated”, he highlights a challenge in the publishing world.
Manuscripts are arriving at a faster pace, but the content is more difficult to understand.
AI is being used more.
Readability is going down.
The article (which I encourage you to read) has all the stats that are worth looking at.
My Perspective
I’ve been using AI in various ways in my writing for over a year now. Research, first drafts, brainstorming frameworks, generating ideas, and sometimes editing.
My frustration has surfaced many times by the volume of information I get when asking simple questions. I wish I have a quarter for every time I’ve sent the note “can you reduce that response by half?” and “can you tell me the point of this response in one sentence?”
What I’ve learned is that AI can support me, but I’m the one trying to make a specific point. And, importantly, it’s my responsibility to pull that point out of the volume of information provided in my chats.
Which leads to my second frustration: when someone publishes something they clearly didn’t edit. I know the editing didn’t happen because the article seems to go in circles and I struggle to pull out the point.
This has me concerned about reading.
People already skim information with the increase in availability.
Now, if the content itself is increasingly confusing, will we take the time to try to understand it? Or will we just stop reading?
The burden is on us. We need to edit. To be selective with our words. To make a point. More does not equal better.
Your Turn
Do you feel reading fatigue with AI generated books and articles?
In your own work with AI, are you sometimes overwhelmed and frustrated?
How do you think the next phase of AI will look – will it make our work better or will we continue to struggle with the volume?