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@reedmideke@mastodon.social · 7 months ago

Today's #AIIsGoingGreat, via @Iris: Elsevier "values user experience, hence we develop ways of improving our product" such as having machines invent new, random definitions of terms and attaching them prominently to published papers

https://irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/ai-slop-and-the-destruction-of-knowledge/

Reed Mideke

@reedmideke@mastodon.social · 7 months ago

Related to this, I recently discovered that Elsevier uses these AI generated "definitions" on standalone "topic" pages, which rank highly in google. Bonus: The slop is free, but the articles referenced are of course frequently paywalled. Example https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/air-fuel-ratio

(this particular definition seems OK, if extremely basic)

Screenshot of the linked page, the top section of which says
"Air-Fuel Ratio
In subject area: Engineering
Air-fuel (A/F) ratio is defined as the ratio of the mass of air to the mass of fuel in a combustion process, which is crucial for achieving complete combustion and optimal engine performance.
AI generated definition based on: Biofuels and Bioenergy, 2022" followed by an open "about this" box which says "These pages are created by ScienceDirect using heuristic and machine-learning approaches to extract relevant information from our extensive collection of content. We compile this information on a topic-by-topic basis providing the reader both depth and breadth on a specific area of interest." — Screenshot of the linked page, the top section of which says "Air-Fuel Ratio In subject area: Engineering Air-fuel (A/F) ratio is defined as the ratio of the mass of air to the mass of fuel in a combustion process, which is crucial for achieving complete combustion and optimal engine performance. AI generated definition based on: Biofuels and Bioenergy, 2022" followed by an open "about this" box which says "These pages are created by ScienceDirect using heuristic and machine-learning approaches to extract relevant information from our extensive collection of content. We compile this information on a topic-by-topic basis providing the reader both depth and breadth on a specific area of interest."

Reed Mideke

@reedmideke@mastodon.social · 6 months ago

Today's #AIIsGoingGreat #ChatGPTLawyer seemed intriguingly steampunk until I realized "Victorian" referred the Australian state, not the historical period https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-15/victoria-lawyer-apologises-after-ai-generated-submissions/105661208

Reed Mideke

@reedmideke@mastodon.social · 6 months ago

Don't worry, in the glorious #AI future, you'll still have choice! For example, you can choose to have your (or your children's) medical details are filtered through a stochastic bullshit machine, or you can choose to forgo treatment https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2025/kobi-refused-a-doctors-ai-she-was-told-to-go-elsewhere.html

#AIIsGoingGreat

Reed Mideke

@reedmideke@mastodon.social · 6 months ago

lol

2 media

Screenshot of the top of a WaPo opinion page, by Megan McArdle:
Are we in an AI bubble that’s getting ready to pop?

The promised AI revolution isn’t here yet. But it’s a smart bet that productivity gains will follow.
August 17, 2025 at 6:30 a.m. EDTToday at 6:30 a.m. EDT — Screenshot of the top of a WaPo opinion page, by Megan McArdle: Are we in an AI bubble that’s getting ready to pop? The promised AI revolution isn’t here yet. But it’s a smart bet that productivity gains will follow. August 17, 2025 at 6:30 a.m. EDTToday at 6:30 a.m. EDT

A paragraph from the piece, with the first sentence highlight: Today, I use ChatGPT to kick-start much of the research I do for columns. But I have been doing this for a while, and my Google-Fu was already pretty well honed, so it’s not that much of a time-saver. I also have a pretty deep familiarity with the subjects I cover, so I usually know where to find facts or explanations, and I have a long list of experts I can quickly call or email if I have a question. Chatbots are making me a bit more productive (note to my editors: I am using that time to do more work), but the real productivity boost to my profession will come from enabling people with different skills to do new kinds of work, not slightly boosting the productivity of those who are adept with the old methods.

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