Review: 'More Than Words' is a passionate critique of 'writing in the age of AI'
He argues that relying on LLMs for writing tasks does not involve the same level of creativity, intention, and critical thinking as traditional writing methods. Warner emphasizes the importance of human agency and original thought in the writing process, which he believes LLMs cannot replicate. He suggests that using LLMs may hinder the development of genuine writing skills and unique voices in writers. Warner's critique raises questions about the role of technology in shaping the future of writing and creativity.
MORE THAN WORDS: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI
By John Warner
Basic Books
320 pages
$30
Introduction
John Warner’s examination of the relationship between writing and artificial intelligence is, indeed, about more than words. While it provides a sometimes dizzying amount of information about both the promise and limitations of artificial intelligence, it ultimately deals with something infinitely more basic: the nature of our humanity.
Writing and AI
Warner, the author of “Why They Can’t Write” and an affiliate member of the faculty of the College of Charleston, is a confessed obsessive on the topic of how to help students learn to write. He clearly lays out why he believes that large language models (LLM) like ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer) is not writing. Writing, he contends, is thinking. It is based on an intention, an idea, one that often is altered as the process evolves. Writing is feeling. It produces an emotion in ourselves and those for whom we write. Writing is also a “practice,” a combination of “skills, attitudes, knowledge and habits of mind.” ChatGPT is capable of none of these things.
Utilizing the mountain of data upon which it is trained, and its ability to “fetch” one word after another in a sequence, what it can do at lightning speed is generate simple syntax, “content,” that can never replace the originality of a particular human brain.
The Joy and Struggle of Writing
Writing, Warner further avers, is, and should be, a struggle, one that takes time and effort. Anyone who writes, or who has tried to write, is familiar with both the hell and the immense joy that often lie within that struggle.
Provocative Ideas
For the larger reading public, Warner offers some provocative ideas and questions. For instance, citing the use of the five paragraph essay in the teaching of writing in schools, something which he abhors and that AI is very good at, he points out, “If ChatGPT can produce an acceptable example of something, that thing is not worth doing by humans and quite probably isn’t worth doing at all.”
In another portion of the book, he quotes Jane Rosenzwieg, director of the Harvard College Writing Center. “To what problem is ChatGPT the solution?” In a third, he recommends that we consider resisting the idea that technology ultimately will encroach not only on all aspects of writing, but that of society as well. Is it inevitable or is that the contention primarily of those who have a financial or professional stake in seeing that happen?
HONESTAI ANALYSIS
When raising these sorts of questions, Warner can become quite sour, sometimes hilariously so, throwing out the occasional mild expletive to emphasize some of his frustrations. But there is also occasionally a slight, but palpable sense of sadness in his tone as if, despite all his insistence on rigor and authenticity, he suspects that the ground may be sinking beneath his feet, that he is fighting a losing battle.
Make no mistake, John Warner’s knowledge of this theme is deep and wide. He pulls off quite a feat in defining and evaluating a plethora of terms and systems and the controversies surrounding them, adopting a conversational style that is accessible to both those just curious about the future of AI and those whose interest in it matches his own passion. “More Than Words” is highly informative and, not surprisingly, extremely well written. It is an excellent introduction to a topic that has produced an explosive combination of excitement and angst unlikely to die down any time soon.