# Would you think any less of this email?

Would you think any less of this email if you knew AI helped me write it? Writing is a form of thinking, and thinking is how we make sense of the world. The more we learn, and the more we exchange that knowledge with others, the more deeply we understand each-other. But not everyone has the time, confidence, or ability to articulate or share their thoughts in written form, which means much of what we know remains hidden. One of the benefits of AI is that it democratises this ability to express thought, allowing people from all walks of life to exchange ideas. This expands our collective capacity to appreciate the full spectrum of human experience. And yet, much of the dialogue that surrounds AI leads people to cast moral judgement, and de-value something simply because they know AI was used in the process — a single em-dash renders the whole thing ‘slop’. There is of course valid concern about cognitive decline, manipulation, and other risks that emerge when we outsource our thinking to these tools. None of these should be dismissed. But if this technology is here to stay then maybe we should leave a little more room for nuance, and reconsider our own assumptions about AI-generated content. Take this soapbox, for example. I initially began by dictating my thoughts to an AI, but then challenged my myself to revert back to traditional means of creative expression. Everything you read here was written using pen and paper, then typed up and edited by hand. It’s taken a painfully long time, it doesn’t quite capture what I wanted to say, and I kind of wish I had used AI to help write it. I may have retained some creative ownership, but I haven't reached the level of clarity I usually reach when I collaborate with AI. Nor do I have as much confidence in what I’m sharing. I’m also left wondering whether, deep down, I avoided using AI just so that you, the anonymous reader, wouldn’t judge me. Do you think any more of this email, now that you know a human wrote it?

Written by a randomly drawn subscriber, read by a human, then sent to the whole list. Its writer chose to share it here.