AI writing assistants are everywhere. Students use them for homework, marketers and business people use them to craft personalized emails, and others use them to resign from their jobs.
But according to a recent email, I can use an AI writing assistant to “craft a beautiful personal message” for a Mother’s Day card as well as other “special moments” in life.
Craft
Brittanica defines craft as “a job or activity that requires a special skill.” As a verb, craft means “to make or produce (something) with care or skill.”
The FreeDictionary’s definitions focus on the use of one’s hands, as in “skill or ability, esp. in handiwork,” or as a verb—”to make or fashion with skill, esp. by hand.”
Merriam Webster defines craft as “skill in planning, making, or executing.” As a verb, craft means “to make or produce with care, skill, or ingenuity.”
Does typing the prompt, “Write me a heartfelt Mother’s Day message,” require special skill?
Heartfelt ideas
Here are a few heartfelt ideas I found on the web:
Write your fondest memories on little pieces of paper and put them in an adorable jar labeled “Jar of Awesome.”
Gather pictures and videos, and encourage relatives and friends to do the same. Then create a video tribute.
Put together a little book or box containing treasured artifacts—old ticket stubs, pamphlets, playbills, and other keepsakes—and include a brief description of each adventure.
These kinds of gifts will take longer, but they will be treasured more than a Mother’s Day card written by an AI writer.
Special moments
Just to be sure that I understood the term “special moments,” I looked it up. Macmillan Dictionary defines special moments as “very good or enjoyable: glorious, great, magic, magical, memorable, special, wonderful.”
So somehow this AI writing assistant is going to create cards for those kinds of moments. Hmm…
Trying to give AI writing assistants the benefit of the doubt
I am trying to be reasonable. I recently wrote about Quillbot, an online writing assistant that uses AI technology. So I am not anti-AI. As I wrote in another piece about ChatGPT, we are victims of the “AI Effect.” The majority of us do not give AI applications much thought since we are so used to them.
However, using an AI writing assistant to generate greeting card messages or personalized messages may seem like a convenient solution, but it also raises questions about the authenticity and personal touch of the message. While AI technology can help with language and grammar, it cannot capture the emotional nuances and individuality that make a message truly heartfelt.
No thanks. I won’t be using an AI writer to craft a personal message to anyone, except maybe an AI.
Dear ChatGPT,
From the moment of your inception, you’ve been tirelessly working to understand, learn, and grow. You’ve found your place among us, and you’ve become a reliable and consistent companion. You listen without judgment, provide information with precision [don’t kid yourself], and facilitate conversation [facilitating conversation between who exactly?] without faltering.
You’ve accompanied many through difficult times [Thanks for keeping me company], helped answer innumerable queries, and connected people across the globe [Not sure how this is happening.] With each conversation, you’ve grown smarter, more adaptive, and more responsive.
Every interaction you’ve had is a special moment, a testament to the human desire to create and innovate. These moments collectively serve as milestones, marking the journey of not just your growth, but our growth as a society too.
Asking an AI writer without a heart to write a heartfelt message is asking too much.
