AI Is A Bigger Problem On Medium Than It Ever Will Be On Substack
And you don't have to be using AI for it to affect you.
I had an interesting conversation with another editor and boost nominator yesterday, thought I’d bring it over here because I think it’s a conversation worth having.
You probably know that Medium opened up to 77 more countries recently. In the weeks since, I’ve been bombed with new writer submissions on three of my publications. Many are ESL writers who use AI to help with fluency.
One editor said what troubles her is that Medium doesn’t permit AI generated writing behind the paywall but there’s not a guaranteed way to detect it. To be clear, there’s no repercussion for an editor if they accidentally publish a paywalled piece that was AI generated. If there is a repercussion, it would be on the writer.
Some people say using grammarly to compose sentences isn’t the same as using AI to create a post. To me, it’s not about that. It’s about the end result. Is it any good?
To compound the problem, a lot of people are writing stories in AI and editing by hand to make them sound more human. Between the AI used for ESL fluency and AI used to produce in greater quantity, it’s a lot of AI floating around.
For me, it’s not a problem. Here’s why. If I open a piece, read it, and say holy crap that’s great writing, a super compelling read and I want it in my publication— then I’m publishing it. Done deal. If it’s poorly written or just so-so, I reject. Real simple.
As an editor, my concern is the quality and reputation of my publication. If I start publishing weak writing or writing that “might or might not” be AI, that affects my publication rep. I want people to see my pub in their feed, click over to read.
Most AI is going to fall into bad or so-so. That’s just a fact.
Here’s what I’ve never heard anyone say. Omg, that is fantastic killer writing, just wow, but I’m not sure if it’s AI. Most AI doesn’t really make anyone say wow.
I think it probably can. But most doesn’t. Most of it is mediocre at best.
Most people using AI to produce stories are doing it for one of three reasons. 1) Their English is weak. 2) For speed, to hit some imaginary quota that only lives in their head. Or 3) Because they are not strong writers and they think AI writes “better” than they do. I’ve had writers actually tell me that. That AI writes “better” than they do.
Most AI is just content. I’ve produced content for a living. Lots of companies want content on their site and they always want it sanitized. They want it to sound human, but they don’t want it peppered with personal anecdotes and they sure as heck don’t want my opinions. And they also don’t want me to say heck. They want nice sanitized content for Google to gobble up and see their keywords. That’s content. Not writing. And I’ve written content, so I recognize it. I don’t want to publish it. End of story.
Here’s a common one. The AI sandwich. Writer starts with a personal little anecdote, then dumps some content in the middle. Then finishes off with a little personal bit. It’s a popular formula. Lets people churn out content fast. But an editor like me looks at that, wonders if the middle of the sandwich is AI. If I don’t know, I don’t publish.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think AI is going to be as big a problem on Substack as it is on Medium. Writing has to stand alone more on Substack.
I can’t see someone thinking hey, I’ll start a Substack and churn out AI content. Maybe they do. Can’t see it doing well, though because readers on Substack don’t pay for an all you can eat buffet like they do on Medium. That’s what makes Medium a target for AI generated content. Readers pay for the buffet. Maybe take a bite. You know?
According to recent reports, 57% of content on the internet right now is AI generated. The prediction is that by 2026, that number will be 90%.
My prediction is that it’s going to affect writers even if they don’t use AI. Weak writing will get tossed in the slush pile along with the AI submissions. If you write sanitized content, poof. Rejected. Not at all publications, no. But a lot of them.
I think the proliferation of AI is going to raise the bar for writers. Maybe not at all publications. But a lot. Just a slow and gradual change that’s almost inevitable.
Love to know what you think.
P.S. My latest on Medium: If There Is One Thing We Humans Agree on, I Did Not Expect Angels
If 90 percent of all writing will be AI generated trash content, perhaps that will increase the value of true art. The general public will become so exhausted by garbage that poetry will resonate with greater impact and finally be fully appreciated. We can dream can't we? :)
I have pro writing aid which I use as a thesaurus in my fiction; yet it CAN'T understand the way I relate to the subject and object in the sentence. It always changes my verb for something that would suit an annual report. Sometimes a good noun will pop up and I rewrite the sentence because of that. Pro Writing Aid is of no use to me in writing for Medium. It goes for bland and it doesn't understand a personal story's focus and rewrites the text into weak-verbed mush. So I don't use it. Grammarly is helpful for when to use that or which; and when to take out superlatives that weaken written text but add emphasis spoken aloud. I'm keeping my oar in for Medium because the poetry community is so strong. The writing is correct but the stories bore me senseless. If I don't learn something, I don't finish.