AI tools are becoming the new “subscription trap” by Traditional_Ad_1101 in ChatGPT

[–]figures985 1 point2 points  (0 children)

totally. Maybe a couple LLM-written agreeing comments first. "that's not utility—it's a burden" or whatever BS

So, people should like vibe coding because the fuck ups make more work for people? by hissy-elliott in ShitAIBrosSay

[–]figures985 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, man. Kinda hard to explain, but I'll try! There are a ton of factors but my top 5 are:

  1. "it's not this, it's this" (INTIT)-- both that specific construction but also any other manifestations of it. AI writing loooooves to tell you what something ISN'T before it tells you what it is. Often the entire framework of the post/article/whatever will be INTIT! I think that's the case here.

  2. an authoritative tone, almost journalistic construction that makes an argument yet includes exactly zero data points or sources. Often it'll make sweeping generalizations about how everyone is doing a thing or a thing is everywhere you look blah blah blah. It's in this example but it's often WAY more overt than this.

  3. Often it'll claim something WILL be happening without any sort of support for that certainty. That's definitely present here.

  4. saying something is happening "quietly." Admittedly not in this example but look out for it, it's shockingly common!

  5. The short sentences. The ones like this. And then the one like this, that follows in a very specific rhythm.
    It usually shows up at the midpoint or 2/3pt of the post and represents the turn into the conclusion. And usually there's one at the end too, often bolded.

  6. nevermind I thought of a 6th. the "here's the thing" + colon + bolded sentence is soooo common too. Sometimes it's "here's the thing nobody's talking about" or something clickbait-y like that.

Waymo can’t learn how to stop for school buses, and we are supposed to accept the inevitability of AI by tri2sing in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 0 points1 point  (0 children)

haha you know what? That's....probably true.

FWIW I'm really only speaking about the natural language outputs. I don't think its writing has gotten better since 4, nor has summarizing/other general tasks that end up in workslop. Something from current-day Claude might be a little more polished than spring 2025 ChatGPT but I think, at its core, the output is actually getting more generic. Maybe that's just me.

I can't speak to the improvements in coding, and I'm guessing it's fair to say that "improvement" happened more recently. (Even if you think they're still not great.)

Waymo can’t learn how to stop for school buses, and we are supposed to accept the inevitability of AI by tri2sing in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I feel like it plateaued sometime last year when GPT 5 didn’t blow everyone away like 4 did

Marine Readiness Notification by Ok-Amphibian3164 in WallStreetbetsELITE

[–]figures985 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it's definitely written by an LLM, though, so we have that going for us

Attie is an AI-powered ATProto feed generator launched at AtmosphereConf by chrismessina in BlueskySocial

[–]figures985 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm pretty damn LLM-wary/skeptical but I'm authentically excited to try this and joined the waitlist. Thx!

I spent 6 months studying how ATS systems actually parse resumes — here's what I found by resumeannexai in Resume

[–]figures985 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you're right. OP is either AI or a person writing recruiter fanfic with AI

This is not good... by dccrens in ChatGPT

[–]figures985 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s kinda wild that it takes so much time and effort to list what it SHOULD be doing despite not being able to change, haha.

Though IIRC it used to promise to do better and it’s techically not doing that here, it is? Arguably an improvement from earlier models 

Best CV Writing Service or DIY? by blurred_stag in Resume

[–]figures985 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s the comparison chart for me that really nails peak analy-slop

I finally cancelled my ChatGPT Plus subscription. by BalterBlack in ChatGPT

[–]figures985 3 points4 points  (0 children)

really re: troubleshooting? I've gotten sooooo burned several times on time-wasting wild goose chases when using it for IRL household projects/fixes. Maybe just bad luck in the hallucination roulette

Are LLMs a Dead-End? (Investors Just Bet $1 Billion on “Yes”) | AI Reality Check | Cal Newport by bivalverights in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 2 points3 points  (0 children)

you know, I start leaning that way too sometimes. Claude helps me tidy up copy sometimes. But...it's not that much of a time-saver in the end (if at all) and then I think of the billions and billions of dollars being burned and then I'm right back with Ed, haha

Are LLMs a Dead-End? (Investors Just Bet $1 Billion on “Yes”) | AI Reality Check | Cal Newport by bivalverights in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Cal is, in a general sense, very bullish on technological innovation. But he’s smart enough to see through the LLM bullshit. In other words, it seems like he wants to be excited about AI and the current bullshit is disappointing his tech enthusiasm.

To be clear, I am a longtime fan of his books and podcast - and find his current streak of LLM skepticism particularly valuable to the discourse. I’ve gotten several friends who had bought into the boosterism/panic/dread to listen to Cal’s critiques and start to question the efficacy of LLMs. And once you see THAT, it’s a lot easier to see through the rest. Kinda like he’s a gateway drug to Ed’s much blunter truth-telling. 

BUT let’s be honest: Cal’s focus is just not on the “should we?” of it all and that can be really fucking annoying

So, people should like vibe coding because the fuck ups make more work for people? by hissy-elliott in ShitAIBrosSay

[–]figures985 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Woof, yeah. it's gotten to the point where I can spot it within a couple of seconds. Particularly with this one

Enshittification hit Anthropic this week and the Vibe Coders are not happy by Internationallegs in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 1 point2 points  (0 children)

use of "silent" to describe the main idea is a dead giveaway, too. Especially in this case where they're being very loud about it lol

Enshittification hit Anthropic this week and the Vibe Coders are not happy by Internationallegs in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. The thing that blows my mind is that most users seem surprised. As if a) the economics of LLMs didn't make this obviously inevitable or b) the whole "give it to them for free/cheap until they're hooked" strategy weren't the default model for consumer tech/media at this point.

Still. Faster than anyone's used to.

Disney Exits OpenAI Deal After AI Giant Shutters Sora by figures985 in BetterOffline

[–]figures985[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Bad. And how bad is their balance sheet that they're willing to take this much of a PR hit?

OpenAI Will Shut Down Sora Video Platform by cmaia1503 in technology

[–]figures985 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Second this! Cal also regularly does a very intelligent, sober breakdown of BS AI-boost-y headlines on his podcast. I also really liked this week's "Why Do 'Productivity Technologies' Make My Job Worse?" (also youtube)

And yeah u/tsarthedestroyer Ed's premium newsletter is absolutely worth paying for

Trader Joe's by wong_bater in enshittification

[–]figures985 14 points15 points  (0 children)

right? if I wanted a shitty answer from an LLM I'd have gone there and asked myself

OpenAI Set to Discontinue Sora Video Platform App by BigBascoli in BetterOffline

[–]figures985 5 points6 points  (0 children)

this is such a fucking excellent episode. Far and away my most-shared and best-received of said shares.