David Sparks, aka MacSparky:

Writing is more than just a means to convey information; it’s a way to connect on a deeply personal level. Whether celebrating a milestone with loved ones or sharing insights in this newsletter, these moments are opportunities to express our unique perspectives and emotions. When we delegate this task to an AI robot, no matter how sophisticated, we lose a piece of that human connection. It feels like a form of erasure — a diminution of our individuality and the personal stamp we leave on our work and the world.

I've been hesitant to step into the AI conversation because I find the whole thing fraught and, honestly, not all that relevant to my life at the moment. I use these tools on occasion for specific tasks, and I do appreciate when they're integrated well into apps I use every day, which is why I will be keeping an eye on Apple Intelligence. But I don't consider them an essential part of my work in any sense.

David's point here resonated strongly with me, and it speaks to why I don't use generative text tools when I'm writing. I consider this blog to be an extension of myself. It's the place I go to share my thoughts with the world and hopefully start conversations with others. People come here for my perspective, not a robot's. And I believe the same applies to my writing and editing elsewhere, as well as to my personal conversations.

Writing – and, I would argue, communication itself – is not a means to an end. It's a way of conveying information, sure, but it's more than that. It's a connection between people, a back-and-forth that reflects each individual involved, and I don't believe that inserting an AI layer in the middle adds any value.

These tools have their place, but you won't be reading any AI-generated content here.