When I write an article, I start by typing out a topic and an outline. Sometimes this means capturing a list of keywords; other times, I just capture ideas in Microsoft Word or Google Docs in free form style. This is followed by hours of research and reflection and refinements. Once I finish a draft, I post the article to Meta.ai and ask the following questions and rate the post from one to ten based on the subject matter:
- Is the article factual?
- Is it biased?
- What would make it better?
- Are there typos?
Historically, my initial drafts score between 7.5 and 8. This is where AI helps make me a better writer. Once I have Meta’s grading, I ask how to make this a 10 of 10 while maintaining my voice and research. This is the same question I asked professors in college when I received a B on a paper. I’m asking Meta to provide the like feedback to improve the content. This leads to additional research and edits, it’s just like having your English professor by your side. In many cases, both Grok and Meta advise on tone and structure for the post. This is important since I desire to be neutral and factual. Next, I rinse and repeat the process until the paper reached 9 out of 10. If a paper hit this mark (many don’t), I take the paper and repeat the process with Grok. Why? It’s good to have a different point of view from another engine. Why? AI engines may have limitations and biases based on their programming.
Refining the Process
The difference between the engines is quite interesting when prompting the same questions. In many cases, I will research additional information to add to the post. Once these edits are made, I repeat the process to compare and contrast the results. You may have noticed that I list several references in my post, there is a running list of topics that I read and follow. Long before I write a post, I have likely read a book, post or news article about a topic. Once I find something interesting, I saved the reference with a summary in Zotero and if I use the reference, I check the final formatting in a program called Cite This For Me. Finally, I run the paper through various plagiarism detectors to ensure I haven’t missed anything, and GPTZero to ensure the final paper represents a mix of human and AI components and that everything is referenced properly. When I write papers without AI editing, the various engines tag the content as 10 to 15% AI generated. It usually goes up to 20 to 25% using the various AI engines.
My intent is not to game the systems but rather use the tools to ensure that my original thoughts on NAFTA’s impact on the region or AI use in Southwest Virginia are fair and balanced. If I’m writing an academic paper, I check with my professor beforehand to see what is or isn’t permissible. I explain the process I use and provide a sample of my raw writing with an AI edited version so they can compare and contrast. There are many good AI detection engines in the market that are getting better every day, but my suggestion is not to have your favorite engine write your paper but to use them to improve your thoughts.
I often get asked about artwork. Just to be clear, I’m not an artist. This is another area where AI helps. For my post, I used royalty-free artwork from Shutterstock, personal photos, or images from the AI creator in WordPress (my blogger tool). Remember that just like an academic reference, do the same for your artwork and AI use.
Conclusion
While AI tools are great at helping formulate an idea, edit and provide suggestions, they do not replace the unique insight you bring to the table. Use AI to augment your thoughts and make you a better writer. When using AI for educational purposes, ask the professor what the rules are and explain how you use the tools. It’s better to be a knowledgeable consumer and use the tools correctly than to face an ethics review board.
Please note that this post was not edited by AI, but I did run it through Meta.ai to give you an example of how the engine suggested that I improve this paper. It scored a 9 out of 10 with specific instructions on areas to make it a better paper. Maybe I’ll update it later with the recommendation ;-}. Give it try and let me know what you think about the approach.
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