Will A.I. Take My Job?
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
4.3 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 12 November 2023
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A review website became suddenly flush with new bylines, right as the newsroom was negotiating with management. But information on their new contributors was hard to find—were they people at all, or was this the first clumsy incursion of A.I. into their newsroom?
Guest: Will Sommer, Washington Post media reporter
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | When I got Will Summer on the line, I asked him to read me some product reviews. |
| 0:15.0 | This is not normally his job. |
| 0:18.0 | Will is a reporter for the Washington Post who covers media, and I asked him to read me two specific reviews from the website |
| 0:24.9 | Reviewed, which is owned by the publisher Kinect. Two reviews which mysteriously |
| 0:30.6 | appeared online last month. |
| 0:33.6 | One is for scuba masks and the other is for drink tumblers. |
| 0:38.5 | I guess let's start with scuba masks. |
| 0:40.6 | Sure, why not? |
| 0:42.4 | Okay, before buying a scuba mask, there are several important factors to consider. |
| 0:46.6 | The most crucial aspect of a scuba mask is the fit. |
| 0:49.4 | It should create a watertight seal around your face without causing discomfort or pressure points. |
| 0:53.4 | Okay, should we check the next one? |
| 0:54.8 | Yeah, yeah, let's see the next one. |
| 0:56.6 | When shopping for a tumbler, there are many factors to consider. |
| 0:59.7 | The first thing you should think about is the material it's made of. |
| 1:02.5 | Stainless steel is durable and great for keeping drinks hot or cold for a long time. |
| 1:09.5 | Even the most casual reader has got to notice that these two reviews sound awfully similar. |
| 1:15.6 | They open with both saying you know when you're going to buy something here's some |
| 1:19.3 | things to consider and then you know but at the same time just being absolutely contentless in a way of |
| 1:26.1 | so many words but having no sense that the person writing it and I say |
| 1:31.1 | person lightly here has any experience with either the product |
| 1:34.9 | or even like the real world in a way. |
... |
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