GPT-3, digital journals: I don’t trust them
BlackTechLogy: In my never-ending fight against e-books versus paperbacks, I still want to hold paper
This post is part of a series entitled “BlackTechLogy.” Click here for the archived posts.
I own four smartphones. For two years, I had three phone numbers. And on every single phone, the first mobile app I downloaded (or confirmed was already on the phone) was a voice recording option. I record — a lot. When you’ve worked in journalism, you need to be prepared for an interview or instructions wherever you go.
Keeping an old-school, hand-held tape recorder is a drag, especially if you are the unlucky person (read: me) who didn’t realize it stopped recording on its own while a celebrity was chit-chatting away. Never in my life have I completed a written interview so fast, just trying to type out every single thing I remember him saying verbatim — without getting cursed out by his publicist to rebook the phone conversation.
Earlier this week, when speaking with an attorney, I immediately asked him if I could record our phone conversation to make sure I understood all of the paperwork instructions for a Small Claims case.
Last month, I had a disagreement with a real estate rep, and my pet camera recorded the entire altercation from the hallway. So you would think that someone who is as tech-happy as me would be into GPT-3 and other tech-centric journaling. I am absolutely not.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
No, thank you, I’ll hold my journal in my hands
I’m not quite sure whether it’s because I’m an ’80s baby and lived a considerable amount of my life without the Internet, but I just don’t need artificial intelligence to be my best writing friend.