Craig Mod writes:

Thinking about having an LLM “write for me” triggers my gag reflex. Every day I get several obviously LLM-written emails from “fans” or “readers” “pitching” me on their new product or essay or book. But how can I trust a person who can’t even write an email? Those emails get deleted immediately. LLM writing has its place (usually in transactional correspondence where humanity is irrelevant). But its place is not in essays, books, or personal emails. If an LLM can write your book or essay, then it’s not the book or essay you should be writing.

I wish I had the luxury of ignoring the synthetic words of my colleagues. In theory, I could, and I’m sure my colleagues wouldn’t actually mind (or notice). They’d be perfectly fine with delegating their agency to an LLM, and live in bliss, unencumbered by a grump who cares.

And it’s for that reason that I feel compelled to respond, to dig in to their long and ill-considered tomes. So I cannot just give a thumbs up (or a LGTM) or worse, ignore these messages outright. I get paid to care, and I have my vocation in some part because I care.

LGTM culture was called out by Brie Wolfson back in her 2022 piece titled What I Miss About Working at Stripe:

A few months ago, someone complained to me that the new (very hot stuff) startup they were at had a “lgtm culture.” Upon inquiry, they explained that no matter what they do or how good it is, everyone just says “looks good to me.” “I know I should feel good about being a competent, trusted, contributing team member,” he continued, “and my new colleagues are so, so kind, but at the end of the day I just feel like no one has any standards.” He looked down at his coffee for a moment. “I’m afraid I’m never going to see my best work again.” 

That last line encapsulates how so many folks are feeling. Despite having the power of all-knowing, fast-working robots at the tips of our fingers, it seems harder to do big, important work than ever.

Between the meetings and the messages and the hedonic treadmill of tools, there’s no time for people to come together and accomplish grand feats of technology. Everyone yearns for the small pockets in their day to breathe and push along the smallest tasks to keep their interests moving.

They go with the flow, and maintain status quo, because that means that they can keep playing their single player game for a quarter more.

LLMs make this charade automatic. But if it all becomes fake work, then it’s not really your vocation, is it?