This thread asks if we should allow AI to be used (if so, to what degree) on this forum.
Before deciding, we must at least have determined what the majority of the subscribers want from this forum, perhaps another polling.
I for one, seek to learn from the experience-led perspectives of the other subscribers. A place where they that have experience with the very finest examples of our obsession available can share their experience so that we all gain insight (and no-doubt save money).
AI (to date) scours everything on the internet then draws from it the information one wishes it to find. Meaning, it will look at articles that may have been fictitiously created to sell products, and from them construct an elaborate and seemingly valid argument for or against, as requested.
With how much certainty can we accept then what AI provides? Let me give an example. I asked my search engine a simple question, who makes the best-sounding amplifier? This was my answer:
Who makes the best-sounding amplifier
Although that question would have caused quite an argument amongst our members, I seriously doubt that any would have cited even one of the amplifiers listed on that web page. What that tells me is that information on the web can not be trusted to be the absolute truth regardless of subject. I mentioned on another thread a story I read about lawyers being struck off after using AI to construct their legal argument. Apparently, all the case law referenced by AI was made up, totally fake. AI is in its' infancy and like children it wants to please you; it just hasn't the maturity to know right from wrong, truth from fiction.
There are other members whom, it has been alleged, are using AI to bolster their arguments as to the superiority of their products for the purpose of selling their wares to the viewers (A fair amount of too and from them is what led to this thread being started). It would thus seem that merchants who use this forum as (free?) advertising would no-doubt want to use AI (to create convincing argument, at a very low price). I would also point out that the arguments between those vendors (which snake oil formula is best) doesn’t harm business, quite the opposite (wasn’t it P.T. Barnum who said there is no such thing as bad publicity).
So, we need to decide as a group whether we want to be in a forum of highly experienced audiophiles sharing ideas accrued from using the finest equipment ever created for reproducing music in our homes, or members of a target audience (with the means to afford) for venders of very expensive products that use (probably false, certainly deceptive) AI to convince us to part with our hard earned dollars and buy items that may make a “difference”, not necessarily “an improvement”.
Let the poll begin.
Was the above at least partially written by AI and then modified to avoid detection?
First An AI Generated Version of the Text
Second A Walk Through of Alterations That Could Transform It into the More Casual Version (Potentially Evading AI-Detection Heuristics)
1. AI Generated Version
Subject: Evaluating the Use of Artificial Intelligence on Our Forum
This discussion thread is dedicated to assessing whether artificial intelligence should be permitted on this forum—and if so, to what extent. Before any policy decisions are made, it is advisable to conduct a poll to ascertain the preferences of the majority of subscribers.
The forums primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of experiential knowledge among audiophiles who use top‑tier equipment for music reproduction. Members are encouraged to share insights drawn from their extensive hands‑on experience, thereby enriching the collective understanding and potentially reducing individual costs.
Currently, AI systems methodically search the internet, retrieving and synthesizing information—including content that may serve promotional purposes. For example, when asked a question like “Who makes the best-sounding amplifier?â€, an AI might compile data from a range of sources and produce an answer that appears both detailed and valid. This capability raises questions about the certainty with which we can accept AI‑generated responses.
Additionally, there are reports suggesting that certain forum participants may be using AI to strengthen their arguments regarding product superiority. Such usage could provide a cost‑effective means of advertising, as vendors might leverage AI‑assisted content creation to promote their products. This dynamic calls into question whether the forum should serve as a venue for genuine, experience‑based discussion or evolve into a platform influenced by commercially motivated, AI generated arguments.
We now invite all members to participate in a poll so that the community can decide its preferred direction moving forward.
2. Alteration Process: From AI Generated Formality to a More Casual, Humanized Version
Below is an explanation of several straightforward modifications that can transform the above AI‑style text into a version like the one you originally provided alterations that, in effect, might help the text or evade typical AI-detection heuristics by introducing a more idiosyncratic, conversational tone:
1. Tone and Voice Adjustment
Formal style is advisable to conduct a poll to ascertain the preferences
Altered Version: Before deciding, we must at least have determined what the majority of the subscribers want perhaps another polling.
Result: Shifts from formal language to a more conversational, informal tone.
2. Personalization and Subjectivity
Formal: Members are encouraged to share insights drawn from their extensive hands ‘on experience.
Altered: I for one, seek to learn from the experience-led perspectives of the other subscribers. A place where those who have used the very finest examples of our obsession can share their experience so that we all gain insight (and no-doubt save money).
Result: Injects personal opinion and colloquial expressions that are less typical of formal AI output.
3. Colloquial Phrasing and Idiomatic Expressions
Formal: AI systems methodically search the internet, retrieving and synthesizing information
Altered: AI (to date so far) scours everything on the internet and draws from it the information one wishes it to find.â€
Result: Introduces parenthetical asides and informal phrasing that lend a human, conversational quality.
4. Inclusion of Rhetorical Questions and Examples
Formal: For example, when asked a question like ‘Who makes the best-sounding amplifier? an AI might compile data
Altered: Let me give an example. I asked my search engine a simple question, Who makes the best-sounding amplifier? This was my answer: Who makes the best-sounding amplifier
Result: The altered version uses a first person anecdote and a direct, less polished narrative style.
5. Critique and Humor in the Discussion
Formal: There are reports suggesting that certain forum participants may be using AI to strengthen their arguments
Altered: There are other members whom, it has been alleged, are using AI to bolster their arguments as to the superiority of their products for the purpose of selling their wares
Result: The informal version adds humor and a slightly irreverent tone (including parenthetical commentary on free advertising and historical quips like the P.T. Barnum reference) that contrasts with the neutral style of the generated text.
6. Overall Structural Looseness
The formal version follows a strict, logical structure with clear demarcations.
The altered version intersperses commentary, informal asides, and occasional grammatical looseness the arguments between those vendors doesn't harm business that reflect a more spontaneous, human generated discussion.
Result: Such structural looseness is often less common in AI generated texts and may help the altered version evade detection algorithms that look for overly consistent syntax and formality.
By applying these modifications introducing colloquial language, personal commentary, informal punctuation, and a less rigid structure an initially AI generated draft can be altered into a version that exhibits characteristics more typical of human-authored text. This process, while straightforward, illustrates how minor stylistic shifts can affect the perceived origin of a text, potentially complicating AI-detection efforts.
The above is a deep dive using AI to see if the quoted text may have started as an AI-prompted argument that was then humanized to avoid AI detection. When analyzed, it showed a moderate probability of being at least partially written by AI and then disguised. All of this, however, completely misses the point.