Our minds often seek to muddle rather than clarify. But we have the power to notice this in ourselves, and others
Psychodynamic psychotherapists do not give their patients advice, and although this is a column and not a psychotherapy session, I do try to stick to this when writing about how to build a better life. However, I am now breaking that rule. I advise you never to read anything by ChatGPT, ever. Or, as ChatGPT might put it, having taken all factors into consideration in the process of reaching the aforementioned conclusion, it could be beneficial to note the following if you find yourself in the position of wishing for your life to be different in a positive way from how it currently is: Never. Read. Anything. Written. By. ChatGPT. Ever. And don’t @me.
This kind of wordy “slop” with its multiple mind-numbing clauses often features in the text produced by AI chatbots. It’s what I call the thickening agent: something added to the text that brings no meaning – no flavour or nutrition; that takes up page/brain space and makes it more difficult to understand, not easier. The text seems to be saying something and then, suddenly, it isn’t. In journalism school I learned to KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid. AI chatbots do not appear to have been taught the same.
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