actual conversation from saturday

[jazzfish]

COWORKER R: So what did you do before?

ME: I was a tech writer for a bunch of software companies.

R: Oh, like documentation? Isn't that really boring?

ME: I mean, that's part of why I'm not doing it anymore.

R: Yeah, it's part knowing the tech, which is a real skill, and the rest is just admin work.

ME: Okay, I disagree pretty strongly with that.

R: I'm a program manager at a tech company, and we replaced three of our four writers with ChatGPT. The last writer just has to proofread it.

ME: This conversation is over.

---

I saw the writing on the wall a year and a half ago, and I have no regrets about getting out.

Maybe in another five years whatever parts of "the tech industry" care about documentation will realize that no, actually they do need real writers. I'm not optimistic.

Comments

[reedrover]

I just saw a “We told you so” post about medical transcription and AI. The AI transcription service at one hospital contracted for is so bad that the previously-fired human service had to be re-hired to clean up all of the AI-transcribed stuff.

[jessie_c]

I don't know why they're calling it 'artificial intelligence' when it's really 'actual stupid'.

[shadowkat]

Basically they put you down all the way through the conversation to build themselves up? Ugh.

Also, I really wish people would stop dissing admin. Admin is important. How do people think they get paid? That items are paid for or provided? Their rights are upheld? Benefits, health and otherwise provided? Etc? By osmosis? I worked for a tech company once - a video game distributor/developer - which ignored the administrative department and kind of saw it as immaterial, the cool kids were the game developers and sales. That tech company is long gone, got swallowed up by another one - who cared about admin.