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LM: #306: With AI, we don’t need books. Except…
LLMs such as ChatGPT have replaced books. In some ways.
I personally love using ChatGPT for research. The information I get is custom-tailored to the question on my mind in that moment. So it fits my level of interest and knowledge.
I still read plenty of books, but the reason I read books has changed. I used to read non-fiction books even if I had a specific question about a subject. It either required a lot of patience to wait until I read the answer to my question, or a lot of searching within my e-reader or the index to find what I was looking for.
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Now when I read a book, it’s mostly because I don’t have a specific question at the front of my mind. Reading a book is now less of a scavenger hunt and more of a stroll through the landscape of a subject.
Even more important than the subject covered by a book is the way the author thinks. When I talk to an AI, my own brain is in the driver’s seat. When I read a book, the author is in charge.
In this way, reading a book is like trying on a brain. The same way I will act differently wearing a tuxedo than a bathing suit and flip flops, I will think differently based upon whose brain I’m trying on.
And if I wear it long enough, it will change who I am.
Aphorism: “A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.” —Franz Kafka
Book: Eats, Shoots & Leaves (Amazon) is a guide for the aspiring punctuation snob.
Best,
David
P.S. Submit your questions for the upcoming AMA/Livestream.
