How I Used ChatGPT to Stay Connected Authentically with my Family While in Poland

Being real isn't about the tool you use ... it's how you use it.

Created by Artspace.ai

I see people get a lot of flak about using AI in their writing. It's inauthentic, not honest, or makes you less of a human ... especially if you autogenerate even 3 words.

For example, Medium publications are asking for only "100% human writing" or the citation of any word generated by AI, both of which will be unsustainable soon.

But I won't get into that ... let's talk about what it means to be "authentic."

Just like any other writing, authenticity isn't in the tool, it's in how you use the tool (and sometimes how the tool uses you). 

Don't get me wrong ... I don't autogenerate a lot of my writing. I like microgenerations but rarely cut and paste those. (These are generations 50-200 words that appear as I write).

This isn't because I think it is less authentic ... any word that autogenerates from my writing exists because I did something. For most writing, though, these microgenerations don't exactly hit the mark, but often give me ideas on how to continue my writing.

And even if I find a perfect sentence in that generation to cut and paste into my text ... that perfect sentence would not exist without a lot of work on my part.

If that sentence happens to communicate my sincere reality, thought, or experience, then why not use it with thoughtful intention? It is as much my sentence as any other.

But I digress, because I want to show how I used autogeneration to connect to my family in authentic ways.

Being Authentic with Autogeneration

I take students to Poland for two weeks every year to explore writing in multinational and cross-cultural environments. Since we have twin four-year-olds and my wife works, this is not easy. With the time zone difference and everyone's busy schedules, it is also hard to stay connected.

So this year, I decided to play a game. I've hidden around our house one poem for every day that I'm gone. Each poem talks about something I miss doing with my family. To help them find the poems, I send them a riddle each day.

Here is an example:

Riddle:
Where steam and hiss meet ground beans’ cheer,
A spot Dad frequents when he is here.
Underneath the machine that whirs and gleams,
Find a tale spun from sugary dreams.

Poem:
Beneath the machine where coffee brews,
Hides a tale of delightful news.
Of sweet macaroons and cafe trips,
Of Parisian dreams at our fingertips.

We'd visit Mayte's, hand in hand,
A little French cafe, oh so grand.
Biting into a macaroon, a burst of delight,
In those moments, everything felt right.

Under this machine, espresso dark and deep,
A memory of those sweet trips we keep.
The smell of coffee, macaroons in a row,
These are the moments I yearn for, you know.

So when you find this, my dear little mites,
May the memory of our cafe trips ignite.
Though far, I'm with you in every bite,
By the espresso machine, find love's light.

But notice the specificity of the text. We have an espresso machine, because when we first moved, our town had terrible coffee. But since then, a little French cafe opened up called Mayte's that also serves great macaroons.

Going to Mayte’s is one our favorite things to do as a family. It is also known as the macaroon place.

This is because I designed the prompt around my experiences with my family. I simply gave AI the following:

Hiding place: Under espresso machine
What I miss: eating macaroons at a French cafe called Mayte's.

And that pretty much gave all the above. Not a genius piece of poetry for sure, but more than enough for a little game.

➡️ See the full prompt here.

What is Authenticity?

I simply did this sixteen times. Had I sat down for hours on hours and written these myself, would that be more authentic?

Probably not ... because I don't think I could even do it!

So how does this help us understand authenticity?

Authenticity is not about the amount of time or effort put into something (or what tools you use), but rather the intention behind it and the connection it creates. 

Sometimes that takes a lot of time ... sometimes that takes collaboration ... and sometimes that just takes a new tool.

Let's stop using AI as some kind of litmus test for being real and start thinking about what it means to be authentic in an AI world.

Have you used AI to connect to people in human ways? Let us know in the comments.

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