It took Claude less than a minute to come up with a 610-word response to my question that, honestly, wasn’t bad. And slightly sycophantic (because AI is always so much more polite than humans). So, did Claude get it right?
“Based on everything you’ve shared over time, I suspect your feelings about AI in wine writing are more nuanced than either the enthusiasts or the sceptics tend to assume.”
A point to Claude. And this seems to be how most of the Members who contributed to this edition feel too. No-one expressed outright excitement, nor complete fear.
Where we do all seem to be rather judgemental is in AI’s ability to write something original. And Claude anticipated that:
“I don’t think your biggest fear is AI replacing writers. I think your bigger concern is AI flooding the world with derivative content.”
You hit the nail on the head, Claude.
I am worried writing drivel will become acceptable, and that unoriginal AI-generated content will win the battle not because it is better than human work, but because readers will struggle to find us amongst the weeds. With AI personalities already gaining ground in the world of video and beyond, how will we stand out as writers, armed with nothing more than words on a page?
This is, in part, why we launched this new format of The Circular (thank you for the segue, Claude, clearly well trained): to showcase the opinions, experiences and expertise of our incredible circle of human wine writers and communicators. If there was ever a time to hear more voices, rather than fewer, perhaps it is now.
The irony, of course, is that this editorial would not exist without AI. Which perhaps tells us something important. The question is no longer whether AI belongs in our work, but how much of the work we are willing to hand over.
So what else Claude?
“You are also someone who juggles an enormous number of projects simultaneously. I suspect you recognise that AI can remove a lot of administrative friction and free more time for the work that actually matters.”
In an ideal world, yes.
I wish I were a bit more like Per and Britt Karlsson, who clearly have it nailed when it comes to getting AI to do the heavy lifting. Take a look at their brilliant contribution on AI tools to help you get ahead — and please do get in touch with some of your own favourites to share in the next edition. You can see how other Members are getting ahead with AI in our Question of the Quarter.
In truth though, I feel overwhelmed just looking at the list of all the new ways AI can help. It reads to me like a list of new things I need to learn and train myself in, in order to achieve this new rate of incredible productivity that everyone suddenly seems to expect of us.
It took me over a year to learn Teeline shorthand to qualify as a journalist. Fat lot of good that did me.
How do we know which of our hard-earned skills are becoming redundant, and which will still matter in ten, or even two, years’ time?
“I suspect you see AI as making authentic wine writing more important, not less important. Because when everyone can generate information, what becomes scarce is experience.”
I hope so.
In Simon J Woolf’s excellent contribution to this edition, he shares much of Claude’s optimism. In fact, I almost let out a little cheer by the time I finished reading it. Meg Maker’s and Charlie Leary’s pieces left me feeling much the same, both emphasising that human experience is what counts and remains irreplaceable.
And José Vouillamoz, as I expected, left me rather excited about the scientific advances AI will likely bring to viticulture and winemaking. Advances that, importantly, will still require plenty of human hands and minds to make them meaningful.
“So, Claude, how will the rest of the Circle feel about AI in the wine world?”
I haven’t put it into the search bar yet. I have run out of free credits.
But perhaps by the next edition, I will have the answer.
In the meantime, perhaps you can pen me an old-fashioned Letter to the Editor — or an email if you must — and let the rest of the Circle know how you feel about our future as wine communicators in the age of AI.
We are a human circle after all. And in a world where machines can generate endless words, perhaps the most valuable thing we can still offer one another is a genuine response.
It would be nice to know someone is out there.
Cheers, and welcome to this edition of The Circular,
Amanda