Content-Induced Anxiety

I appreciate Substack for going after the AI slop problem with their latest update. But I believe it creates a new, negative experience for those they are trying to protect.

For context, Substack released a feature that allows readers to scan published posts to see how much of it was written by hand or essentially by AI. The feature is essentially AI detection powered by AI.

Leaving aside the problems with these tools (e.g., high false-positive rates), opening up Substack last week brought something to the table that, as a human writer, I never wanted...

... More anxiety about writing!

I already care too much about what other people think of my writing, but now I have to write with a creeping thought about how an AI detection engine could say all my genuine writing and thought is AI - and falsely tell the world.

On a deeper level, it took me back to writing in school with a structured rubric that forced me to write a certain way. Instead, I want to be able to write freely, naturally, and without thinking about whether I sound like AI (and whether I'll get penalized for it after the fact).

The funny timing of it all is that Substack released this right around the time I launched Organic.

Organic approaches the challenge (de-slopifying content feeds + promoting real, human thought) but in a more subtle, objective manner.

- You must type every word

- You cannot paste

- Your proof of mechanics (not thought, prose, or style) is objectively saved

- You don't get anxious about data. Instead of the hundreds of possible metrics to track, only 3 are analyzed.

Check it out at writeorganic.app for free!