Navigating AI on OXZO.com
Whether and how to use AI in a site like this is a bit of a conundrum. I’ve been experimenting with it for two to three years now, so in that sense, I suppose I qualify as an early adopter. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have concerns about AI replacing human roles—not just in the arts, but more broadly, particularly when it comes to the eventual rise of androids.
One area where I do make use of AI is in generative images (currently Midjourney mostly). Sometimes, it’s just a way to add some color and variety to what might otherwise be a stark black-and-white layout. The one major exception is photography. I use my own work. If I’m reviewing a product and I have it in my hands, I’m going to photograph it. A composite AI-generated version of a real item doesn’t hold any appeal for me. I have the camera, I have over forty years of experience, and I set up proper product photography to showcase the real thing. The distinction is simple: illustrations might be AI-generated, but photographs are not. If I include human generated drawings or other forms of artwork, I’ll make a note of it at the time.
As for AI in writing, I do use it—but not in the way that tends to spark objections. If you’re comfortable with spell checkers and grammar tools, then my approach probably won’t raise any alarms. I see AI as an advanced spell and grammar assistant, not a replacement for my own voice. I don’t rely on AI to generate full articles because, aesthetically, I find AI-generated writing too formal, too mechanical. That said, I do use it to generate bullet-point outlines when brainstorming topics. In fact, I have more than one specialized language model instance for that purpose.
I have experimented with letting AI generate full pieces, but the results feel like filler text—something akin to the Latin placeholder text used in web design. It’s useful for structuring a layout or pulling in broad data points, but it’s not what I want for OXZO.com. I’d rather write in my own style. I am training my AI instance to recognize that style, not to write for me, but to refine grammar suggestions and minimize the odd quirks that AI-generated text often exhibits.
So, is AI involved in OXZO.com? Yes. But I’ve found that, as a writer, photographer, and someone with formal training in various creative mediums, balance is key. My methodology is straightforward: I write the rough drafts myself, and then AI serves as a final check for punctuation and grammar. This way, AI hallucinations—those infamous factual errors—don’t creep in. If there are mistakes, they’re my own, and I take responsibility for them.
Speaking of methodology, that’s another topic I’ll be exploring here. My background dates back to the pre-digital era. I studied at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN—the first university in the U.S. to make the internet a requirement. Back then, the internet was command-line-based, there was no World Wide Web, and AI wasn’t even a consideration except in science fiction. My computer in college was a 386 with 2mb of RAM and 30MB of HD. It was an IBM clone of the Apple Macintosh. Academic journals weren’t online until I was in graduate school, where I learned research fundamentals in the early 2000s (Apple Blueberry iMac). My approach to AI today reflects that history: it’s a tool to enhance my workflow, not a crutch to replace effort or originality.
I’ve thought about these issues extensively, and I don’t expect the conversation around AI to be settled anytime soon. Having grown up in an era that was before cell phones and in which I witnessed the rise of personal computer firsthand, I see AI as another wave of technology to be adapted to, much like the ones before it. The key, as always, is figuring out where it fits—and where it doesn’t. I do admit to more trepidation about AI so perhaps I’m exercising more caution and addressing new issues. AI is unlike anything that has come before at least so it seems to me.
Mankind must adapt to it.
