Economist's Viral Post Highlights AI's Impact on Academic Writing
'My Work Task Is Removing Em-Dashes': PhD Economist Goes Viral For Editing AI Text, Netizens React
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Marshall Steinbaum, a PhD economist from the University of Chicago, recently went viral for revealing that much of his work now involves editing AI-generated text, particularly removing em-dashes to mask its automated origin. This has sparked a broader discussion about the implications of AI in scholarly professions.
- 01Marshall Steinbaum's post highlights the shift in academic work due to AI.
- 02Editing AI-generated content has become a common task for professionals.
- 03The removal of em-dashes is seen as necessary to maintain a human-like writing style.
- 04The conversation has sparked humor and critique about originality in academic writing.
- 05Experts across disciplines are experiencing similar challenges with AI content.
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Marshall Steinbaum, a PhD economist at the University of Chicago, recently shared a viral post on social media platform X, revealing that his current work primarily involves editing AI-generated text. He humorously noted that he spends significant time removing em-dashes from outputs produced by the AI model Claude to make the text less recognizable as machine-generated. This comment resonated with many professionals, who acknowledged the growing trend of editing AI content in various fields. The irony of needing to strip away stylistic elements like em-dashes—often associated with quality writing—has led to a lively discussion about the authenticity of AI-generated material. Users across disciplines, including engineering, reported similar experiences, indicating that this phenomenon is not limited to economics. Many commenters raised questions about originality and the necessity of adapting AI outputs to meet human expectations, reflecting a broader concern about the future of written communication in an AI-driven world.
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