Title: Coprolite

[swirlsofpurple]

 

In October 2563 vast amounts of twenty first century literature was recovered. All of it was labelled ‘AI version’, implying a non-AI version. This was the first evidence which implied that literature pre-dated AI, which was previously thought impossible. Over the last four years many researchers have tried to find the machine or system which was used to create literature before AI with no concrete results.

Now, there’s a strange new theory: literature was created by humans.

(An excerpt from article 214.32.79 Title: Human-made Literature! Date: 3.8.2567)

 

It is impossible for humans to have created literature. As we all know, when humans try to write they only come up with a regurgitation of what AI has already created. This is conclusive, states Claudette et al.

(An excerpt from article 586.91.76 Title: Human-made literature theory DEBUNKED! Date 7.8.2567)  

 

People of the old world used the phrase ‘AI slop’. AI versions were not created because they were better. Non-AI versions were superior. Modern day humans are incapable of creating in this way due to only ever being exposed to what would’ve once been called AI slop.

Our movement seeks to raise our children without exposure to AI, in the hope that their true potential may be reached.

(An excerpt from the manifesto of extremist anti-AI group True Selves Date 3.6.2569)

 

The term ‘slop’ had a different usage in the twenty first century. It meant superior. States Gem et al.

(Search: etymology, history, 21^st century: word: slop Search Date 4.6.2569)

 

The ‘stories’ these non-AI exposed children are creating are strange and bizarre and worrying. Recommendation is that these children are removed from their house-holds and put into state care.

(An excerpt of the Children’s services report on True Selves Date 22.11.2581)

 

Dearest Shenlhafi,

Ugh. Two decades! My life’s work! Reconstructing the original versions! And now, all of it, called into question by this stupid fucking ancient advert!

It’s for an AI detector, it says it will ‘spot them using an em-dash’. Can you believe it?

So now everyone thinks no one was using em-dashes pre-AI and they think my reconstructions, which are filled with em dashes, are horrifically inaccurate or they are going back to the luddite idea of pre-AI literature being a hoax.  

I know the em-dashes were definitely used pre-AI. I’ve spent twenty years scrutinising these works. It is really confusing though. Why would an AI detection system advertise by saying it can spot em dashes if people were already using em dashes. It makes them look like a crock of shit. Bizarre.

Ugh, I’ve made this all about me, sorry I’m in a mood. Hoping the phone wall is being good to you, I still can’t believe your new job has phones, so vintage!

Loving you most tenderly,

Serene

(Entire letter from Serene Strand (former True Selves child, adopted away from the movement age ten) Date 3.3.2612)

 

Our AI systems have created everything they can create. They are just rehashing. We need to feed some of these new Human-Made stories into them. With that they’ll be able to create thousands more stories. Of course they don’t want to sell, they’ve got these dumb anti-AI ideas. Maybe we just don’t ask permission. Get it done.

(Excerpt from email sent from CEO of Story-Corp Alphis Toddle to Mid-level executive administrator Rachalsij (surname redacted) Date 3.8.2621)

 

Serene Strand found being held captive. Strand claims she was being forced to write stories to feed the AI systems at Story-Corp. Psych eval requested.

(excerpt from police report 963.42.1 Date 4.10.2623)

 

To Rhazi,

It’s wild! A whole underground network of writers. You’ll never guess how we keep everything away from the AI feeds. Pen and paper! It’s the strangest sensation. And my hand-writing still looks like the dog’s bollocks, but it feels so good to be a part of this.

(An excerpt of letter from (name redacted) Date 24.12.2626)

 

New guidance on the welfare and safety of children advises restrictions and limits on their exposure to AI.

(An excerpt of statute 757.8296 Date 6.6.2635)

 

Top ten bestsellers book list

10. The salty house

9. Underneath

8. Love undying

7. Haunted complex

6. The time travellers (a retelling)

5. Clutch

4. Sleep until

3. A narrow arch

2. Cold (Serene Strand tells her story)

1. The signs point to yes

For the first time recorded history, every book in the top ten bestsellers book list is Human-made.

(Excerpt from top ten bestsellers article 868.33.19 Date 1.1.2642)

 

 

Comments

[thephantomq]

Oh God the idea of AI Slop being considered to be the only literature in the future just -- Christ. That's horrifying to think about. It makes my eye twitch. No thank you. AI WAS TRAINED OFF OF HUMAN ART. Ahhhhhh.

I loved this take on the prompt. <3

[swirlsofpurple]

Yes, the AI trained on human art!! I hate when people say AI's not stealing because it's like when people are influenced by all the writing they've read, but it's not the same at all, humans actually think, we take the things we read and create something wholly new, whereas AI only aggregates.

Thank you, glad you liked my take on the prompt :)

[drippedonpaper]

I heard in an interview recently that "ai art and movies are simply a new genre."

Well, it's a genre I have no interest in. A big thing for me is, I like to think that art (writing, etc) are a chance to "share" a human connection with the creator. That's the main reason I have no interest in AI art etc.

You had a very creative use of the prompt :)

[swirlsofpurple]

A new genre. Eep. Okay that made me look up the official meaning of genre. I don't think it has a style, it's just whatever it's prompted for, I suppose it could be said that it has the set characteristic of it being AI.

Oh, I agree so much, good creation has humanity at the core. How can a thing that isn't human explore the human condition in any meaningful way.

Thank you, glad you found my use of the prompt creative :)

[muchtooarrogant]

I enjoyed your format with this. It was a fun guessing game to see what type of article would come up next. And,
It’s for an AI detector, it says it will ‘spot them using an em-dash’. Can you believe it?
Hilarious!

For the first time recorded history, every book in the top ten bestsellers book list is Human-made.
Oh, I dunno! 6. The time travellers (a retelling) sounds pretty AI Sloppy! LOL

As always, great entry!

Dan

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the format :)

Yeah, that was the actual inspiration for this story, my nearest bus stop had a full ad, covering the entire height of the bus stop, for an AI detector claiming it would spot em dashes. I was like WTF.

LOL. That's sort of what I was going for, the majority of writers in this world still would've grown up with the majority of their reading being slop, so their writing is going to be a little sloppy. Also, the human race is having to teach itself to write from scratch again, so there isn't a foundation of human writing to build on.

[alycewilson]

I liked the epistolary form for this story. It's a great way to cover a long period of time with just the most important portions.

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, glad you liked the form :)

[bsgsix]

This is such a creative way to go through the future, and to tell what might become of us (what... WILL become of us, maybe?). And to wonder if AI slop is just going to be the Almighty Entertainment of the future is such a creepy, awful thought. But that end of top-ten bestsellers being human - now THAT I can get behind.

This feels so relevant and important. Well done, and creative at that! <3

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, glad you found it relevant and important :)

[spaciireth]

This is unsettling plausible, but thank you for ending it with that ray of hope!

[swirlsofpurple]

Gotta have a ray of hope ;)

Thank you :)

[humanbeansradio]

I start all my stories and poems on a legal pad. I love yellow paper. Not sure what that is but I am neurospicy so... anyway, my son asked the other day if I was worried people might think my writing was AI. I was like, no... I have my legal pads, they can clearly see if they need to that I write my own stories... to which he replied (killing my soul in the process) 'no, they will just say you copied it from the screen'.

(Beat.)

Um.

This is very creatively well done. Good on you. Thank you for sharing.

[swirlsofpurple]

Ugh. That is so depressing. I feel like it will inevitably happen, there are so many AI witch-hunts already happening. I'll probably be upset when it happens. But at the moment I'm of the opinion that, given I've been posting stories on the internet since 2002, and my style is still similar, anyone making that accusation is just a plain idiot.

Thank you, glad you found it creative :)

[halfshellvenus]

I liked this very much, and sadly, this is a future I could see becoming real. The more you expose the masses to slop of any kind, the less discerning they become. And "cheap" drives so much of what's available. :(

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, glad you like it :)

Yeah. It is worrying to think about.

[unmowngrass]

Oh, I enjoyed this! But I really hope it doesn't take 600 years to get rid of AI...

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed :)

[gardeningatnight]

I enjoyed the epistolary format for this -- it was a nice way to have little vignette snapshots, which really feeling the progression of time.

Although I really hope this is a vision of the future that will not come to pass. ;)

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, glad you likes the format and snapshots :)

Lol, hopefully ;)

[krispykritter]

This is horrifying to even think about! Yikes!

[swirlsofpurple]

IKR. Thank you :)

[imafarmgirl]

This was clever.

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you :)

[banana_galaxy]

This truly is a horrifying future to consider, the idea that AI came before literature and people really not knowing an accurate history because they learned from AI. Unfortunately I can also see it happening if people let it.

[swirlsofpurple]

IKR. It feels like even today there are people who've forgotten things. So many people will say 'it's so amazing, you ask and it just gives you the answer' And I'm like ??? we've had search engines for over a decade and those are so much better because they give you options and you can choose a reliable source as opposed to something which we know makes things up.

Thank you :)

[banana_galaxy]

Yeah absolutely. I hate how many people have bought into the narrative that everything an AI tells them is the truth. I miss search engines before AI summaries.

[ofearthandstars]

This feels uncomfortably plausible for the future.

[swirlsofpurple]

IKR. Thank you :)

[kandigurl]

Tell Stephen King to pack it in, this is the scariest story I’ve ever read. XD

I hate that I could see it happening, too!

[swirlsofpurple]

LOL Thank you XD

[inchoatewords]

Clever but horrifying!

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you :)

[adpazd]

The thought of AI being the end-all and be-all of the future is only slightly less scary than globak warming. I love epistolary stories, and this was a good one of found literature. Very well done!

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you :)

[bleodswean]

*vomits* OMG, J. This is so good and so terrible and I just have to go take a long long long walk now.

Your sci-fi brain is a thing of philosophical wonder.

[swirlsofpurple]

Thank you, so glad it had an impact :)

Your sci-fi brain is a thing of philosophical wonder.

*SQUEES*