Following on previous item about writing vs thinking.
A closely related theme seen in the same places:
You need to consume lots of books before you can write.
First: This axiom makes it too easy to defend AI. Sam’s machine consumes billions of books and other writings and mushes them all together to form its own writing. How is this different from what writers allegedly do?
Second: I do the opposite. In courseware, where I want to maintain the best quality, I strictly avoid reading other courseware. I know that I’ll inevitably be pulled or pushed by similar work. Consciously or not, the similar work will pull my output in its direction. If I recognize the pull, I’ll consciously push my version away from the source.
I apply the same rule in other writing, maybe less strictly. When I encounter a writer who sounds a lot like my output, it’s tempting to devour lots of the pleasant reinforcement. If I gobble it up, I’ll be pulled or pushed, so I don’t gobble. I don’t want to sound like someone else, and I don’t want to sound like the polar opposite of someone else. I want to sound like myself. Otherwise there’s not much point in writing!
Polistra's Mill 