Message-ID: <c7320b248d8b6294a325f87fa9ae98ebbd68f185.camel@cybertec.at>
Subject: Re: Planet Postgres and the curse of AI
From: Laurenz Albe <laurenz.albe@cybertec.at>
To: Greg Sabino Mullane <htamfids@gmail.com>, pgsql-general
	 <pgsql-general@lists.postgresql.org>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:00:50 +0200
In-Reply-To: <CAKAnmm+tbPMdP8ccrJ-o_LVgC6ADdOEoh2=J+zyWNLab6B3+_Q@mail.gmail.com>
References: 
	<CAKAnmm+tbPMdP8ccrJ-o_LVgC6ADdOEoh2=J+zyWNLab6B3+_Q@mail.gmail.com>
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On Wed, 2024-07-17 at 13:21 -0400, Greg Sabino Mullane wrote:
> I've been noticing a growing trend of blog posts written mostly, if not e=
ntirely,=C2=A0with AI
> (aka LLMs, ChatGPT, etc.). I'm not sure where to raise this issue.=C2=A0I=
 considered a blog post,
> but this mailing list seemed a better forum to=C2=A0generate a discussion=
.
>=20
> The problem is two-fold as I see it.
>=20
> First, there is the issue of people trying to game the system by churning=
 out=C2=A0content that is not theirs [...]
>=20
> So this first problem is that it is polluting the Postgres blogs [...]
>=20
> The second problem is worse, in that LLMs are not merely gathering inform=
ation,=C2=A0but have
> the ability to synthesize new conclusions and facts. In short, they can l=
ie.
>=20
> Do we need a policy or a guideline for Planet Postgres? I don't know.=C2=
=A0It can be a gray line.
> Obviously spelling and grammar checking is quite okay,=C2=A0and making up=
 random GUCs is not,
> but the middle bit is very hazy. (Human) thoughts welcome.

As someone who writes blogs and occasionally browses Planet Postgres, this =
has not
struck me as a major problem.  I just scrolled through it and nothing stood=
 out to
me - perhaps I am too na=C3=AFve.

There certainly are people who publish random short utterances, perhaps wit=
h the
intention to hit the "top posters" list, but I don't think we need strong m=
easures.

If anything, I am most annoyed by articles that are just thinly veiled adve=
rtising,
but there is already a policy controlling that.

As long as there is not a flood of AI generated babble (and I cannot see on=
e), I'd
say that this will regulate itself: spewing empty content and lies is not g=
oing to
reflect well on the author and his/her organization.

PostgreSQL has excellent documentation.  Anybody who blindly follows advice=
 from a
blog without checking with the documentation only has himself/herself to bl=
ame.

Yours,
Laurenz Albe