r/nosurf • u/orphanofhypnos • 21h ago

Another reason to quit: chat gpt posts all over reddit

If you needed another reason to get off the platform, I'm seeing a worrying pattern of people talking like ai. I don't actually think these are bots; when challenged they respond normally.

So why are they spreading ai speak? English as second language "practice"? Karma farming?

It's easy to spot because it uses the familiar "school essay" style of paragraphs where you "tell ''em your gonna tell 'em, then tell 'em, then tell them you told them". That works in a long essay where the thesis and summary sentences are different than the content but it's very obvious when the "middle sentences" are the same as the summary. Eg the paragraphs are devoid of meaning.

For example, I had an exchange about this just now on r out of the loop and when I clicked to his profile, other people have also noticed they sound like AI...

TLDR get off the internet; it's filled with bots and humans mimicking bots.

70 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

21

u/CarlSchmittDog 13h ago

People should read the Dead Internet Theory, at least as a perspective/theory. Once you realize most people in hot discussed topics are bots, you never gonna come back to the internet for discussion.

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u/JustthenewsonCS 10h ago

What is the best source on this? I found some discussions on this, but most weren't that convincing. I don't think anyone denies bots are on sites, it is obvious they are. But I just haven't seen anything that convinced me the majority of it is at this point.

However, would really love a well argued video on this if you have one.

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u/godspareme 8h ago

I wish I could offer what you seek but instead I suggest you to spend a few days investigating profiles of posters. Particularly on the large, default low-effort subs where you can just repost old content without issue. 

Im not convinced it's the majority, yet. I am convinced it's significant enough that it is killing my interest. Reddit is just a timesink for me rather than anything entertaining.

I really want to go back to the internet where everything was on individual forums instead of an aggregation of forums (reddit). Still possible but harder to bot spam a bunch of small forums.

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u/JustthenewsonCS 7h ago

Have you found any? Every forum I was aware of existing in the past looks like it went offline.

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u/godspareme 7h ago

The only one I am aware that has anything resemblance of activity is Paizo's for the Pathfinder TTRPG

13

u/BananaPeely 20h ago

A bunch of real people on reddit just use ai to give answers because it can write enticing and informed opinions for just about everything

11

u/apetc 18h ago

Or at least the appearance of informed, in some cases.

9

u/BananaPeely 18h ago

Yeah, I chose a bad word for it. AI just gives out the most generic and ignorant advice in so many topics. It perpetuates the idea that the truth about something is whatever the first result says. The consequence of training AI using the internet as training data is that it forms the same opinions as whatever echo chambers exist for a specific topic.

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1

u/Comprehensive_Yak442 19h ago

Fascinating. Are you allowed to post a link?

6

u/sexual--predditor 13h ago

Here's an example of a wank ChatGPT reply to the OP:

I think this is a really interesting observation and worth unpacking. While I agree that some comments and posts do come across as "AI-like," there are a few reasons this might happen that don’t necessarily involve actual AI or bots.

ESL Practice: You mentioned English as a second language, and I think that could play a part. Many ESL learners are taught a rigid writing structure in school that emphasizes clarity and organization. The "tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em" format is a common pedagogical tool for teaching essay writing, so it’s not surprising that it might show up in informal settings like Reddit.

Karma Farming: Karma farmers are another likely factor. Some people craft bland, overly polite, or generic comments to farm upvotes because it’s safe and avoids controversy. This can come across as robotic or formulaic, but it’s really just a strategy to gain Reddit karma for other purposes (e.g., selling accounts or using them for other subreddits).

Cultural Shift: It’s worth considering that the prevalence of AI-like writing might reflect a cultural shift toward concise, structured, and "algorithmic" communication. Social media, SEO, and professional communication trends often reward clear, formulaic writing that aligns with this style, so people may unintentionally mimic it.

AI Influence: Exposure to AI tools like ChatGPT might also have an indirect effect. People interact with AI-generated text and, whether they realize it or not, they may adopt some of its patterns when they write.

Low-Effort Posting: Sometimes people just throw together generic responses without much thought. The lack of originality and depth in their comments can make them sound like they’re following a formula, even if there’s no AI involved.

Ultimately, while it’s frustrating to encounter shallow or repetitive comments, I think it’s a stretch to assume these are bots or even people intentionally trying to sound like AI. Instead, it’s likely a mix of the factors above. It’s good to stay vigilant, though—if someone really does seem suspicious, reporting them is always an option.

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u/GetANonPayingJob 11h ago

You can just tell it’s been highly trained on articles with key points and the conclusion is always a giveaway till u ask it to tell how many r’s does strawberry have

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u/TheNonsenseBook 11h ago

One of the big tells I've noticed because I played with ChatGPT a lot when it first came out is that it usually finishes with some sort of warning or caution, probably part of its prompt behind the scenes to try to make sure its answers are safer. This one finishes with just such a caution.