I haven't used any AI for simple proofreading before. Today, I updated to the latest Mac OS (15.1). Its most prominent feature is its integrated AI tools.
I've been going through my works with its proofreading tool, and I find it fantastic. Missing commas, missing dashes, missing quote-marks, misspellings, and wrong tense for verbs, etc.
It caught so many, and it was right on every change. Fantastic!
I've been testing it for some time (via the beta program) and I agree it's very useful.
That said, it's not useful enough for me, as it cannot be customized to accept individual style. For example, I always use '12:04pm' as my standard time format, and it insists on correcting it to '12:04p.m.'.
Hopefully, they'll add the ability to customize it or create some kind of style guide, which would make it MUCH more useful and would allow me to stop paying for my customizable proofreading tools.
For example, I always use '12:04pm' as my standard time format, and it insists on correcting it to '12:04p.m.'.
Does it actually correct it or does it suggest a correction? If the latter, all you have to do is ignore the suggestion. If it actually makes the change, I don't think I would use it. I like to be in control (have final say).
I'm on OS 14.6.1 But when I update to 15.1, how do I use the proofreader? Where is it?
Does it actually correct it or does it suggest a correction? If the latter, all you have to do is ignore the suggestion. If it actually makes the change, I don't think I would use it.
I like to be in control (have final say).
It depends on the app. In TextEdit, it makes changes and shows them to you as red underlines and you can revert them.
In Pages, it gives you a revised version you can either paste over your current text or copy (but doesn't identify the changes).
This is clearly a 'revision 0.1' version. It'll improve and Sherlock most other proofreading apps on Mac.
I'm on OS 14.6.1 But when I update to 15.1, how do I use the proofreader? Where is it?
Under 'Edit/Writing Tools' for any application that supports it (I've tried TextEdit and Pages). The menu does not show up in Word or BBEdit, for example.
In Pages, it gives you a revised version you can either paste over your current text or copy (but doesn't identify the changes).
This is clearly a 'revision 0.1' version. It'll improve and Sherlock most other proofreading apps on Mac.
It does have the feel of an 0.1 release (maybe 0.2 – sort of like a Microsoft 2.1).
I was really hoping it would flag the individual changes use change tracking, but it just replaces all of the text.
I also tried the Make Professional option, just for shits and giggles. It did a good job of matching the meaning of my text, but the verbiage was very stilted. The Friendly version didn't change much of my original text.
I believe this is part of their AI push, which means you'll probably need a Mac with at least an M1 chip (i.e. Apple silicon) to use it.
but it just replaces all of the text
That's a dead-on-arrival for me. Especially in fiction where I intentionally break rules.
And if it's by app, since I use Word it's not even an option for me.
And if it's by app, since I use Word it's not even an option for me.
It's not an app, it's a MacOS service. As noted by another poster, the writing tools appear with a right click (or in the menu as I noted).
The menu does not show up in Word or BBEdit, for example.
In BBEdit, right-clicking/control-clicking a selection displays the 'Writing Tools' menu, which works.
I've been using 'Copy' after invoking the 'Proofread' option, creating a new window, pasting, and diffing to see changes. I've accepted all the changes it made so far.
I've been using 'Copy' after invoking the 'Proofread' option, creating a new window, pasting, and diffing to see changes. I've accepted all the changes it made so far.
Thanks for the tip! I should have thought to try that.
I cannot accept many of the changes it proposes because of style choices, and it's not configurable.
The fact that it doesn't work 'in-line' the way my paid writing tools do is seriously problematic, because it would slow my workflow. Yes, BBDiff is great, but not nearly as efficient as in-line checking or a window which displays all proposed changes and allows accepting or declining them.
As I said, this is a 0.1 release, and I'm sure it'll get better.
If you think about it, 12:04 p.m. is correct as it stands for post meridian. Meridian being noon when the sun is at its meridian position. I also agree with Switch Blayde's comment to you. I use Grammarly to help point out my mistakes, it works well with MS Word. It underlines each one then displays the "suggested" correction. I like to be in control of such things as well. Just be aware that Grammarly is not perfect. Neither is chatGPT. I haven't tried Microsoft's Copilot yet, so I don't know how accurate it is.
If you think about it, 12:04 p.m. is correct as it stands for post meridian
I can't find a single clock that shows the periods/full stops. Every digital clock I have or my friends have simply show 'am' and 'pm' with no punctuation. So to say that 'p.m.' is 'correct' is, at best opinion, and I've given counterexamples of common use (which is the only true judge of what is acceptable or not).
We don't write N.A.T.O or I.B.M. in general usage, and in the UK, Mr and Mrs are considered proper. PhD is also used with regularity, rather than Ph.D.
To conclude, 'am' and 'pm' are perfectly acceptable and correct, and conform to the trend of dropping hyphens, periods, and diacritical marks etc (consider we went from coöperate to co-operate to cooperate).
Be careful when using AIs. I use chatGPT to help with creating outlines for my story ideas. Sometimes I hit a wall and use GPT to help create a scene I'm having trouble with as long as it doesn't trigger the content filter. One of my stories was rejected by Literotica citing AI use. They even condemned the use of AIs as proofreaders. Even though I edited the scene created by the AI to fit the story it was still flagged and rejected. Fortunately, none of the stories proofread by Grammarly were flagged. Apparently, SOL doesn't check or care because the story rejected by Literotica was posted on SOL. I would never post a story entirely created by an AI but I don't mind assistance ever now and then.
One of my stories was rejected by Literotica citing AI use. They even condemned the use of AIs as proofreaders.
How would they know?
How would they know?
They use AI to detect the use of AI text.
I personally don't care about the use of AI because of the site's scoring system manages to show AI-generated stories, as they are not fun to read and none of them score well yet.
Hmm, I've been playing around with a site that has an AI explicitly set up and trained for story writing. It isn't set up to be used as a chat bot and it has tools for defining characters and other things that you don't get with a chat bot.
Maybe I'll post something under a separate pseudonym as an experiment.
They use AI to detect the use of AI text.
Which amuses me, because AIs are notoriously bad at detecting AI text (even according to the AI developers themselves). They often report things as AI-generated that are not and vice versa.
One of the UK's top intelligence experts predicted that the primary use of AI will be fighting off malicious attacks by other AIs.
AJ
AI is getting better. It used to be dead simple to spot an AI generated image of a human immediately, just by counting fingers and toes. Now I have to really look with the latest images as they have sorted the excess toes and finger issue along with some of the other tell-tales.
Given the speed at which AI is learning (and correcting), it's really going to be an issue in a year or so. I'm really glad I'm not in school any-more as that shit on mobiles is going to be destructive as hell. And that includes its effect on course work and exam cheating.