> In fall of 2023, for example, without consulting or informing the editors, Elsevier initiated the use of AI during production, creating article proofs devoid of capitalization of all proper nouns (e.g., formally recognized epochs, site names, countries, cities, genera, etc.) as well italics for genera and species. These AI changes reversed the accepted versions of papers that had already been properly formatted by the handling editors. This was highly embarrassing for the journal and resolution took six months and was achieved only through the persistent efforts of the editors. AI processing continues to be used and regularly reformats submitted manuscripts to change meaning and formatting and require extensive author and editor oversight during proof stage<p>I was the removal of proper nouns some sort of AI safety mechanism?
This tickles my sense of schadenfreude.<p>> The mass resignation is the 20th such episode since early 2023, according to our records. Earlier this year, Nature asked, “what do these group exits achieve?”<p>I'm beyond flabbergasted that people don't yet know the cost of alienating their truest believers with displays of rampant cynicism. To be clear I know nothing about this journal, but I do know that many companies are more eager than ever to see humans as replaceable with language models. Models don't have integrity though. They can slowly destroy your legacy but they won't build it like people will.
Seems like unwise use of AI is creating a backlash. We should probably slow down the headlong rush until we can deploy this technology more wisely.
I’m reminded of Apple’s decade long new product lifecycle. They iterate, test, ruminate, repeat till they have finely polished technologies. Sometimes it just comes down to filing the rough edges off, sometimes a re-think is necessary.
They'll just replace them with AI, or more realistically, "Early Career Researchers" — those in academia with less than 20 years experience (after graduating their PhDs)
What was the status of <i>Journal of Human Evolution</i> in that field? Can it be replaced, and if so, with what?<p>Protests are a tactic in a fight, part of a strategy for victory; they are not a rain dance that is rewarded with good things from a supernatural power. Do these people have a strategy for winning?