I must admit, I did wonder about looking for Northwestern University's student conduct office to report Maalvika, but I didn't: she hasn't nicked my stuff, so any complaint about her conduct needs to come from the affected party.
I loathe AI so much and it makes me so bloody sad that people are content with its bland voice, and its trite, people-pleasing cobblers. But then I'm not surprised... Several years ago, I ran a shop selling reproduction vintage clothing. It wasn't cheap, but it was really nice stuff. But then cheaper versions started to appear and people were buying those instead, even though the quality was crap (split seams and zips, shitey fabrics). That was one of the reasons why I packed it in.
But I do agree with you that human-created work will survive, *because it's human*. My website fell over at the weekend and the hosting company only had an AI chatbot to hand. It couldn't fix my problem and just kept repeating back to me what I was saying with insincere sympathy, and sending me links to webpages that weren't any help. It was deeply annoying. Then I phoned up on Monday and... A human fixed my website!
We need to be more human. AI can't feel - it doesn't have our brains or our chemicals. It's never felt a rush of adrenaline. It can't replace us entirely.
Oh my, that "insincere sympathy"! Infuriating. I can't speak to AI chatbots. They're useless. I shut that down right away if I can and find human help. There is no way that AI can replace all the stuff that matters.
After posting this, though, I discovered that two more of the Substacks I have been enjoying are actually AI written! Which means I am less skilled than I hoped at detecting it (one of them is a humour Substack, and I was sure it couldn't be funny; apparently not so). So I shall have to keep upping my detection skills, because I have no wish to support that kind of writing. Hopefully, we'll all find ways to keep ahead of the heartless-writing arms race.
It’s a terrible thing she’s done but I feel sorry for her too. Our civilisation is insane/broken/crumbling and it can be hard to make sense of anything, especially our own minds that are constantly addled by being bombarded with stuff all the time. Who knows what is going on for her that she’s driven to behave in this way.
But they are some truly depressing stats you’ve shared here. I too use AI to do things I’m not good at and it’s a great admin assistant.
I copied and pasted one of my posts into an AI detector and it said it was definitely written by AI! So my belief in its ability to take over completely from us real writers is non-existent. There will always be real writers and real readers who want to find their work. We just need some techie person to build us a new place to hang out together online. As clearly, despite its promising start, Substack is becoming just another one of those social platforms that turn into dross. I think it’s still got a good bit of life left in it yet though.
I think so too, Amanda. And unfortunately, Doctorow's "enshittification" theory means any new place built will go this way in the end too! But I guess we keep building and moving and looking out for the human touch.
The extent to which an AI opinion on anything can be trusted is extremely limited. It seems more wiling to lie with every iteration.
As a non-native English speaker, I use Claude to help me proofread my grammar, spelling, and non-idiomatic turns. I will also ask for words with a particular nuance or register—something that's really hard to do if you rely only on dictionaries and thesauri.
I appreciate writers coming forward with ways they use AI to improve their writing and move their businesses forward, because so far, I've been hesitant to admit to using AI, even a little bit, because of the overall witch-hunting atmosphere around the topic.
You're approaching this with nuance and a focus on how to move forward, and I believe that's the type of discourse we all need.
Yes, there are so many people just condemning it outright that it feels hard to say yes, I use it, and this is how. AI is here to stay. I think it wise to investigate how we can use it to help us survive against the tide of AI writing that is making our lives (and making a living) more challenging.
Yeah, I can feel bad for a lot of people. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t face consequences, and I hope she does. It’s plain old unfair to copy paste an entire article and repost it as your own.
I agree, Jenn. I hope there are genuine consequences for her to face, because there's no learning or growing without that. Copy-pasting and claiming something as yours is plain stealing. I can't imagine this won't follow her around and make her life difficult for quite a while.
Your point is fair but cheapened by you comparing an ethnic name to a translation of evil... weird and unfunny place to go when your criticism is valid without it
Abiha, I appreciate, of course, why you say this. But it wasn't anything to do with ethnicity. If the plagiarist was called Mallory Silver I'd have made exactly the same point. I'm a lover of language, and linguistic coincidences. My husband, who is of Indian extraction and was severely racially abused as a teen, is of the opinion that treating everyone equally, regardless of their ethnicity, is where racism ends, and I tend to agree with him on this. But I appreciate you feel differently (and know, too, the history behind it).
What if Maalvika is only the tip of the iceberg? How many writers are on Substack? How many writers can possibly be read? How many internet sites are there for posting behind paywalls? A writer may never know if his or her work has been plagiarized. The numbers argue against it.
I'm considering copyrighting my fiction and non-fiction work very soon and then making a note on my Substack. I have a small, small group of subscribers, but it does only take one to find you and run with your idea. Thanks for this, Ros.
I totally get that, and you are not obliged in anyway to feel compassion for her. It's just that have so much anger about stuff these days that it genuinely affects my health, and it has become a daily practice to release and soften it (using EFT) in order that it doesn't kill me (or at the minimum, stop me writing because I'm too furious and despairing!)
Your prerogative, Fran! I did say you don't have to join me in this. I spend a lot of time finding ways to be less angry (for my own health and sanity) so finding compassion for her was part of that process. It doesn't have to be part of yours.
Ros, thank you! Thank you for delivering on your commitment to insightful, quality writing. I’m new to the Substack neighborhood and your comprehensive offering including links is helpful as I sort out what I’m actually doing here. As this story has been heating up, I’ve doubled down on my commitment to stop speed scrolling, close read a select group of writers, and support their work with likes, and comments. I’m gradually working out how much I can finance. I’m inspired to look more deeply at your writing.
> Now, as it more and more looks like she might be tasting some consequences, I am feeling more compassionate towards her.
Me too, honestly. How does the saying go... "Hate the sin, not the sinner"? It's easy to look at what she's done and forget the fact that there's a normal human being behind it all.
I must say, though, that the longer this drags on, the more and more curious I've become about why she did it. I'd be very interested to hear her side of the story – the real story, not the rubbishy excuses she's put out so far.
Yes, I'd be interested, too, Jack. And how it has been for her emotionally. If she hasn't been affected by it, I'd be surprised (but sociopaths exist, so that's always possible). I guess we'll see how this shapes up in time.
She is not facing any consequences. She’s paywalled her audience to minimize fallout and is waiting for this to blow over so she can continue to farm attention and paid subs.
Her website and Instagram are private now; Twitter and TikTok are still public. I do wonder what the consequences will be for her in the academic community. Plagiarism is hugely frowned upon in academia. But I guess we'll see how it pans out.
“Do I want a sociopath writing my marketing materials? That is one to ponder, for sure. I’m still veering towards yes, because otherwise it would have to be me.” Thanks for the chuckle!
Do wonder about your comment …….. “is she her own research project”🤔
How do you reference that? Do the Substack authors she plai… stole from get mentioned in the acknowledgements? Conflict of interest? An interesting one for Northwestern 🤭
Well that would be a twist in the tale, wouldn't it? If you wanted to make that happen, you would have to up front about the whole thing and cite the plagiarised authors.
I must admit, I did wonder about looking for Northwestern University's student conduct office to report Maalvika, but I didn't: she hasn't nicked my stuff, so any complaint about her conduct needs to come from the affected party.
I loathe AI so much and it makes me so bloody sad that people are content with its bland voice, and its trite, people-pleasing cobblers. But then I'm not surprised... Several years ago, I ran a shop selling reproduction vintage clothing. It wasn't cheap, but it was really nice stuff. But then cheaper versions started to appear and people were buying those instead, even though the quality was crap (split seams and zips, shitey fabrics). That was one of the reasons why I packed it in.
But I do agree with you that human-created work will survive, *because it's human*. My website fell over at the weekend and the hosting company only had an AI chatbot to hand. It couldn't fix my problem and just kept repeating back to me what I was saying with insincere sympathy, and sending me links to webpages that weren't any help. It was deeply annoying. Then I phoned up on Monday and... A human fixed my website!
We need to be more human. AI can't feel - it doesn't have our brains or our chemicals. It's never felt a rush of adrenaline. It can't replace us entirely.
Oh my, that "insincere sympathy"! Infuriating. I can't speak to AI chatbots. They're useless. I shut that down right away if I can and find human help. There is no way that AI can replace all the stuff that matters.
After posting this, though, I discovered that two more of the Substacks I have been enjoying are actually AI written! Which means I am less skilled than I hoped at detecting it (one of them is a humour Substack, and I was sure it couldn't be funny; apparently not so). So I shall have to keep upping my detection skills, because I have no wish to support that kind of writing. Hopefully, we'll all find ways to keep ahead of the heartless-writing arms race.
And yes, I'd noticed the "mal" in Maalvika's name....!
It’s a terrible thing she’s done but I feel sorry for her too. Our civilisation is insane/broken/crumbling and it can be hard to make sense of anything, especially our own minds that are constantly addled by being bombarded with stuff all the time. Who knows what is going on for her that she’s driven to behave in this way.
But they are some truly depressing stats you’ve shared here. I too use AI to do things I’m not good at and it’s a great admin assistant.
I copied and pasted one of my posts into an AI detector and it said it was definitely written by AI! So my belief in its ability to take over completely from us real writers is non-existent. There will always be real writers and real readers who want to find their work. We just need some techie person to build us a new place to hang out together online. As clearly, despite its promising start, Substack is becoming just another one of those social platforms that turn into dross. I think it’s still got a good bit of life left in it yet though.
I think so too, Amanda. And unfortunately, Doctorow's "enshittification" theory means any new place built will go this way in the end too! But I guess we keep building and moving and looking out for the human touch.
The extent to which an AI opinion on anything can be trusted is extremely limited. It seems more wiling to lie with every iteration.
Hey Ros,
As a non-native English speaker, I use Claude to help me proofread my grammar, spelling, and non-idiomatic turns. I will also ask for words with a particular nuance or register—something that's really hard to do if you rely only on dictionaries and thesauri.
I appreciate writers coming forward with ways they use AI to improve their writing and move their businesses forward, because so far, I've been hesitant to admit to using AI, even a little bit, because of the overall witch-hunting atmosphere around the topic.
You're approaching this with nuance and a focus on how to move forward, and I believe that's the type of discourse we all need.
Yes, there are so many people just condemning it outright that it feels hard to say yes, I use it, and this is how. AI is here to stay. I think it wise to investigate how we can use it to help us survive against the tide of AI writing that is making our lives (and making a living) more challenging.
Yeah, I can feel bad for a lot of people. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t face consequences, and I hope she does. It’s plain old unfair to copy paste an entire article and repost it as your own.
I agree, Jenn. I hope there are genuine consequences for her to face, because there's no learning or growing without that. Copy-pasting and claiming something as yours is plain stealing. I can't imagine this won't follow her around and make her life difficult for quite a while.
Hey, want to record a podcast about this?
Happy to, Simon. Sorry, I have not been very timely in my reply. A lot going on.
Your point is fair but cheapened by you comparing an ethnic name to a translation of evil... weird and unfunny place to go when your criticism is valid without it
Abiha, I appreciate, of course, why you say this. But it wasn't anything to do with ethnicity. If the plagiarist was called Mallory Silver I'd have made exactly the same point. I'm a lover of language, and linguistic coincidences. My husband, who is of Indian extraction and was severely racially abused as a teen, is of the opinion that treating everyone equally, regardless of their ethnicity, is where racism ends, and I tend to agree with him on this. But I appreciate you feel differently (and know, too, the history behind it).
Really comprehensive breakdown. Appreciate it!
Thanks, Kelly!
Thanks, Kelly!
What if Maalvika is only the tip of the iceberg? How many writers are on Substack? How many writers can possibly be read? How many internet sites are there for posting behind paywalls? A writer may never know if his or her work has been plagiarized. The numbers argue against it.
I'm considering copyrighting my fiction and non-fiction work very soon and then making a note on my Substack. I have a small, small group of subscribers, but it does only take one to find you and run with your idea. Thanks for this, Ros.
No, don't feel sorry for her one tiny bit. She's a thief—end of story.
I totally get that, and you are not obliged in anyway to feel compassion for her. It's just that have so much anger about stuff these days that it genuinely affects my health, and it has become a daily practice to release and soften it (using EFT) in order that it doesn't kill me (or at the minimum, stop me writing because I'm too furious and despairing!)
I'm afraid I don't feel sorry for her. Maybe she should try posting her own work like the rest of us.
Your prerogative, Fran! I did say you don't have to join me in this. I spend a lot of time finding ways to be less angry (for my own health and sanity) so finding compassion for her was part of that process. It doesn't have to be part of yours.
You are a nicer person than me, Ros :) Enjoyed the article.
Ros, thank you! Thank you for delivering on your commitment to insightful, quality writing. I’m new to the Substack neighborhood and your comprehensive offering including links is helpful as I sort out what I’m actually doing here. As this story has been heating up, I’ve doubled down on my commitment to stop speed scrolling, close read a select group of writers, and support their work with likes, and comments. I’m gradually working out how much I can finance. I’m inspired to look more deeply at your writing.
> Now, as it more and more looks like she might be tasting some consequences, I am feeling more compassionate towards her.
Me too, honestly. How does the saying go... "Hate the sin, not the sinner"? It's easy to look at what she's done and forget the fact that there's a normal human being behind it all.
I must say, though, that the longer this drags on, the more and more curious I've become about why she did it. I'd be very interested to hear her side of the story – the real story, not the rubbishy excuses she's put out so far.
Yes, I'd be interested, too, Jack. And how it has been for her emotionally. If she hasn't been affected by it, I'd be surprised (but sociopaths exist, so that's always possible). I guess we'll see how this shapes up in time.
She is not facing any consequences. She’s paywalled her audience to minimize fallout and is waiting for this to blow over so she can continue to farm attention and paid subs.
Her website and Instagram are private now; Twitter and TikTok are still public. I do wonder what the consequences will be for her in the academic community. Plagiarism is hugely frowned upon in academia. But I guess we'll see how it pans out.
“Do I want a sociopath writing my marketing materials? That is one to ponder, for sure. I’m still veering towards yes, because otherwise it would have to be me.” Thanks for the chuckle!
It's always my pleasure, Gillian :-)
Whatsoever things are true (Phillipians4:8AV)
The Word full of grace and truth (John1:14)
We'll keep up with the true things as best we can, I guess.
Do wonder about your comment …….. “is she her own research project”🤔
How do you reference that? Do the Substack authors she plai… stole from get mentioned in the acknowledgements? Conflict of interest? An interesting one for Northwestern 🤭
Late addition, looked it up and found this…..
Aaargh can’t manage to paste photo of motto😝
Well that would be a twist in the tale, wouldn't it? If you wanted to make that happen, you would have to up front about the whole thing and cite the plagiarised authors.