Documented AI-Human Collaborative Writing Process
This is not merely an essay about automation — it is a documented process demonstrating how AI functions as a writing partner when supplied with precise context and direction.
Rather than generic prompting ("write about automation"), this experiment provided:
The AI's function: synthesize disparate sources into cohesive narrative with emotional intelligence and analytical depth.
Explicit AI directive specifying tone, style, structure, and collaboration approach. Documents what the AI was asked to do and how it should approach synthesis.
Comprehensive economic data aggregated from Economic Policy Institute, U.S. Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics documenting productivity-pay divergence across six decades.
Reddit thread (r/artificial) archived: Amazon announcing 600,000 worker replacement by 2033. 70 comments analyzed for sentiment, debate structure, and collective anxiety.
AI (Claude) combined 1966 TIME prophecy, 60 years of economic data, and Reddit discourse into cohesive essay. Style: analytical-reflective hybrid with meta-awareness of human-machine co-authorship.
Quality of source material determines output quality. Generic prompting yields generic output.
AI connected Reddit folk economics to 50 years of BLS data — patterns invisible in isolation.
Documenting the process builds reader trust. Black-box output lacks credibility.
Collaboration style emerges through repeated experiments, not first attempt.
Planned exploration vectors: