THE AI-BRAIN SYNDROME SYMPTOMS

If a poem gives up its meaning too easily, it’s probably not poetry. It could be a case of inexperience—or something else entirely. Far too many overly simplistic pieces, full of predictable rhymes, seem to pass as poetry these days. They’re often devoured by readers who skim rather than savour—hamburger over haute cuisine.

In my October 2024 piece, AI Assist versus AI-generated Poetry,* I called on fellow poets: Support your peers—ignore AI. Passing off machine-made work as your own is more than lazy; it disrespects the people behind the platform. What someone writes in private is their business—but entering AI drivel into a contest? That’s dragging mud across the threshold. The sponsors aren’t gatekeepers here, but those of us who’ve cared about quality since long before this flood of machine mimicry—we notice. I’ve been part of PoetrySoup since 2012. For many of us, this space stands for something.

Exposure to AI-generated output—no, it’s not poetry—blunts the senses. Worse, it risks convincing newer voices that this soulless echo chamber is how poetry should sound. It’s not unlike those worn-out faux-romantic phrases we used to see: “thou eyes sparkle like diamonds” (and for the record, diamonds reflect—they don’t sparkle on their own). I said as much in Square Pegs in Round Holes – Rhymes That Are Frowned Upon (May 2023)†, which could double as a field guide to spotting AI-written verse: rigid rhymes, tonal flatness, and all the rest. Sure, models have improved, but they still don’t fool everyone—not for long.

Now zoom ahead to recent studies—specifically the one from MIT (mentioned in my earlier blog‡). Turns out relying on AI doesn’t just affect style—it affects the brain. The study found that people using LLMs to write showed less brain activity overall, especially in areas tied to creativity and memory. Their work converged around the same bland patterns and safe language. As Nataliya Kosmyna from the MIT Media Lab put it, “The output was very, very similar for all of these different people… skewed in some specific directions.” In other words: AI makes everything average. Efficient, yes—but numbing. Even older tools didn’t outsource our thinking the way this tech does. For a deeper dive, Kyle Chayka explores the cost in this New Yorker piece:

 https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/hWuRQz

CONCLUSION

What you feed your body—and your mind—is your choice. But don’t expect me to join in the erosion of poetry as an art form. If PoetrySoup’s long-promised New Forum ever sees light, maybe we can carve out a space for real mentorship: poet to poet, soul to soul. We’ve all got something unique to offer. Let’s build a community that celebrates that.

As I said in my last blog referred to above: ‘Like everything else in life, we have free will, and it is not a handbook of absolutes and a manual for a witch hunt.’

Happy quills!

Su

*AI Assist versus AI-generated Poetry | PoetrySoup.com

†Square Pegs in Round Holes - Rhymes That Are Frowned Upon | PoetrySoup.com

 ‡JUDGING GUIDE FOR SPONSORS - Suzette Richards's Blog (poetrysoup.com)

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