Ask HN: How to protect blog from AI search?

4 points by begriffs 3 years ago | 1 comment

In the past, search engines were helpful in promoting content from independent bloggers like myself. However, the new AI search engines will paraphrase entire articles, giving visitors little reason to follow a link to primary sources.

I believe AI search engines violate the so-called "moral rights" [0] of intellectual property -- specifically attribution, and (possibly) integrity. I don't want AI to capture my readers and steal my voice.

So bloggers of HN, do you have plans to resist AI search engines? Are there certain robots.txt entries that would help? Other ideas? I'm even considering publishing future articles as PDFs behind a paywall. Maybe I'm overreacting?

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_rights

surprisetalk 3 years ago |

This is an extremely difficult question that I've been grappling with myself.

My first strategy is to create writings that can't be summarized. I try to make essays that are dripping with idiosyncrasy. I can't win in an information war, but I can stay competitive for ~10 years in a creative clash:

[1] https://taylor.town/10-minutes

[2] https://taylor.town/to-your-grave

[3] https://taylor.town/please-sell-my-personal-information

[4] https://taylor.town/pick-practical-principles

[5] https://taylor.town/blood-brain-heart-helix

I myself draw lots of my inspiration from my "sages of style", in the same way that AIs will try to replicate my voice. None of these great thinkers can be summarized or replicated in any meaningful way:

[6] David Foster Wallace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6kZLDKgdSc

[7] George Carlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

[8] Derek Sivers: https://sive.rs

[9] John Green: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbgnlkJPga4

[10] Roman Mars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnv5iKB2hl4

[11] Alan Kay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKg1hTOQXoY&t=3102s

[12] Alan Watts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeD3wS4fGEY

[13] Richard Feynman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1pIYI5JQLE

[14] Raymond Smullyan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E27v83WWiGo

But style only takes you so far.

My second strategy is to socialize IRL. This year, I'm starting a tech conference called "Outland" to foster community in an age where community might be all that matters.

[15] https://outland.sh