Impressed with AI in PDFExpert

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Yesterday, while on the treadmill, I listened to episode 730 of the MPU podcast with Jeff Richarson. His use of PDFExpert’s new AI feature in his legal work intrigued me, so I decided to try it.

I must say, I’m impressed. I’ve fed in large PDFs and asked for summaries and outlines. It does a remarkable job. While I will always “trust but verify” AI results, I find it a productivity booster. In addition to AI in PDFExpert, I find that with careful prompting, AI can be an effective “editor” for some of my writing. AI technology will only get better. I’m far more enthusiastic about AI than I am about spatial computing. While both have tremendous potential to make our work better and more efficient, I believe AI will have a more significant impact.

I have also been experimenting with Google’s ImageFX (Beta). While I’ve had mixed results, I see tremendous potential, particularly as I improve at creating effective prompts.

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I had paused my subscription to PDF Expert and didn’t know this feature was an option. I could see this as the reason I re-subscribe. Help me take in more information quickly so I can learn/summarize/action that information.

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AI Chat is a recent addition to PDF Expert, it rolled out in December:

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Thank you for sharing that!

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@Bmosbacker The thing that worries me with people using AI to edit is the loss of the writer’s “Voice”

Surely it’s a path to homogenisation?

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Depends on the need for a “voice” some industries require such precision in what they want homogenization is a good thing - I think contract drafting in law, motion work, and the likes.

Creative writing - that is another matter.

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@geoffaire, I agree that it can. In fact, I plan to write an article, AI and Androgynous Writing. However, using AI does not need to lead to losing one’s voice. Just like using a human editor, the author decides which recommended changes to keep and which to reject. It only becomes homogenized if the writer accepts the majority of edits and does so without careful thought.

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I haven’t used the new chat in PDF Expert, but I wonder how it compares to ChatPDF which is free. Looks very similar from the screenshots in that you can interact with documents.

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I think there is a very wide variation in skill/tone/voice in writing motions - and it can have a profound impact upon how persuasive it is.

Contracts may need standardized technical language; the best motions are much closer to creative/persuasive writing and vary notably in technique.

AI can help guide regarding key points/strategy in motions, but I think it is still best to leave the language to a human.

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True I guess I am thinking of the Rote motions that are standard but time consuming I have done in my day.

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If many people became a bit better at writing, perhaps that would be a good thing. Myself included.

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I specifically wasn’t talking about the quality of the writing, more the personality in the writing.

When I read, and enjoy, writing on blogs, in books, in tweets, and at work Often with those I read a lot I can tell quickly who wrote it without looking at the byline or author’s name.

The flip side of some people getting better when standardisation or automation is implemented is that some people also get worse. In a situation which can be measured, you may get an average 10% increase, but you often find that those who are already exceptional lose far more than 10%, sometimes more than 30%