Literary Titan George Saunders: AI Mimicking My Voice Was So Dull I Lost Interest
stevenstrogatz · x · 2026-10-03
In Substack's Model Behavior series, mathematician Steven Strogatz points to his interview with acclaimed writer and Syracuse professor George Saunders, noting every serious conversation about math and AI ends up at the meaning of life.
Key points from the interview:
- Saunders tried early on to have AI imitate his voice; the result was "dull and literal," killing his interest—he uses no AI products and "would pay not to have them"
- He's fine with AI curing cancer, but "even with cancer cured, death will still arrive somehow"
- Discussion covers AI's impact on writing, teaching, and writers' disclosure obligations to readers
Saunders, known for speculative near-future fiction, calls himself "cranky and monotonous" on the topic.
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