Y Combinator founder Paul Graham doesn't read emails written by AI. More and more founders are writing to him in a "hard-hitting journalistic style," Graham says.
"Once you realize something was written by AI, it's hard not to ignore it," Graham writes on X. He says he's never finished reading an email that carried a human's name but was clearly AI-generated. "It feels like being lied to."
Paul Graham's post on X about AI-generated founder emails. | via X
AI should be used, but in the right way, Graham says. If not, "it makes me think less of the author. It means they can't write well unaided (or feel they can't), and that they're trying to trick me." Having AI write for you isn't impressive, Graham adds. "Any teenager can do that."
Graham surely doesn't have a general aversion to AI. Y Combinator was one of the early investors in OpenAI and is deeply involved in AI investments. So why does such a straightforward use case bother him? He isn't even criticizing the quality of the content. He clearly never gets that far.
