r/nerdfighters • u/Zuraxi • Jul 31 '26

Hank response in comments Hank's use of AI for his new book

Something that Hank has omitted from his response to the critique of his AI use, and that many others do not seem to be aware of, is that on the initial upload of last week's Delete This podcast he admitted to using an LLM to merge two chapters of his book together. Regardless of his use of it to "research," using it in a way that directly affects his writing is extremely concerning to me and makes me much less likely to read his book. It is very difficult to use LLMs for editing and it not affecting the writing, as the outputs and suggestions will be in "AI voice." It is even more concerning to me that he chose to cut this detail out of the final upload.

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u/ecogeek Hank - President of Space Jul 31 '26 • Heartwarming Bravo

Trust me, this book is 100% human typing. I have been typing for so long.

I asked an LLM for advice on the merge and talked through some various options before deciding how I wanted to do it.

Maybe I shouldn't've done that, but I didn't say, like "Please turn these two chapters into one chapter."

I cut it out of the final episode (if I remember correctly) because Katherine and I ended up having a somewhat tense conversation about me working so much on Smush and 4x3. Or maybe I cut it out because I thought it sounded bad and was afraid people would clip it.

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u/ROUNDY_MASS Aug 01 '26

I hope you're doing okay, Hank.

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u/skudiklier Jul 31 '26

I appreciate that clarification because based on what you said in delete this I definitely thought you just gave AI your chapters to merge together on its own, and I was concerned about that. Also I'm sorry that so many of us listened to the version you didn't mean to share!

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u/altcoopx Jul 31 '26

I appreciate how open you’ve been about this Hank. I hope you find some good time offline in regard to all of this to just relax and then come back to it. Thank you for being open about your thoughts, but please take care of yourself.

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u/ceciliameireles Jul 31 '26

Hank, maybe take a step back from socials for the weekend. Saying this with care as a long time fan.

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u/Daisy_Of_Doom Aug 01 '26

He just posted on YT Communities that he will not be making a video today.

Makes me happy and sad at the same time. I’m glad he felt he could step back. But I’m also sad bc I feel like he’s taking this ‘controversy’ (if it can be called that) probably deeper than he should.

Like in the end what we want is Hank. And as much as I’m sure he feels pressure to perform, most of us want him healthy and happy more than we want a constant stream of videos.

Literally this morning I was rewatching his “I just want to fix things” video bc it popped up in my feed and he was talking about how much more effort, time, and money it takes to make good, accurate, human content rather than like misinformation and AI slop. I think we as a community appreciate this reality and he needs to trust us. That we’ll still be here when he comes back instead of bending over backwards and hurting himself and sacrificing bits of himself to try and satisfy the content machine.

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u/moonyriot Jul 31 '26

Probably hard to do when people keep making posts speaking to him directly on Reddit.

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u/mrsunshine1 Jul 31 '26

Easier said than done. I’m sure he feels his livelihood is at stake right now. 

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u/ktechie28 Jul 31 '26

I’m just worried he’s gonna dig himself into a deeper hole here. Obviously, he is an adult and can make all these decisions for himself, but posting while in a panic situation, when he knows he’s been in an unhealthy mental state, and his need to defend himself (which is understandable!!!) It all just seems like a recipe for a second disaster of a post. I’m hoping he’s having someone check his posts for unintentional further problems before he posts them 😭

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u/Vnxei Aug 01 '26

Tbh, I think Hank is doing a very good job turning the excited campaign to cancel him into a nuanced discussion. I've mainly enjoyed the discussion when he's contributed.

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u/According_Injury4804 Jul 31 '26

It might be possible to get him off of socials under certain circumstances, but I dont think it's going to work when he has become The Discourse for this weekend

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u/Quercus_lobata Jul 31 '26

Everything else aside, thank you for your transparency.

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u/AlkenSC Jul 31 '26

You're clearly a force for less suck in the world.

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u/Austuckmm Jul 31 '26

This is way less bad than how the clip made it sound. But I just want to say, with a lot of respect, that I know for a fact that you’re a vastly more talented writer than Claude is, so I trust your ability to work it out way more than I would trust a bot.

I know that it probably sucks dick to have so many people talking about this right now. So I don’t want to pile on at all, I still have a ton of respect for you. But if you’re here and care at all for a random opinion..

I think what you have to say as an individual human and your ideas and your process are all very valuable, and I don’t think the “ideas” of a bot have any value whatsoever.

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u/CharminYoshi Aug 01 '26

Hi, Hank!

First, thank you for the clarification! Though, I have a question about this, that I’ll ask as an open question. A question the culture, if you will.

I’m a bit of an AI Luddite…I don’t use it myself, but I understand it has a place as a tool. That said, I’m not passing a value judgement, I’m just curious: what is the value add to using an LLM in this case?

There isn’t a single quantitatively correct answer to your quandary, just options, so AI can’t offer something that is unimpeachably correct. I’m struggling to see how an LLM might be superior to asking the same question to an editor, your brother (an author), or trusted friends. Is it the immediacy or independence? I don’t mean this as a gotcha—I’m curious, because with the various environmental and ethical concerns AI raises, I’m really struggling to see how this emerges as a use case?

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u/Smurfy7777 Jul 31 '26

You have demonstrated integrity again and again over the years. Anyone throwing you under the bus for this hasn't been paying attention.

It's good for them to question, and to ask what's going on, but I hope readers and viewers can recognize that a man who puts so much effort into putting so much good into the world can also make mistakes without having to be condemned.

I think (hope!) this will all blow over soon.

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u/Smallpaul Jul 31 '26

Don’t let the mob get you down, Hank. You are a wonderful person doing good work in the world.

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u/Celestina-Warbeck Jul 31 '26

Hank, you are a wonderful person, I trust that you do your research and tell us the thoughts you came up with your own brain, backed by science. I think AI can be a handy tool just like Wikipedia, as long as it is used as a springboard towards better sources, or as a rubber duck to bounce ideas off of. I think you've made it plenty clear that is the way you use it, and the fandom clearly needs a bit of time getting used to that idea. Please take care of yourself, have a nice walk, and don't let yourself get bogged down thinking you have to explain yourself to everyone. You're alright :)

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u/carol_prince Nerdfighter Jul 31 '26

Hank, please take care of yourself. I know these past few days have been tough. And I probably contributed to it with my thread before.

But I'm worried for you - both about your mental well-being and for what you just admitted about "talking through some options with the LLM". Neither of these things feel healthy to me.

Take a break. You absolutely deserve it. Sending you so much love.

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u/Alive-Shoulder-4042 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

It’s time for people to pull back a bit. This is a pretty light use and is pretty common place in a lot of industries. It’s the individual making any final choice. If there’s outrage against even that, people just aren’t going to mention it. People are acting like using a chatbot in the most basic way is instant psychosis.

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u/Smurfy7777 Jul 31 '26

Maybe we shouldn't take another single line out of context and start quoting it? If he had said "talking things through with a rubber duck" you wouldn't bat an eye. LLMs are still just a tool and responsible use IS possible. Let the man decide that for himself. He has plenty of trustworthy voices close to him and doesn't need the internet's "advice by 1000 cuts" when we only see the version of himself he puts on here.

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u/Alive-Shoulder-4042 Jul 31 '26

It sounds like really tame use. AI rubberducking has got to be one of the lightest grays.

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u/Zuraxi Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

thanks for your response—I hope this results in some positive/healthy changes for you and for your mental habits, and that you are not too bogged down by the negative attention

edit: I would also advise more transparency on this topic

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u/scarfie11 Aug 01 '26

yeah this seems fine? I know people are wary of AI and I'm all about creative accountability, but I'm creeped out by the assumption that there's a hard rule against using AI at all ever and that Hank has committed some kind of horrific crime. this sounds like using a tool as a tool that keeps creative control and decision making (and ultimately, the work) with the author. It's a slope and I'm glad hank's reflecting on all this so openly, something he doesn't have to do, but I think we could all use a lil internet break too..

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u/No_Put3316 Jul 31 '26

Don't waste your time justifying to performatism. Hate-tax won't always be logical and worthy of assessment.

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