Human Resources: When Did Humans Become Raw Materials?

Human resources. It’s such a ubiquitous term I’d never really thought about it—I mean really thought about it—until recently. As writers, we of all people, understand the power of words. How something noble or kind can be twisted.

Yet, ponder the term for a moment and maybe what it’s come to entail. Human resources. First, what is a resource (at least as I believe we’ve all come to understand it)?

Human resources, then means that humans are useful or a valuable possession. You know, like timber or oil or coal. I’m being facetious, but it does bring me to an issue everyone is facing. In the age of AI, what exactly are human resources? Last time, in my post AI Scammers Are Making Publishing Scams Scarily Convincing we dipped a toe into how technology has shifted not only our vocabulary, but our expectations.

As human beings of inherent worth and value, aren’t we being repeatedly asked to lower those expectations more and more and more?

Writers are the kindest, most loving and generous people I’ve ever known. I consider myself honored to be in such company. But in being kind and beautiful dreamers, you know what else they can be?

Naive.

Hey, I am putting MY hand up. As I mentioned in the post, it genuinely felt good (for that fraction of a second) that someone loved my work. Didn’t like it, loved it. And then that was what sent up more flags than a CCP parade.

When did we become so jaded?

Human Resources and the Internet

As a Gen Xer, I have been the generational bridge between a purely analog world and a digital one. My earliest computer experience involved NOT DYING on the Oregon Trail. I was never successful and somewhere, deep down, I wonder if this wasn’t some strange cosmic foreshadowing.

YOU DIED OF DYSENTERY EXPLOITATION

I wasn’t a fan of email in the beginning, though I did work in tech. I remember screaming to the high heavens that we couldn’t just keep slapping .com on the end of anything and throwing hundreds of millions after it. Welcome to the dot.com bust. Then we saw the rise of NAPSTER, and the tiny hatchlings of on-line gaming, message boards and social media.

Facebook was a BORING place to be in 2006. It was all farmland! Why? Because social media is useless without human resources. NAPSTER would have been a nothing burger if it hadn’t had countless human musicians to steal from. Yet, it set the precedent, didn’t it?

YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, are all multi-billion dollar companies because of how expertly they’ve harnessed/extracted from human resources. And I am not here to claim they’re some mustache-twirling villain (mostly), because I’ve made my career teaching others how to navigate these systems. Facebook friends have been there for me when I quite literally had no one else.

When my (then) 2 year old son had his face caved in and I was so distraught I thought I’d go mad, who was there at 2:30 a.m. in the ER? Facebook friends.

Social media has allowed me to meet people all over the world, have friendships that would never before have been possible, writing opportunities and an audience that never otherwise would have been possible (*waves from behind this blog*). And all of this is wonderful…so long as a respectful social contract remains.

Because once we start massaging the meaning of “value” in human resources, what are we giving up in basic human “worth”?

We agreed to participate in online communities. We agreed to share our ideas, art, experiences, and professional accomplishments. We understood that companies would earn money facilitating those interactions.

But did we agree to every subsequent commercial use of our contributions?

Data Strip Mining

I’d like to believe most of us aren’t hopelessly obtuse. We “get” that our information is being collected, used, resold. Hey, when the product/service is free? WE are the product/service.

But when did we ever get the option of NOT having it for free? And I don’t mean charge me extra so I don’t get any ads which then becomes “just fewer ads” unless you want to upgrade AGAIN so you can possibly get through a frigging movie without being stopped every three minutes.

I never minded ads or commercials.

In fact, I rather enjoy learning about new products since tech giants decided we no longer wanted MAGAZINES. Remember those? Every month you could just thumb through at your leisure and learn about the latest in skin care or makeup or cars or whatever.

Nope, now it’s everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I was off Facebook for several months because I couldn’t even see any people. It was a nonstop barrage of ads. So, I gave it some time, got back on, saw my peeps, then…ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME?

I can’t even watch a funny cat video without suddenly realizing OH FFS, IT’S ABOUT CAT FOOD!

*internal screaming*

Because human resources.

Post you gained a few pounds and are back walking? In comes the diet ads, the bootcamps, the pilates ads. Mention you lost a loved one? Funerary care, life insurance and on-line “affordable” therapy INCOMING!

I can no longer just be a person. Everything I type is there to be strip-mined. My joy, my family, my pain, my fear. For those of you inexperienced with coding and what the backside looks like? Here it is:

$$$$$$$!!!!! $$$$$$$!!!!! $$$$$$$$ !!!!!! $u¢Ker $$$$$

I cannot even post a BIRTHDAY without AARP, hearing aid centers, orthotic shoes, and denture services entering the feed.

Hey, there’s another word we haven’t possibly thought much of…FEED.

You are in my feed. I am in their feed. Why is all this garbage in my feed?

LinkedIn Where “Human” Resources Go to Die

As I have mentioned, I took off a year to earn a post grad in AI/Machine Learning. I knew AI couldn’t help but utterly remake the publishing world. I didn’t want to rely on secondary or tertiary resources, so I took the hit. Trust me, being an over fifty writer suddenly deciding to attend an engineering school for a very MATH heavy degree was not my idea of a picnic.

But, I did it.

I do believe I’ve been very upfront with authors since the beginning of this blog twenty years ago *ducks from an affordable cremation ad*.

Writers have rarely been able to make a 100% living off novels…ever. Even before the internet. Is it the dream? Of course. Is it reality? Hardly. For years, many of us taught classes, did editing, developmental editing, line editing. We found work writing articles or as technical writers.

One of my weird superpowers has always been that I spoke fluent “Engineer” and could make a layperson audience not only understand highly technical concepts, but actually LAUGH and LEARN.

Then AI came along and many writers are suffering a personal extinction of sorts. The tech companies clearly thought what humans contributed was valuable enough to train all these new AI models on, but now that these systems are up and going and part of FRIGGING EVERYTHING (who knew my toothbrush needed AI assistance?), we are now somehow flawed.

I scroll LinkedIn and have lost count of the posts lecturing people that they shouldn’t use em dashes in their writing. It’s a dead giveaway it’s AI.

BECAUSE AI APPARENTLY INVENTED THE EM DASH!

Who knew? I’ve been using those since typewriters.

The “experts” all have tips and mini-articles how to fool people into believing the crap someone’s AI is vomiting out actually isn’t AI.

Hint: It is NOT the em dashes.

But someone IS CLEARLY listening or those AI publishing scams wouldn’t suddenly get so much harder to spot. Would they?

LinkedIn and “Pick Mes”

PICK ME! PICK ME! PICK ME!

Go to the LinkedIn “feed” and it’s a fascinating study of the Kubler-Ross Five Stages of Death and Dying.

Denial:

These people usually have “founder” “expert” “CEO” or something impressive in their title. Nothing is wrong. AI is the future. Anyone who even dares criticize it are the same people who would still have us all riding on horseback because cars were bad.

Reductive much? Quick Side Bar

Trust me, I never once worried my 1994 Geo Metro was going to steal my identity. I could speak freely in my Geo Metro without any care that it was listening so it could sell my data to another party without my knowledge, consent or permission. Guarantee you I never worried my 1994 Geo Metro wouldn’t TURN ON because my eyes were acting strangely and so I was unfit to drive (proposed eye tracking technology patent).

I’M NOT DRUNK! I AM TRYING TO ESCAPE A TORNADO!

Anger:

This one is pretty self-explanatory. People who’ve cycled through bargaining and depression usually land here. They are just super careful how they say it because you know, employers could be watching.

They aren’t…but totally could be.

These folks are (rightfully) furious that the jobs posted are either old, non-existent, or pretty clearly predatory. But don’t worry! If you BUY LINKEDIN PREMIUM…that’s where the real jobs are. For the people who’ve stopped applying for jobs and now need to apply for food stamps, just HAND US MONEY!

Bargaining:

This is where I have seen myself and so many writers (and other professionals). We feel increasingly exploited. Not only does LinkedIn do practically NO vetting of who’s allowed to even post a job, most of the “jobs” really aren’t jobs at all.

I’ve seen countless professional writers and editors apply for a job on LI (been here, myself). The company claims they need to pass so many tests, interviews, auditions. Um, okay? Twelve interviews and multiple projects later (unpaid of course) the applicant either gets a form rejection letter or is ghosted.

Writers and editors that, before AI could make a living, now are all posting with their brightest face—lest we see they’re really dying inside a little every day. They have positive affirmations, ask thoughtful questions, are still genuinely trying to have someone at Human Resources anywhere see them as just that…human. Useful.

Depression:

These are the brave souls who actually take time to share what they’re going through, how dehumanized and demoralized they are. LinkedIn posts a job and when you apply it’s either juggling like a circus clown for not even peanuts and a “thoughtful” form letter about how much they appreciate your effort OR…you’re directed to a third-party site.

OH, you silly goose!

You genuinely believed you were applying for that Senior Content Writer Position and Fancy Schmancy Company? Nooooo! You are just adorable!

Let’s tell you how this works. You are redirected to another site where you give all your information and email and maybe writing samples, tests, portfolios…and they will list you among THEIR human resources talent.

They’re totally trying to get people work (probably are but starting to think it’s urban legend). Has nothing to do with them selling all that information or…I dunno…getting investors to keep shoveling money their way because they have the metrics.

Look at all the HUMAN RESOURCES we have!

I know! It’s unfair of me. Just seems strange that one can’t simply apply for a job without having a name, password and a verified email. Then strangely and for NO RELATED REASON the email soon is virtually unusable due to spam. Don’t worry! You can pay for AI to make your email usable again!

Acceptance:

You don’t see them on LinkedIn, except maybe posting snarky blogs.

LinkedIn isn’t SOLELY to Blame, INDEED

Because when I look at all these publishing scams that have suddenly hatched, there is something really uncanny in the comments. They know my writing so well! Gee, I wonder how that would have happened?

Of course we have blogs and posts on social media, but it really does beg the question where all those writing/editing/artistic samples actually GO?

Where are our rights to what we create? Clearly we didn’t have any rights when the tech giants used OUR LIFE’S WORK to make trillions? To create technology they can sell back to us after gaslighting us that we are incompetent.

Yes, yes I know they mostly used what they scraped off the internet and what was publicly available…but WE CREATORS STILL OWNED THE COPYRIGHT. Joe Schmoe couldn’t take all my blogs, slap them in a book and profit from it. But Mark Zuck…oh too soon?

We’ve slowly accepted a system that we can’t simply fill out a paper application. We must go through one of the many, many job boards. We are told to play nice, that humans are lazy, we are behind we just don’t want it badly enough. If we even criticize AI, we are immediately a Luddite and anti-technology.

But how many people no longer have jobs? Can no longer even get jobs? If I had a dollar for every Uber driver who once worked as a programmer…

I’d be able to afford a LinkedIn Premium membership.

Human Resources are HUMAN…and We Have NOTHING LEFT

I am not naive and understand there are plenty of companies using AI responsibly, but for how long? Because when the model is extraction extraction extraction, how long until even the good guys have to fudge their morals a bit just to simply survive?

And it’s “wonderful” Ford patented all kinds of surveillance for inside a car no one can afford to sell our information to companies to sell us products we can also no longer afford but what’s the end game? Because as I see it, this is a giant ouroboros.

AI is so wonderful and it’s going to make companies efficient. Products will be cheaper (still waiting). Instead of ten people, a company will only need ONE!

Translation: Nine jobs just went bye-bye and there are only so many Uber Eats deliveries to go around (and those will start going away, too when no one can afford it).

Is this why there are now so many scams? People have lost so much buying power that now they just skip GO and head directly to cleaning out our bank accounts?

Please understand I have learned AI, I have done everything I can think of to be top in my profession…just to be refused a writing job because….

I failed a TURING TEST!

True story.

AI recently passed a Turing Test whereas I (an actual human) FAILED.

*Am I in an episode of Black Mirror?*

My goal here isn’t to depress you, though I am certain I might be guilty. Mea culpa. It really does feel like a lot. But how do we change a system we can’t even question? If we can’t get a job without using a job board/site, but the job board/site is really just using persistent unemployment to “self-power” themselves…what then?

I appreciate your time on this matter, but just got a message. SOYLENT GREEN is hiring and Mr. Morlock wants me to do an AI interview! PICK MEEEE!

What are YOUR thoughts?

Have you noticed a change in how employers treat applicants, particularly since AI became commonplace? Where do you believe the line should be drawn between technological innovation and respecting human dignity? Have you ever been asked to complete extensive unpaid assessments or submit original work during a hiring process?

Most importantly, have you ever watched a super cute puppy video only to be PISSED they’re just trying to sell you something?

Hey, I have priorities.