This isn’t a surprise really but it’s still concerning: https://subscribe.transistor.fm/71698d661a1e47/listen/5f55ab59
I’m pretty sure GPT4 is already trained on wordpress.com because it’s the only way I can explain the level of familiarity which the model has with my work. So it’s a formalisation of that relationship, which in a sense might benefit me in the longer term because visibility within LLMs will become a form of capital (analogous to social media popularity) if generative AI is normalised within higher education. But the broader trend it represents is worrying, as LLMs consume the open web in an increasingly formalised and commercial way.
It’s very difficult to imagine how I could leave wordpress.com after 15 years of blogging here. But what good will I still have towards WordPress will vanish quickly if there’s no opt out here.
Mark Carrigan 