FAQ

Q: I’m not too technical / I’m not technical at all. Is Synthetic Work for me?
A: If I do my job decently, yes.

Sure, we are talking about artificial intelligence, one of the most advanced technologies ever invented by humankind, but Synthetic Work is not dedicated to the inner workings of AI.

If there’s anything technical worth mentioning, I’ll explain it assuming you have no competence in AI.

Q: Is this newsletter about robots? I see one in the logo.
A: Nope.

If a robot is powered by an AI that does something special and it’s worth talking about it, so be it. But robotics is not something we care about here.

Q: Is that a robot controlled by AI or a person forced into a life so monotonous and repetitive to resemble a robot?
A: It’s a good, deep question. Now go to your room.
Q: Why is this thing called Synthetic Work?
A: You might have heard the expression synthetic media. Which means images, videos, and audio (music, sound effects, and voices) that are not directly produced by people, but rather generated in an automated way, usually by artificial intelligence.

So how do we call the outcome of an AI system doing part or all of the work of a human being? Synthetic work.

The newsletter is called this way because here we explore if and how AI is augmenting, transforming, replacing, or exterminating human labour.

Q: What’s inside the newsletter? What kind of content should I expect?
A: Synthetic Work comes in two editions: the Free Edition and the Splendid Edition (Premium sounded too cliché). Each has different sections.

The Free Edition has this type of content.
The Splendid Edition has this type of content.

Not every section will appear in every issue of the newsletter. And, over time, sections might come and go.

Q: Do you write this newsletter with the help of generative AI solutions like ChatGTP?
A: Nope, except for a portion of the AI Joke of the Week section.

Should I ever do it, it will a one-off scientific experiment. And it will be clearly revealed. At some point. Late enough to make it entertaining.

If, instead, all my newsletters sound like written by ChatGTP, then we have a different kind of problem.

Q: Will you do Synthetic Work t-shirts?
A: Perhaps. If there is enough demand and I find the right partner.
Q: Will you mint NFTs of the Synthetic Work logo?
A: Will you buy them?
Q: Who are you? And what gives you the credibility to write a newsletter about AI?
A: I’m Batman. My name is Alessandro Perilli.

I’m a former tech executive with 23 years of experience in the enterprise IT industry (a fancy way to say business-to-business).

I have been working on artificial intelligence for the last seven years, and in 2022 I led a team of talented AI experts from IBM Research to do something really cool with large language models and software automation.

Twenty years ago, I created a media project similar to Synthetic Work that became quite successful.

You can read more about me on my personal website, on LinkedIn, or on Twitter.

Ok. I’m convinced now.