The launch of iA Writer 7 was the tricky. There were plenty of possible misunderstandings. We needed to make sure that everyone understood what we do and don’t do. How did it go?
Most users, visitors and journalists got it. There was a lot of feedback. There’s a lot more and we haven’t featured the incountable replies on the on the AppStore, forums, microblogs, and, of course, the scattered social media universe. The answers keep coming in. Of course, not everyone read our long posts, and most of those who had doubts misunderstood parts of it.
Not everyone was a fan, and not everyone needs to be. Most users, visitors and journalists got it and loved it. We’re especially happy with how well it was understood and received. We’ll do a second round in a couple of days. First, the launch video, so you know what we are talking about.
Here is a selection of the first reactions on tech blogs. It gives a good impression of the general feedback climate.
“I love the way this writing app integrates ChatGPT: it detects when you’re pasting in generated content and prompts you to note what’s human and what’s AI, and it treats AI more as a “help me brainstorm and think” tool than a ‘just write this for me’ one. Tons of clever UI, and I think exactly the right approach.” -The Verge Installer
“Even if ChatGPT is highlighted by the authors of iA Writer […] this new feature can also be used only between human collaborators.” -Mac Generation iA Writer 7 adds functionality to co-write with ChatGPT
“It’s smart. It’s prudent. It avoids giving OpenAI an inroad into the app.” -Tedium You shouldn’t rely on a SaaS-based note-taking application, in my view, and if you buy something, buy it outright.
“…the aim is not to detect plagiarism or forcefully label AI-generated content, but rather to ensure that representatives of creative professions have a tool that allows them to draw the line between their own text and the work of the AI…” -Tech News Space The text editor iA Writer learned to highlight text from ChatGPT
“…the feature is less about detecting plagiarism or watermarking AI-generated content, and more about giving creatives a tool to see the sometimes blurry line between their own words and those contributed by generative AI.” -The Verge iA Writer can now track what you or ChatGPT wrote
“The major update to iA Writer (7.0) does something remarkable, in my opinion. Unlike most writing tools, it doesn’t use AI to create content. Instead, it deals with AI in a way that respects and preserves the writer’s voice and agency…” -Agile Toddler Blending AI Efficiency with Human Ingenuity in Writing
“This philosophy resonates with me; I have always believed in the potential of AI to enhance, not replace, our human capabilities.” -What’s New iA Writer 7
“The only person who can reliably distinguish a human text from an artificial one is the person writing; That’s why iA Writer now allows the user to have the distinction marked when writing an essay, a speech, a camera move or a voice-over.” -Enter How much do you write and what do you actually take from ChatGPT? iA Writer separates human text from AI text
“So, artificial intelligence can greatly help in the development of any writer, but only if the writer wants it.” -Macpretorians iA Writer shows you how to use artificial intelligence for writing
“The developers highlight the trend of adding AI everywhere, they have taken this possibility into consideration for AI Writer…” -Macitynet iA Writer 7 with functions for writing texts taking into account sources, authors and ChatGPT
“By having AI-generated text visually set apart, users can easily identify and track the amount of AI contribution in their writing. This makes it easier to review and edit the AI-generated portions separately, allowing users to maintain a strong sense of authorship and preserve their unique voice.” -Gizmohman Mark AI-Generated Text for Enhanced Clarity and Creative Control
“Their take on [ChatGPT] is interesting and nuanced. As writers themselves, they see the value in [AI] tools and their flaws. Authorship allows writers to combine, edit, and integrate LLM-generated text in a way that helps the author integrate those tools into their writing without losing the human aspect.” -Virek A mixed and busy week
“People and institutions who have had the opportunity to examine these models and what has been done with them in the past year will develop new tools that do not contain artificial intelligence but that we can use as a balancer alongside them – such as iA Writer – and will enable the ecosystem to reach a more mature and controlled point.” -Newslab Turkey Focus of the week: After a year with ChatGPT
“I find this really, really useful not only when working with text I generate using LLMs, but also when copy’n’pasting from articles or blogposts I’ve written in the past. Often I want to reuse parts or ideas, but articulated differently. The new features in Writer help me do this more consistently. Much appreciated!” -MYTTL iA Writer’s take on AI – and some about AI regulation
“It was to us one of the hardest problems ever. We need to scan the text in real time to make sure everything is in sync. Then we thought about what happens when people edit elsewhere and bring their texts back. […] It’s like a game to change everything (to not lose to the machine). Someone said that ‘rewriting is not really your voice’. [Academically speaking this is true, we address that issue in our blog posts. But then again it] is [your voice] if you take writing seriously. You don’t change to change. You think and rethink what you mean and working like this you can end up with a much more thought through much more sensible and sensitive result than tormenting yourself alone.” -From iA’s answers on the MacPowerUser forum iA Writer’s “AI Detector”
“iA clearly knows its audience-people who identify as writers-and the company has taken a novel approach to serving the true needs of their customers, not what iA wants customers to need. Is iA’s approach to generative AI the right one? I hope and think so. […] If nothing else, they deserve credit for the thought and effort they’ve put into dealing with the challenges presented by generative AI.” -Jake Lacaze Is iA’s approach to generative AI the right one?
“I’m excited about the idea of Authorship – they didn’t just shove Ai into iA Writer and call it a day, but rather thought about how modern writing apps can integrate natively with an Ai world. And, they took it a step further and built out a format that benefits all writers…” -Matthew Cassinelli iA Writer helps you become a better Ai writer with Authorship
“…it is not what you might expect. Instead of hastily integrating an AI like ChatGPT that conveniently blurbs out pieces of text, like every other company does at the moment, Oliver Reichenstein and team took a step back and looked in depth at how AI can actually support us in the writing process.” -Own Your Web Writing With AI
“…the result is a nuanced and ethically minded take on generative AI that feels like something Apple could end up doing itself.” -Rock Badminton This is the first serious AI app for writers on the Mac
There was plenty more on other blogs, via Email, on the AppStore, GitHub, Forums, Microblogs and, of course, the scattered Social Media galaxy: Mastodon, Twitter, BlueSky, Threads… Feedback kleeps coming in, and we’re delighted with how well it was understood and received. We’ll do a second round in a couple of days.
Authorship is available in iA Writer 7 for iPad, iPhone and Mac. You can get a free trial for Mac. Apple does not allow free trials for paid-upfront apps on iPad and iPhone. We are planning to bring Authorship to all our other apps in the future.
