#ai usage

https://youtu.be/KLLikUPBA_0?si=Aito172kKVFazB0n

hey anon! thanks for sharing? also wtf lol (its sort of the hockey equivalent to those ai trump videos or 'who's ___ spouse/networth')

my take on the vid;

so yes... mack and will do have chemistry. that part is very real. they read off each other SO well, mack drives entries with speed and like I said before will finds soft ice so when they’re on the rush together you can see the timing is there.

will also genuinely has a quick release and good deception while mack is legitimately one of the best transition drivers on the sharks already. none of that is controversial at all, they’re exciting, they’re skilled, and they look like a core duo going forward.

but then the video immediately jumps from “they look good together” to “this isn’t coaching, this is natural chemistry that can’t be taught,” which is where it starts to fall apart. because that’s just… not how hockey works??? chemistry is heavily influenced by deployment/offensive zone starts/power play usage and MOST importantly repetition. young skilled players often look great together when they’re being used in offensive situations. that doesn’t mean it’s mystical or uncoachable lol it means they’re being put in positions to succeed. framing it like some kind of telepathic bond isn't really accurate and completely understates the amount of work both mack and will have to put in to play this well

the “torque and release mechanics” part is also very buzzwordy without actually saying anything?? if you’re actually analyzing shooting mechanics you’d talk about hand separation/ weight transfer/ release point/shot location etc etc. Instead it just throws in “torque” to sound technical, which is stupid. this happens multiple times throughout the video with terms used

and then there’s the “setting the nhl pace” claim, which is just… objectively exaggerated??? will is having a good season (in my opinion those who don't think so I HEAVILY disagree with, especially in terms of how well he'd adapted to the stupid line switching) but he’s also not leading the league and the sharks are still a developing team. mack is closer to driving plays but even then... they’re exciting young players, and still have alot to learn. calling them an “nhl problem” is weird.

(preface I only watched half the video bc I couldn't put myself through the rest)

Basically:

i find it really fucking gross seeing this kind of thing spread like genuinely... please stop sharing this stuff. it pushes out real analysis done by retired players/coaches/refs with genuine a love for the game and replaces it with ai-generated storytelling slop

if you want actual hockey breakdowns and to show the sport/players some love & respect instead I'd recommend;

podcasts

The Hockey PDOcast: One of THE BEST analytics hockey podcasts ever

Too Many Men (The Athletic): smart and thoughtful discussions about coaching decisions & player usage & how teams actually function on the ic

Staff & Graph Podcast: veryyy analytics driven but still focused on real gameplay and player performance trends

youtube;

Elite Prospects YouTube : they also did a breakdown for mack and will one of my favorite channels!!

Hockey Psychology: Breaks down decision making & positioning moslty

The Hockey Guy: sort of less analytics heavy?? but very thoughtful, contextual hockey discussion and team trends (i think this is a good starting point for new fans)

shark specific analysis;

San Jose Hockey Now: One of the best Sharks focused analysis outlets; discusses line deployment, coaching, and development etc etc

Fear the Fin: sharks blog with thoughtful breakdowns and but more fan type analysis

reddit;

r/hockey : league wide discussion, good post game threads and analysis comment

r/SanJoseSharks: good right now for will and mack discussion and line breakdowns

r/hockeyanalytics: my favorite! oh my love for this sub

theres this one girl on tiktok (name and shame : kaylee keery) and the photos on her page genuinely made me gasp because wtf??

theres some where it's just like a hug, but theres literally one of her being bent over a counter, one of joe w edited hickeys, sitting on his lap, kissing, really suggestive poses and just straight up nasty pics

I will NEVER understand that level of parasocial relationship, because honestly it's so disgusting i cant even describe

some of these posts have a lot of engagement so i’m not sure if it’s one of those things where people can tell it’s AI but don’t care or if they actually haven’t noticed it. 🤨

I started writing nearly three years ago (wow I didn’t realise it had been that long). When I look back on those early works I really do get a bit embarrassed by the amount of errors both grammatically but also in terms of story structure. I didn’t know much about tense, I didn’t know much about developing a plot, I was making lots of mistakes but I was trying my best. I am someone who is always a little self deprecating when talking about my writing but even I can see the progress I have made over the years and I’m actually proud of that.

It really does mean something to me that I have had a supportive fandom environment in which to learn and grow. I so want other people who are learning and exploring to have that same environment but the use of ai is making it increasingly difficult because its flooding the tags for certain ships and meaning people’s work gets lost and they don’t get the support that would encourage them to keep going.

I know my work is far from perfect. It would make publishers cry to read the sentence structures and I have always been a bit more about vibe that getting everything technical accurate but having said all that I have been able to make a little progress in a creative field I have wanted to work in and that would not have happened without exploring fanfiction authentically rather than getting ai to generate work. 

To readers who are also against generative ai but have been taken in by it I want to reassure you that its not your fault for not being able to immediately identify it. I too have read and commented on work that I now think is likely to have been created using ai. Its not always straightforward to identify which is only making it worse for everyone as whilst its frustrating to see people getting away with it I also don’t want to accuse someone falsely. 

Art and writing are not nessesrily only beautiful because of the product. They are also beautiful because of the time and energy that the artist or writer had to put in to develop their skills. Failure and blockages in creatives are what make the product so beautiful in the end. Because it shows that the creator was able to overcome them and create the thing regardless.

Anyway's I found Madoc's exploitation of Calliope's powers to be far too relevant to the current state of AI usage and stolen art in general and needed to get those underlying metaphors out somewhere.

But honestly? That’s community.

The thing you’re looking for already exists; it’s found in community.

Talking with people who share your hobby, swapping ideas about your OCs, sharing your drafts, and having conversations about your stories do the same thing. Except it comes with something GenAI can’t give you: human connection.