Spent 3 hours trying to get an AI to write a single email reply

So I was messing around with one of those AI writing tools last week, trying to get it to draft a polite but firm email to my landlord about a leaky faucet. I figured it would take like 2 minutes max, just type in a quick prompt and boom, done. Instead I spent 3 whole hours tweaking the prompt because the AI kept making the email either way too aggressive or weirdly apologetic. One version literally said "I regret to inform you that water is escaping the vessel" like it was writing a science report. Another one added a whole paragraph about how much I love the building's architecture, which had nothing to do with the faucet. By the time I finally got something usable, I could have just written the email myself in 5 minutes. Has anyone else had an AI tool completely overcomplicate something simple like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

benlewis1mo ago

Wasted 3 hours once trying to get AI to write a grocery list and it suggested beets and anchovies.

ray3241mo ago

Boy, I know the feeling all too well.