My 30-day experiment with A.I. on Medium

In recent times, the internet has been buzzing with discussions about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (A.I.). This technology can now handle tasks previously thought to be exclusive to skilled individuals. From reading and writing to editing and even designing websites, A.I. can accomplish these tasks in mere seconds with just a few prompts.

Having spent years honing my writing and editing skills, I find the rise of A.I. a bit unsettling.

To confront this, I decided to embark on an experiment. I set up a faceless Medium account and allowed A.I. to generate articles for an entire month. Here’s a comprehensive look at my findings, the income generated, and my final thoughts on whether A.I. is a viable option for Medium writers.

A bit of context

I have always been skeptical about the notion that A.I. will replace human jobs. Having witnessed numerous sci-fi films predicting grim futures, I’ve lived through periods that promised much but delivered little disruption. For instance, during the millennium transition in 1999, my family and I sat huddled beneath our kitchen table, prepared for a world-ending scenario, while our computer data lay scattered in boxes around the house. When midnight came, nothing happened.

As humans advance, so does our technology. I've considered A.I. to be a natural extension of human intellect until platforms like ChatGPT emerged, casting doubt on my passion for writing.

Now, it feels personal. To be frank, A.I. is beginning to intimidate me for two main reasons:

1. It has further exposed humanity's fixation on wealth.
2. It appears that genuine creativity might soon be a relic of the past.

To overcome my apprehension, I decided to run an experiment a few months back, pitting ChatGPT against one of my well-received articles. Although my human touch triumphed, I sensed the beginning of a larger struggle.

To position myself favorably in this evolving landscape, I initiated a new experiment—this time, collaborating with A.I. I created a faceless Medium profile and published articles for a month, harnessing a suite of free A.I. tools. Here’s what transpired.

The framework of my experiment

Every solid experiment starts with a clear purpose—a hypothesis. To validate or invalidate this hypothesis, a controlled environment must be established to gather data. Only after setting up this environment and analyzing the data can one draw logical conclusions.

For my experiment, I aimed to answer two pivotal questions:

1. Do Medium readers still appreciate quality writing, or are they merely after quick information?
2. Is it feasible to leverage A.I. for passive income on Medium?

In full honesty, my hypothesis had an element of bias—I genuinely believed I had stumbled upon a lucrative concept.

To create an accurate testing ground, I employed A.I. to:

• Develop a faceless Medium profile (including avatar and backstory)
• Write and publish three articles weekly
• Engage with all comments

The objective behind the faceless profile was to minimize bias and gauge human responses to an A.I. persona. I named my avatar "AI Allen" and made it clear that all content was generated by A.I.

The outcomes were as follows...

Establishing a faceless Medium profile with A.I.

At the start of this year, I launched a YouTube channel to share my insights on online writing. In one of my most-viewed videos, I provide a detailed guide on "How to Get Started Writing on Medium." For this experiment, I replicated the steps outlined in that video:

1. Uploaded a profile image
2. Completed my bio
3. Chose a niche
4. Published consistently
5. Engaged with all comments to drive interaction

The first article I crafted was an "About Me" piece—the sole publication I submitted during the entire 30 days.

This approach mirrored what I would advise any budding writer. Instead of pouring my heart into the writing, I relied on A.I.

Creating my avatar

For this experiment, I utilized ChatGPT for writing and a website called Lexica Art for custom images—it functions like Google Images for A.I.-generated art. I found an image for AI Allen by searching for:

> "Handsome mid-40s writer wearing glasses, resembling Henry Cavill."

I genuinely enjoyed bringing AI Allen to life, basing his backstory on a quirky neighbor I once knew. Once the profile was created and the "About Me" story written, I used A.I. to produce 12 articles, scheduling three per week for the month.

Writing the articles

Since the goal of this experiment was to explore passive income, I aimed for minimal human involvement. I limited my initial work to a maximum of 10 hours.

After that, I planned to check in weekly to respond to comments (using A.I. for that as well) and foster engagement. To meet this goal, I allocated 20 minutes for each article. As someone prone to perfectionism, this was a significant challenge for me. In truth, I struggled.

However, with some practice, I managed to complete articles in about 30 minutes each. Compared to the 8-12 hours I usually invest when writing manually, this felt like an unfair advantage—because it was. Even though I reminded myself that I was conducting an experiment, it felt a bit disingenuous.

Here’s the most efficient process I discovered using five free A.I. tools:

1. ChatGPT (with AIPRM Google Chrome Extension) — to generate entire articles with a single prompt
2. Hemingway app — to evaluate the clarity and brevity of the introduction (targeting an 8th-grade reading level)
3. CoSchedule Headline tool — aiming for a score of 70+
4. Grammarly — for spelling and grammar checks
5. Lexica Art — for custom A.I. images (optional)

This approach minimized human intervention. The only tasks I managed manually were formatting the articles, adding tags, optimizing for SEO, and brainstorming initial ideas—most of which were derived from my draft folder.

After that, I scheduled three articles weekly for the month.

Scheduling the articles

There's an ongoing debate about whether writers should self-publish or submit to publications. Both routes have their advantages and disadvantages, and I don’t have a definitive answer. Personally, I believe publishing in a publication is generally preferable, adding an element of intrigue to articles.

Though it’s a minor distinction, I thought, "Why not?" So, I created a separate publication for each topic and scheduled articles to release every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Responding to comments

I was particularly curious about how people would interact with an A.I. avatar. Would they be polite? Rude? Would they direct their frustrations about our changing world at AI Allen? Or would they remain indifferent?

To encourage engagement, I included a call to action at the end of each article:

Unfortunately, AI Allen didn’t receive enough comments to form a conclusive opinion—so the jury is still out.

After 30 days of consistent article postings, here are the results...

How much I earned

Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for—financial results.

To maintain a chronological flow, I’ll first present a comprehensive breakdown of AI Allen’s statistics from the first month on Medium:

This amounted to a total of 510 views.

And finally...

After producing 12 articles over 30 days and investing approximately 12 hours of effort, I earned a grand total of... drumroll...

... $1.38.

At first glance, this experiment might seem like a failure. However, I consider it a success.

While it would have been wonderful to uncover a straightforward method for generating income through A.I., I consistently ask myself the same question during these experiments:

> “Did I enjoy this?”

Moreover, I ponder, “Is this a worthwhile use of my time?” Almost always, when pursuing money, the answer tends to be, “No.”

Yet, since financial stability is an integral part of life, I find it beneficial to explore these side ventures. They help me refine my approach to balancing monetary gain with personal fulfillment.

This experiment highlighted the often elusive nature of passive income. Had it proven financially successful, I would have felt compelled to pursue it further. Since I didn’t find enjoyment in writing A.I.-generated articles, my reward would have been a long-term commitment to discontent.

This was one of many valuable insights I gained from this experiment.

As well as three crucial lessons about Medium readers...

What I learned

Like many life experiences, the journey often provides more value than the destination. This was particularly true in this case, as I toiled for over 12 hours only to earn enough for a single coffee.

While A.I. is making waves in various digital arenas, it seems to lack resonance with Medium readers.

Here’s why...

#1. People prefer personal stories

One key metric that caught my attention when reviewing AI Allen’s statistics was the gap between views and reads.

As illustrated below, some articles garnered a decent number of views:

This indicates that the topic and headline were effective—readers felt inclined to click on them. However, when comparing views to reads, a stark contrast emerged.

Shortly after opening the articles, something went awry.

Since reading time largely influences earnings on Medium, low reads equate to minimal income—regardless of views.

This discrepancy between reads and views could stem from numerous factors, but my personal experience suggests that people enjoy hearing stories from other individuals—not robots.

I’ve made it a standard practice to include a personal anecdote in the introduction of my articles. Since A.I. produced these pieces, it was unable to incorporate a personal touch.

#2. The quality of writing

While it’s impossible to decipher what goes on in a person’s mind, actions often speak louder than words—especially online, where metrics reflect actions.

Although many of these articles attracted initial interest, they failed to convert clicks into reads. This could be due to bias against non-human authors or perhaps the writing itself.

From my experience, I’ve learned that:

• The opening paragraph is the most critical part of an article.
• While headlines draw readers in, an excellent headline means little if readers lose interest in the story.
• It’s essential to deliver on the promises made in the headline; however, even the most valuable content is pointless if readers skim past it.

A compelling introduction bridges the gap, drawing readers into the narrative and encouraging them to stay engaged. Despite A.I.'s impressive capabilities, it lacks the nuanced understanding of a skilled storyteller.

#3. Medium's direction

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, there has been much discussion regarding Medium's position on A.I.

In an interview with Isaiah McCall, Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine commented on A.I.:

> “A.I. is hard to spot from an algorithmic perspective; it’s starting to swamp SEO results already. You need someone to look at a piece and say this is new, this is fresh.”

Medium aims to foster insightful and dynamic thinking. As stated on their homepage, they promote content that supports nuance, complexity, and essential storytelling.

This is also evident in Medium’s new boosted feature, which empowers humans to promote articles to a broader audience rather than relying solely on algorithms.

Therefore, while this remains speculative, it’s possible that Medium staff are choosing not to amplify articles that are clearly A.I.-generated.

My final verdict: Should you use A.I. on Medium?

In short, the answer is "no."

The statistics and earnings clearly indicate that the articles produced by A.I. lack something—specifically, a human touch.

As Medium continues to advocate for genuine, authentic human voices, I believe that A.I. will gradually be sidelined.

And honestly, I’m quite pleased about that.

That said, as A.I. represents a significant step in our technological advancement, it’s crucial to embrace its utility. It can be particularly useful for tasks such as:

• Brainstorming
• Editing and formatting
• Condensing and repurposing content

However, it’s advisable to handle the bulk of your writing yourself.

To summarize, A.I. does not align well with Medium for the following reasons:

• Readers prefer human narratives
• Medium's audience and staff do not endorse A.I. content
• A.I. lacks a personal tone and depth in storytelling

I encourage you to continue refining your unique voice—one that only you can share.

Hi, I’m Hudson. I write about living healthier, happier, and more mindfully... and occasionally about writing. To receive my stories directly, subscribe to my newsletter.

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