I'm being asked why I think #Google is pulling the standard "Undo" function out many Chrome text input right-click context menus, and replacing that menu selection (without any advance warning or explanation) with their AI-based "Help me write".

I don't know, but I can guess. I suspect it was something like this at a team meeting:

"Hey, word is that we really need to up the AI engagement metrics. What haven't we covered yet? [ laughter ]"

"Well, we could get rid of context menus Undo and replace it with an AI selection. Then when users right-click during text input, they'll get the "Help me write" prompt where they've pretty much always expected undo to be."

"I like that. It'll be right in their faces. Do you think there will be any blowback from people not finding Undo in those context menus anymore?"

"Naw, pretty much everyone knows the keyboard shortcut for undo is Control-Z. They can just use the shortcut. Only a fool wouldn't know that. And we don't care about fools!"

"Absolutely. OK, I'm in. Should there be any kind of warning or explanation for this?"

"No way -- let it be a surprise to the users! More impact!"

"Wow, I can feel those AI engagement metrics going up already!"

"Great work, team! All AI, all the time!"

@lauren Put it in the same spot as Undo to grab all the misclicks caused by muscle memory. Even more engagement for your AI!
@gunchleoc @lauren And this is how product managers win and every user (and even the company itself) loses

@lauren I don't think they actually want or expect people to use ctrl-z.

Leaving access to the shortcut was probably some sort of act of quiet rebellion so the people implementing the change could still tolerate to dogfood the software they work on. But I think they 100% want people to get accustomed to AI fixing all mistakes and undo falling out of use.

@wrosecrans I would assert the dialogue I've offered fits your thinking on this.
@lauren
How long before CTRL-Z invokes the AI?
*looks at wristwatch*

«"Hey, word is that we really need to up the AI engagement metrics. What haven't we covered yet? [ laughter ]"»

@lauren i hate this is the most obvious scenario. the fucking "engagement metrics".

@blogdiva _enragement metrics_ as we sometimes called them back in the day when internal testing feedback about surprise 'features' was wistfully ignored @lauren
@oliof @blogdiva @lauren It is trauma inducing at this point. Every change. I have had major major issues including paying my rent because of changes no one alerts you to, you have to renavigate and learn something new…and no support…and if there is, you wait forever, and bc they weren’t informed of the change to let you know what to do, they end up annoyed at you bc they can’t solve it.
@blogdiva @lauren realizing I'm on Chrome not Firefox right now. Fixing that.
@geonz @blogdiva Mozilla has just announced that they've implemented an extensive search metrics system to collect data on user searches in Firefox. It is apparently on by default.

@lauren @geonz @blogdiva

And as far as I can tell, they didn't even put a control in the settings page to be able to turn it off. At least I couldn't find it.

No regular user is ever going to be able to turn it off - which is probably the point.

Go to "about:config" and search for "telemetry". Somewhere around the 7th result will be "browser.search.serpEventTelemetry.enabled", currently set to true. Click the button to the right to make it false. Close the tab.

#firefox #mozilla

@cazabon @geonz @blogdiva I believe the "feature" is rolling out gradually, as is typical.
@cazabon @lauren @blogdiva You mean posting "I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION" doesn't work like people post on fazebook ;) I also don't see anything on settings page... how does one get to about:config ?
AGAIN @geonz @cazabon @lauren Librewolf disables all of that by default. it's a concurrent fork of Firefox.
@blogdiva @geonz @cazabon Workarounds are not a solution. In fact, they help these problems perpetuate for the vast majority of users.

@lauren @blogdiva @geonz

I agree; they're no substitute for actually fixing the problem where it can help all users.

However, I'm lucky enough to be a techie, and have the knowledge and experience to use a workaround for myself, so I do. I'm not excusing Mozilla's (latest) betrayal of users' trust.

@lauren @blogdiva @geonz @cazabon Librewolf is a solid interim choice, at least until GNOME Web supports WebExtensions.

But long term, the real alternative web browser will probably be Servo-based.

@geonz @lauren @blogdiva

"about:config" is basically a #hidden #settings interface in #Firefox. There are hundreds of settings/configurations that affect all parts of the browser, some in tiny, trivial ways, and others in significant ways. Very few of them are exposed in the UI for the user to adjust.

It's something like the #Registry in Windows.

Fiddling with it can #break your #browser. If you're up for the challenge, a web search will get you started.

#fiddle #fix

@lauren I never even knew that there was an Undo option there, but every time I see the "Help Me Write" prompt I seethe with anger, because I already know how to write, thanks
@BoredomFestival Most nontechies I've known aren't users of keyboard shortcuts very much at all. In fact, some are surprised when they find out they exist at all, even after using computers for many years, since they learned by using the mouse for so much all along. This is in fact the techie/nontechie divide where, in my opinion, Google fails so disgracefully in so many ways.
@lauren @BoredomFestival most don't know about undo, but painstakingly erase their mistakes one backspace at a time.
@BoredomFestival I add that the first use pop-up info box on "Help Me Write" has (in very small print) the warning that humans will read what you write to improve the AI, don't include personal information, etc. Will Google make whole anyone screwed by this process? Ha.

@lauren My favourite version of this is they switched out the Android powerbutton on the Pixels, so now when you squeeze it expecting to turn your phone off or restart...

the AI Assistant comes up instead. No doubt for the exact same stimulation of engagement reasons you mention.

Took me a long time to work out you now have to squeeze the former power button and a volume button to turn your phone off.

@mattlav1250 @lauren on the iPhone it’s even worse as it’s some magical incantation of volume buttons and ex-power button that I can never remember. So when I have to force shut off the phone I’m usually stuck until I can find a computer to search the Internet for what the right combo was.
@lauren @lisamelton what about those of us who use Undo as a remedy when the cat walks across the keyboard?

@ccampboyle

AI can fix that! Of course, the semantic content before and after will be comparable.

@lauren I keep thinking about how if AI were actually useful, they wouldn't need to force/trick/manipulate people into using it
@lauren There was a menu item instead of CTRL-Z all the time?
@lauren
It's uncanny, it's like you were there in the meeting 😎

@lauren I live with someone who has always (since the mid-1990s, which is close enough) refused to learn keyboard shortcuts. This change at Google isn't going to help a thing.

I wonder what my undergrad students will do with this new "feature" come August...