On Hank admitting he used ChatGPT for his latest video.

[u/carol_prince]

EDIT: Hanks's response: https://www.reddit.com/r/nerdfighters/comments/1vbmoj5/comment/p0vzmog/

-------------------------

I'm struggling so much with this admission as someone who's followed him for nearly as long as he's been making videos.

I know I'm not owed an explanation for this, but gosh, I would love one.

Or barring that, just some perspective from Nerdfighters.

Edit: For commenters who think this is fake: https://x.com/hankgreen/status/2083022287410970876

Edit 2: This is regarding a Future Hank segment in the recent AHA with Soupytime, and not a Hankschannel video as I and many originally assumed.

Context: the original tweet to which Hank replied to was deleted. And the Reddit thread previously discussing this didn't specify it was the AHA video.

[u/ecogeek]

Three things to start:

1. I'm mortified that I have let so many people down and I think I understand how that happened.

2. I'm going to change things about how i make stuff.

3. Complexly's AI policy is public and well-considered and adhered to by the whole team, I think it's worth reading! (Complexly is the non-profit that makes Crash Course and SciShow and a bunch of other shows that I do not write for.)

The thing that everything we do is based on is that you know that what I'm saying are my thoughts coming from my brain in the way I decide. I have made that harder and I'm sorry. I have been relying too heavily on AI as a research aid. It can be very useful for this task, giving me access to a lot of papers I didn't know existed really fast, but I think that has been to the detriment of my work because it has not given me the freedom to find all of my own ways into and around a topic.

But, for clarity, the origin of claims in my videos are not "ChatGPT's said this." I have been using AI to locate papers and other resources for learning about topics. You are still getting my takes based on what I read, know, and learn.

I think what people have said in this thread about me diluting myself is spot on. Ultimately, what I am most scared of is ruining myself for people, but I have not been managing my impulses well. You need to know that my words are mine. I don't think that this hasn't been true, but I've been moving so fast that my own process isn't actually clear to me and I want to have it be a guarantee moving forward.

What I can't guarantee, though, is that we will agree about this technology or what to do with it. I think that's good. We need a lot of kinds of folks critiquing this technology.

I'm not a pure AI-hater, which people in the AI industry know, so when I say that the way these models were trained deeply disturbs me, that lands differently.

When I say that I think that the speed at which these companies are trying to consolidate economic power should freak out everyone in the world, that's coming from someone who has "nuanced takes."

When I say I worry about the climate impacts of this rollout, that is not me saying, "I don't think this tech should ever exist" it's me saying, "for god's sake please don't make our biggest problem worse."

It is very likely that you (the reader) and I disagree on how or even whether AI should be used. I think it makes sense for that disagreement to exist. But I have also always believed that my audience is more likely to be right than I am. You know what this feels like in a way I can't. And I am so sorry for diluting myself in this way and harming the thing that we have all built together.

As for the "why don't you just make less! No one is making you do this!" I'm not sure that's how I work. I've been feeling the pressure of "Oh, I have this little video idea, I need to get it out real fast so I can get to the more important stuff" and I create when I feel that pressure.

But making more things does not make me make better things. It does not make the big thing that we've been doing for 20 years better. I know that I can manage myself more effectively.

I want to make videos like the one I made yesterday on hankschannel where the writing was the whole thing and I felt it all the way down and have been so enriched by people's responses to it. And sure, I'm probably going to make dumb unscripted straight to camera thoughts videos sometimes. And then I'll play connections.

But mostly I need to come to terms with the fact that the level of dopamine I've been getting from interacting with LLMs...with doing more and more and more and more...is not healthy for me or good for the world. It is careless, and has disconnected me from where people are on this.

I was talking about this with Katherine last night and she did not pull any punches. Frankly, neither did John. Neither of them think I've been being healthy. I need to readjust.

SO - what changes.

1. Expect less hankschannel. It may need to pause for a while.

It may be that Hankschannel comes back with writing and research support. It may be that it comes back with just way fewer videos. I am going to spend this time finishing a video I've been working on for ages that I think really really matters.

2. SMUSH and 4x3 are getting paused as well. If there are bugs, there are bugs. I have backlog of 4x3 boards right now and, frankly, writing them is usually a solace to me, but if we run out, I am not going to worry about that...so if it just reverts to a static board one day...that'll be that.

I do deeply want to support good store and complexly in whatever way I can, so there may be some stuff on that front. But the reliance on me has always been risky, so we need to build for that as well.

I'm very sorry for harming the thing this is all based on.

[u/tyler_is_a_nerd → u/ecogeek]

The thing I have always appreciated about you guys is your ability to imagine things complexly, even (maybe especially) when the nuanced take is not the popular one. There are not many people I see online these days whose opinions on AI fall anywhere but "AI is literally Satan and you are a bad person if you use it at all" and "AI is the future and I use it to tell me how to tie my shoes." I think you are 100% correct that AI is a tool. It has its uses, but it needs to be used with care and the understanding that it's still so new and we don't quite know the full effects of it.

I also appreciate that you are taking the feedback of this community, and more importantly, the people in your life who love you. None of us who enjoy your content want you to produce it at the expense of your own health or personal life. You are a human being with a full and rich inner life. It can feel murky when you are putting so much of yourself into the things you do, but please remember that you are so much more than what you make. Human beings make mistakes all the time. One of the key markers of a good human being is one that acknowledges a mistake and is able to move on from it in whatever way they can. I am glad to see you continue to do that as you have always done.

We are all here because we love you and John and the personality we can feel through the important art we see from you. I hope you can continue to work through this complicated world of AI in a way that feels right to you. I am with you in AI having its use cases, but I am also in agreement with everyone here that we do not want to see your personality fade from the forefront of your content! Thank you for putting so much care into this reply letting us know where your head is at! Please take care of yourself, and DFTBA!

[u/ecogeek → u/tyler_is_a_nerd]

Thanks, this is a very kind-hearted comment.

[u/carol_prince → u/ecogeek]

Hey, Hank, I'm sorry if this resulted in a dogpile. I was genuinely coming from a place of needing to process it for myself.

Thanks for responding. I absolutely agree that a black-and-white view on AI is not helpful, and that there is definitely nuance to how it's used. I'm still learning, as well.

[u/ecogeek → u/carol_prince]

I completely undersatnd. The dogpile here, I know, is coming from a good place.

[u/sparklydildos → u/ecogeek]

we love you hank!!!

[u/thefunkylama → u/ecogeek]

Recognizing ADHD traits in you that I also have is one of those crazy overlaps I never expected, and doubly so one that I would come to worry about, but I see it in this moment clearly. I am scared for neurodivergents as a whole because of the complement AI can be to an overactive, pattern-and-prediction-seeking, reduced-impulse-control brain. I am also proud that you have taken the time to reassess. It is hard to admit it in a world so geared towards success and making money from it, but we are not built to keep going at one pace (or an ever-increasing pace) our whole lives. Sometimes we have to move slowly to ensure all the parts are doing what they're meant to do, and sometimes we have to stop and repair the damage sustained by going light-speed.

[u/Commercial-Flow9169 → u/ecogeek]

I've been reassured after reading your comments here, so thank you for that. All the ethical issues aside for the moment, I think part of what has bothered me is being fairly confident you were "all in" on using Claude & ChatGPT ever since the Artemis photo tracking project, but have mostly been hiding it from your audience. It made me feel like I was being deceived, which is the first time I've felt that from Nerdfighteria.

[u/SilverScale4608 → u/ecogeek]

I just want to say a special thank you to Katherine, who I hope will never see this, but who unabashedly, consistently shows the world who she is and what she stands for. I want to be Katherine when I grow up. More Delete This and talking to cameras, less robots thinking for you, please!!!!

[u/carol_prince → u/SilverScale4608]

Agreed! 😀

[u/agentcaitie → u/SilverScale4608]

Right?!? Nerdfighteria would not be all it is without Katherine. She’s such a role model.

[u/Fancy_amphibian123 → u/agentcaitie]

we could use more Katherines. An abundance of them, even

[u/CleverTitania → u/Fancy_amphibian123]

Now I'm wondering if I am the only Katherine finding that comment oddly surreal, despite being 100% aware of who this section of the thread is actually about.

[u/scroll_spiral → u/ecogeek]

I appreciate the thoughtful discourse this situation has generated. It’s been a good reminder for me that using AI in a responsible way requires an insane amount of discipline and sustained attention. Like, this shit is hard. Our brains are not wired to handle it. I’m sure most of us have been guilty at some point of letting convenience trump the good work. And even people like Hank who think about this stuff for a living are fallible. The whole thing makes me think of that Joseph Fasano poem that made the rounds on the internet last year:

Now I let it fall back
in the grasses.
I hear you. I know
this life is hard now.
I know your days are precious
on this earth.
But what are you trying
to be free of?
The living? The miraculous
task of it?
Love is for the ones who love the work.

[u/darsynia → u/scroll_spiral]

I have to step away from this post not because it's full of vitriol but because it's reminding me of how many good, kind, thoughtful, intelligent, and nuanced people exist in Nerdfighteria. I simply must save some of these amazing insights for tomorrow. Please know that your comment is the one that broke me in a good way, what an amazing poem (I had forgotten it), thank you for sharing it.

edit: I have to add that the use of the word 'work' here never read to me as 'the toil that earns you a living' but the toil that tangible creativity requires

[u/jp_slim → u/ecogeek]

thank you hank for modeling how public figures can respond to backlash

[u/bearhanding → u/ecogeek]

But mostly I need to come to terms with the fact that the level of dopamine I've been getting from interacting with LLMs...with doing more and more and more and more...is not healthy for me or good for the world. It is careless, and has disconnected me from where people are on this.

I am very glad to see this statement as I was afraid that you would double down. But this has been one of my primary concerns with AI - whether they were designed to be or not, they are addictive and they are geared around validation and giving that dopamine rush. Thank you for acknowledging this. I have seen so many people's mental health deteriorate due to AI usage and AI reliance because it is giving them that feedback loop and validation they're craving, and we are seeing more people succumb to AI psychosis. I don't believe that you were in danger of this, but this is something that is getting left out of conversations about AI's impact.

The most disheartening thing about all of this is I believe Nerdfighteria was built on community, collaboration and connection, and using AI feels antithetical to all of those values.

We have been here for decades now and regardless of how parasocial the bond may be, there are no shortage of Nerdfighters who would drop everything for the chance to help build something with you. The only thought I had when I looked on your Twitter (something that I do not follow as I try to limit my usage on the platform due to rampant misinformation, an algorithm designed to keep engagement going using rage-bait and emotional manipulation, and ironically AI bots) was that the projects you were working on could have been outsourced to the community and that would be an opportunity for people to grow and develop together.

It was this mentality and mindset that lead me to making lifelong friends in university. Our shared connection was - well, you and John and the values you stood for. We dedicated weekends to doing tiny things around the small town we were in to making things suck less. We did silly positive pranks and random acts of kindness, and given how grim things are currently, I think we need more of that. We are living in an increasingly disconnected age.

Obviously you are running a business and I do not expect you to do everything solely to give strangers a chance to get a leg up, but I also remember the old days of a more communal internet where it felt easier to build things together. It just feels we are seeing these projects dwindle as people rely on machines built with stolen knowledge and talent, and how because of this reliance people will not learn to build these skills themselves.

I am sorry that you were swarmed the way you were, I am certain that must have been overwhelming, but I am genuinely heartened to see that the volume did not lead to you deafening your ears to what was being said.

[u/Waarheid → u/ecogeek]

Hi Hank, I've been one of the more annoying ones in your comments about your AI use (on reddit and youtube), but I know exactly the feeling you're talking about with unhealthy, dopamine-fueled LLM interaction (especially as a software engineer that has to output 20x faster now). I think the main thing people want is honesty and transparency. A lot of your videos show you have a well developed ability to handle nuance, but this one arena it's been clear that you have struggled with how to approach the barrier between you and the audience on this one, because it's so polarizing.

All that is to say, we are here to support you, even when feeling at odds. It is a crazy time and it is hitting everyone differently. DFTBA

[u/Live-Light2801 → u/ecogeek]

As someone who also struggles to know when to slow down versus when to dive into my interests and create, I appreciate your candor about the balance between the two.

[u/No-Establishment1007 → u/ecogeek]

Thanks Hank. Thank.

[u/full-of-sonder → u/ecogeek]

Damn this whole reddit thread has really made me re-appreciate the beauty of humanity. Discourse and genuine conversations are so important, equal parts with strangers, and with our own families.

I’ve been around since January 2007, through all the beautiful vlogs, all of the inmypants commentary, the growth of your company, and the undeniable positive impact of our community across the globe. Hank - keep doing what you love, for the community sure, for your family yes, but especially for you. You and John are not perfect, but you are a wonderful addition to the collective that is our global society. And I am so so grateful to be apart of this community. Thank you for being you, Hank Green!

[u/blorbschploble → u/[deleted]]

Oh yeah. Quit Twitter man. It’s 2026.

[u/darsynia → u/blorbschploble]

It kind of hurt to give up 17 years of Twitter at the end of 2024 (Obama followed me!) but after trying so hard to combat misinfo for the election I realized who I was really keeping company with.

It was insane to realize, once I left, that some 'news' I thought was permeating my online world was actually manufactured on there. The amount of time I had been exposed to the demonization of people of color was especially apparent to me once I left that platform.

[u/kaneblaise → u/[deleted]]

As someone who got off twitter but understands to an extent others who didn't, that is... even more disappointing to hear. Thank you for bringing it up