Whoa, Vol. 2: Conversations on AI × Creativity Why Substack's Head of Design Thinks LLMs are Overrated -- Mills Baker
Sep 4, 2025
In a thought-provoking conversation, Mills Baker, Head of Design at Substack, discusses how AI is reshaping the creative landscape. He critiques LLMs as producing mere pastiche instead of true creativity, sharing his bearish views on their reliability and ethical implications. Mills highlights the importance of maintaining human voice in writing and warns against the hype surrounding AI, predicting that genuine creative talent will always be in demand. With insights on tech’s future, he emphasizes focusing on what creators love, not what they dislike.
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Use LLMs As Question Engines, Not Authorities
- Use LLMs for high-detail, follow-up queries where search fails, like complex health or niche product questions.
- Treat their answers as prompts for further questioning, not definitive facts.
Style Mimicry Isn’t True Voice
- LLM outputs often feel like pastiche: they mimic style but rarely capture the author's deeper originality.
- That stylistic mimicry lacks the capacity to step outside pattern and produce the genuine voice.
Hype Masks Hard Problems
- Hype can divert effort away from solving core technical problems and create false expectations.
- Real adoption shows itself through visible, useful changes—hype alone isn't proof of transformative value.
