The red pen

This article argues that while AI chat has become a powerful tool for iterative work, its interaction model lacks the ability to directly reference specific parts of generated content. The author contrasts the natural human practice of pointing and saying 'this' with the cumbersome verbal navigation required in chat. Despite improvements like larger context windows and separate artifacts, the fundamental problem of reference remains. The piece suggests that integrating annotation or direct manipulation into AI interfaces could restore the efficiency of a 'red pen' for collaborative editing, making the process more intuitive and precise.