When is Vocal NOT Vocal?
Stick with me here
After several years of writing on this platform I believe I'm pretty quick to recognize Vocal's brand and icon.
I subscribe to several official Vocal 'creator' profiles so that I can stay in the know about updates, enhancements, changes in policy, and what-have-you.
I follow Vocal COO Justin, and also Creat'd Founder Jeremy Frommer, the Vocal Team, the Vocal Curation Team, the Vocal Raise Your Voice by Vocal, and even the (much missed by me) Vocal Creator Chat because I hope it will be back again some day, and the Creat'd Investor Relations account. Probably I follow others that post less often than even that last one... but that's enough for now.
That is why I was surprised by the presence of a NEW Vocal 'creator' account that posts only AI Generated content. Here's a screen shot of the profile:
"How did I miss this one?!", I thought to myself. And then "I really need to add all of the official Vocal profiles to a Creator 101 article. Maybe in the FAQs article. I'll check to see what it's for..." and then off I went to click on all of the new fabulosity that is my experience in Vocal posts.
Except.
Every one of them is AI generated. AND properly attributed as such. So, thought I, maybe it is Vocal doing this as proof that AI generated doesn't get 'eyes'? Maybe that was it? So I poked around.
Hearts and comments. Truly. Hearts, comments... and comments answered with offers to make available for purchase things to solve imagined problems. In other words- marketing. Well. OK.
Some comments acknowledged the AI:
How can this be legit? (Yes- I reported it on the Vocal Discord channel, but haven't seen any response. There are bigger fish to fry and cyber attacks to deter, I know- but this looks like brand larceny to me.
Yes- I reported a few of them, specifically asking if the Vocal team knew their name was being used. As the 'stories' keep arriving, and I might have sent some people their way by publicizing it on Discord, it seems no one is worried about it.
This must be the only pilfered trademark-profile, right?
WEEELLLLLLL. Not exactly.
^not active, but the profile still exists^
^Brand new profile. ^ Doesn't attribute content to AI... but the 'In today's fast-paced world...' and other standard structure is.. well.. you decide.
^Existing profile- same name... No attributed ai, but 'in today's digital world' is alive and well here, too... so......
So... I just stopped looking, dear reader.
Maybe there's more out there, maybe there isn't. Maybe they are all the same person, maybe they aren't.
I've gone this route before and, frankly, I'm busy at work and trying to encourage those striving for social justice. This is a distraction.
Speaking of distraction, though: I did notice a familiar name from my more prolific Medium days. (I still write there every once in a while, but- honey! They are going through some stuff over there and again: I have plenty of other things to do.)
Any-who: two YEARS ago a 'writer' was the subject of numerous articles, speculation, and general writerly hysteria. These days searching for 'her' name brings the dreaded empty '404' response that it has been deleted in violation of Medium standards.
This profile was made both on Vocal and Medium at the same time. However, the 'stories' just appeared her 2 months ago- years after the profile was created.
How many stories? So glad you asked. There are 173 so far to date. Each and every one of them properly attributed as AI-generated , according to Vocal standards.
I guess that would have answered the speculation on Medium, if that had been a 'thing' then.
Maybe pretending to be {or riding on the coattails of} Vocal will also be a 'thing' one day.
About the Creator
Judey Kalchik
It's my time to find and use my voice.
Poetry, short stories, memories, and a lot of things I think and wish I'd known a long time ago.
You can also find me on Medium
And please follow me on Threads, too!
Keep reading
More stories from Judey Kalchik and writers in 01 and other communities.
Understanding Flexible LED Wall Washers and Wallwasher Lighting
Wallwashing is a well-established architectural lighting technique used to evenly illuminate vertical surfaces such as walls, facades, and large structural elements. The primary goal of wallwasher lighting is to create uniform brightness across a surface, reducing harsh shadows and visual distractions while enhancing the perception of space and texture.
By charliesamuel4 days ago in 01
Ford F-150 Tonneau Cover Install in Under 10 Minutes
Installing a tonneau cover on a Ford F-150 doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Many modern tonneau covers are designed so that truck owners can install them quickly without special tools or professional help.
By Bison Tonneau Coversa day ago in 01
Comments (37)
This comment has been deleted
it was such a nice story. I also wanna to become on top storyline. congratulations on the top. visit
I've been on Vocal for a while too, and I share your surprise at that new AI-generated account. It's concerning that it's using Vocal's name. I get that AI has its place, but this seems sketchy. I wonder if Vocal is aware and what they plan to do about it. It's important to protect the brand. I also reported it on Discord but haven't heard back. Have you seen any other accounts like this popping up lately?
Interesting story
Fascinating topic! The idea that vocal isn’t always vocal highlights how communication extends beyond just spoken words. Tone, body language, and even silence can convey powerful messages. In tech-driven spaces like AI and NLP, interpreting these non-verbal cues is becoming increasingly important. Companies like Dev Technosys are tapping into this complexity by developing intelligent solutions that understand both verbal and non-verbal communication. Great read—definitely sparks deeper thought on expression!
A Night Under the Stars In the quiet moments before sleep, when the world feels peaceful and still, love has a way of finding its way into your heart. For Ava and Liam, that quiet night was filled with the warmth of their shared dreams,
Interesting 🧐
Well deserved Top Story… informative read… disappointing that some people obviously value money &/trickery over honest hard work.😳 Loved Stephen’s hypothetical scenario 🤣.
Congratulations on Top Story !!
i feel there is no originality in some of the vocal writers, i don't have problem with ai, but content should need human touch , without human touch there will be no mood to read more .
This is a really interesting and important article. I think Vocal's now being assailed by spammers and scammers and endless AI content on a daily basis. I hope this isn't just a taste of the future.
And the warnings from its inception regarding AI...ignored. What did those "gatekeepers" REALLY see? A well-timed piece of writing Judy. Top story congrats 🎉
Because of AI invasion, Medium reduced our earning drastically.
Yay Judey!! Back to say congrats on most popular story this week (I can't help but think we have the spammers to blame/ "thank" for it)!! 😅
I am going to interrupt reading to say that you say: 'In today's fast-paced world...' and other standard structure“ is something you catalogued as exclusive to AI and I am saying you are wrong. The fact is that we live in a fast-paced word and no one can deny it. The second this is that there are some standard structures that have been commonly used by industries way before AI existed. I write professionally about technology for several industries and have written countless times “In the fast fast-paced world we live” and other conventional structures. I’ve written that same thing for almost two decades, way before AI and I won’t stop using it. In fact, I wrote that same thing a few days ago since we live in a fast-paced world that is changing faster than ever. So to you, I am or sound like an AI. People can’t stop using words or structures simply because AI use them as well. AI learned the language from us and that’s why it happens. I refuse to stop using the language I have used all my life and structures that are commonly used in the industries i write about and for. I have actually written about AI for almost two decades. This is not new to me and will not change the language I have always used.
Congratulations Judey on the leaderboard placement. We can only try our best and let the Vocal Gods do as they will
Omg people. Four spam comments have been left on this article. I know it’s because it’s a Top Story- because that’s the MO for these non-content creating marketers. all have been reported to Vocal. One has been deleted. That they are posted on content that is precisely about inauthentic profiles just , well- it’s both sad and triumphant.
Since the emergence of artificial intelligence, cyber attacks have started to increase. Especially with the emergence of AI agents, a lot is happening. As of now, I am not even counting the scam incidents in cryptocurrencies. Therefore, it is necessary to create about the correct use of artificial intelligence. I think there is a need to be informed about the correct use of artificial intelligence.
Wonderful
Very good work, congrats 👏
Hear me out, though: what if someone's name just happens to be first name Vocal, last name Media. And they just happened to have a face that looked exactly like the Vocal logo. And they're also openly admitting to writing on here to help boost other websites' search engine rankings? Wouldn't that make poor Vocal an innocent bystander in all of this?
Hey Judey I suspended the "Vocal.Media" account. If you notice any others you can drop them in this thread and I'll take care of it.
Don't they say that imitation is the highest form of flattery?!!? 🙄 Some of these folk are wild. It's maddening. Well done Judey, great article.
AI is good for prompts but not good as full stories or articles. To AI is like cheating. Thanks for sharing. Did not know about the AI Vocal. Those stories would be too, too perfect.
Who cares? Not worth spending time over. If the platform doesn't curate and delete these accounts when they are reported, people will move elsewhere. Most social media sites spend a lot of time progrmaming spam and bot filters not to get overwhelmed.