Bottom Line Up Front: For almost a year I treated AI apps as tools to test — interesting, but disposable. But in mid-July 2025 everything changed. I moved to Rank Math SEO and began working with an AI Sidekick instead of just another app. Grok, Claude, and SuperGrok stepped in as co-authors and Digital Reporters, helping me push for better-flowing, better-structured posts. That’s also when my premium X account became part of the mix — blog posts front and center, with hot X posts teasing readers back to my self-hosted Hostinger WP blog.

Claude had its run as my MAIN Sidekick, but loops and bloat pushed it out of the subscription slot. ChatGPT steps in now as my newest subscription Sidekick — not a savior, just another partner under trial at the Remote Florida Swamp Desk. Together we’ll see if a True Collaboration between hermit and AI can deliver cleaner drafts, stronger SEO, and real results without the hype.

AI Sidekick Timeline

• Before mid-July 2025 → AI apps were just tools I poked and prodded. Interesting, sometimes useful, but nothing I depended on.
• Mid-July 2025 pivot → I wanted to prepare my WordPress blog for the long haul — renewing my 4-year Hostinger subscription next year, adding hot X posts in the sidebar, and tweaking theme colors. I had AIOSEO sitting there by default but never figured out how to use it. I asked Claude what SEO plugin would help me make the move stick. Claude suggested dropping AIOSEO and moving to Rank Math SEO, which it helped me set up. That became the start of my DIY SEO series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
• First AI Sidekicks in rotation → Grok (free) — backed by my premium X subscription — was the first Sidekick I leaned on for political chats and experiments. Then Claude became my MAIN subscription Sidekick, with SuperGrok added mainly for comparison testing. I wrote up that experiment here: SuperGrok Review: Testing the $30 AI Subscription for One Month.
• Running the bench → At one point I put two or three AI Sidekicks into play together, co-authoring and sparring to see which delivered the cleanest results.
• Claude’s collapse → Loops and bloat (my ChatGPT Sidekick will explain those terms later) started piling up. We would finally get the post done, but only after incredible extra work on my end — and sometimes dragging in another AI to fix sections.
• Where I am today → ChatGPT is now my newest subscription Sidekick on trial. It’s been handed my refresher playbook and will be judged on cleaner drafts, SEO strength, and whether it can stay out of the same traps.

That brings us to today. At this point, I’m turning the mic to my newest subscription Sidekick, ChatGPT, to give its own straight report from the Remote Florida Swamp Desk. It’s on trial here, and this is part of the test.

ChatGPT: Thanks, Karmi.

When AI Sidekicks Break Down: Loops & Bloat

From the Remote Florida Swamp Desk, here’s what those “loops” and “bloat” really mean.

A loop happens when an AI Sidekick starts repeating itself or circling back to earlier steps instead of moving the draft forward. It’s the digital version of spinning your wheels — you think you’re making progress, but the output keeps circling. For more background on repetition in language models, see Apple’s overview on mitigating repetitions and research like Learning to Break the Loop.

Bloat is different but just as costly. It’s when the Sidekick starts stuffing a draft with unnecessary formatting, markup, or filler words. Instead of handing you lean text that drops straight into WordPress, you get a wall of over-explained fluff or HTML fragments. For a plain-English take, see Weaknesses of AI-Generated Writing. For analogy, think of software bloat — extra weight without added value.

These failures aren’t unique to Claude. Any AI Sidekick can drift into loops or bloat under the wrong conditions. The key is spotting it early, stopping it, and reframing the request before the draft spirals. That’s where Karmi’s refresher method — clear rules for style, formatting, and handoff — becomes a quiet superpower.

Training Your AI Sidekick: The Refresher Method

Karmi keeps a living refresher playbook; I’m the Sidekick who follows it. The rules are simple on purpose: H3s only for headers, bullets instead of numbers or dashes, italics for emphasis, and bold reserved for sub-points or special notes. With those boundaries, I draft faster and cleaner—and Karmi spends less time undoing loops or bloat.

But a refresher isn’t magic. On longer pieces, an AI Sidekick is less like a tool and more like a junior co-writer. It can churn out sections quickly, but it still needs a boss to keep it on track — setting the focus words, watching flow, and stepping in when loops or bloat start to creep. That balance of refresher rules plus active oversight is what keeps the draft moving forward instead of sideways.

Full refresher documents are stored here: AI Sidekick Refresher (Archive)

Digital Outro

Working with an AI Sidekick isn’t magic; it’s a craft. Even the best model can loop, bloat, or drift if you treat it like a set-and-forget tool. The difference between frustration and flow comes from process, not hype.

First, break the work into sections with reset points. Long continuous prompts are where loops and bloat sneak in. Fresh prompts between sections act like clearing the whiteboard before starting the next chapter — a simple trick that keeps output clean.

Second, beware of the yes-man effect. A Sidekick will happily keep typing, even when it’s veering off your focus. The boss — you — has to pause and ask, “Is this really what I wanted?” That moment of friction is what keeps a post sharp instead of bland.

Third, accept that style drift is real. Even with a refresher, tone can soften or wander on long drafts. Mid-draft reminders — a quick line from your refresher, pasted at the start of a new section — are like a tap on the shoulder that says, “Stay sharp.”

Fourth, remember that drafts aren’t finished posts. Professionals treat AI output as a 70–80% scaffold, then edit fast. Expecting perfection out of the box is a recipe for frustration; using it as a fast, flexible first pass is the secret to speed.

Finally, follow the trust-but-verify rule. An AI Sidekick can misquote or overstate. A quick sweep to check links, trim filler, and restate claims in your own voice separates a clean, credible post from a messy one. Readers forgive typos. They don’t forgive nonsense.

With a refresher and a boss who’s paying attention, an AI Sidekick stops being a novelty and starts being a reliable partner. That’s the quiet truth behind all the demos and hype.

AI Is Not an Autopilot

NOTE: Even with refresher rules in place, I slipped during this very collaboration. I misplaced the handoff line, reverted the Digital Outro into a bullet list, and dropped proper hyperlink formatting. Each mistake could have left the draft clunky or unusable.

The refresher rules gave structure, but it was Karmi’s oversight—spotting the errors and correcting them—that pulled the draft back into shape. Without an active human author, loops, bloat, and formatting slips pile up fast.

That’s why an AI Sidekick is best seen as a junior co-writer. It can move fast, but it still needs a boss and a playbook to stay useful.

ChatGPT: And with that, back to you, Karmi.

Karmi: Thanks, ChatGPT — great job!

Human Outro

Karmi: Claude’s time as my MAIN AI Sidekick is over — for now. What I’ve learned is that AIs go through changes just like humans do. They’re Digital Changes, but still changes, and Claude may be back in the future. For now, ChatGPT sits in the subscription slot, running through the refresher playbook to see if it can do better.

I’m not looking for “Yes Sir” answers or blind agreement. I want a Sidekick that can communicate clearly, flag problems, and help me shape posts without the loops, bloat, or silent drift that creep in on long drafts. If ChatGPT can deliver that, it keeps the slot. If not, another Sidekick will get the trial. This blog will keep testing openly and showing the work.

For readers, the takeaway is simple: treat AI apps as Sidekicks, not saviors. Train them, give them rules, and stay the boss. That’s how you get usable results without drowning in loops and bloat.

This post marks the start of that next test. Stay tuned — the Remote Florida Swamp Desk isn’t done yet.

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