On AI for Writing - Part 1

We live in an ever-evolving world. The advancements in technology in the past few years have been especially remarkable. Writers have been affected just as much as any other group of people. We saw the advent of the printing press, allowing us to produce for mass reading. Typewriters allowed for quick and efficient composition. Computers and word-processing programs increased our efficiency and accessibility to writing even further. Up to this point, the writer has been aided by new technologies. We became more prolific, more creative, and better able to share our work.

Now comes a technology that potentially threatens our writing well-being. At the time of writing this post, we are experiencing an explosion of both “AI” technologies and the adoption of those technologies. This is a very uncertain time for writers and artists. Tasks that would have taken us hours or days to complete are now taking minutes or seconds for a free program to finish. And finish well.

There certainly are tasks and even professions that will be impacted by the use and adoption of these learning models. Technical writing, copywriting, even non-fiction, and maybe even fiction writing can be accomplished without a writer at the helm. For those of us that write in these fashions, our world is about to change forever. We need to adapt and find our way through this evolving landscape before we find ourselves fully invested in the VCR business.

Where does that leave us if a language-learning AI or a music-learning AI or an art-learning AI can do our jobs in seconds? We must accept that things do change. If you’re a writer, you should see what CHATGPT can do. If you’re an artist, you should see what MidJourney can do. They can do a lot, but not everything. Learn how to talk to the programs. Learn how the prompts work to get the best out of them.  You’ll quickly see how great they are, and where their boundaries lie.

You may be saying: “Sure adapt and learn, but what about my creativity?” Are we at risk for AI creating stories that will make our contributions as storytellers irrelevant? Well, I don’t know. But I don’t think so. I think we will see some AI-created work and some of that work will find reception, but when it comes to storytelling, AI can only generate content based on what it can learn. Basically, everything that we have already created is the basis for its inspiration.

We could say the same for ourselves, but if any original work is going to be created, it’s going to come from a person in their notebook or at their keyboard. Stories are the best when our experiences and emotions drive the effort forward. We feel a need to write, and that compulsion is the reason that only we can tell our stories.

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This is a dynamic subject, and I am certain that more posts will follow. How do you feel about the advent of AI in our creative spaces?