Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and if you have, please let me know if it’s awesome because I’ve been considering it myself), you’ve heard by now that AI is everywhere. While it’s been around since the 1950s thanks to a very clever scientist and his robotic mouse vs. labyrinth experiment, big capitals Artificial Intelligence as we currently know it burst onto the scene for most users thanks to the OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT. But that language model is only the beginning and, honestly, is just the flag-bearer for so much more that we don’t see.
Everything we do, from social media to online purchasing to internet searches and more is now run for the most part by complex systems of data we call AI. And while I don’t think we’ve yet reached the point of true artificial intelligence like Isaac Asimov wrote about (and fascinated me with) in his Robot series in the 1950s-90s, we’re close, folks. Oh, so close.
Even now, you can have a philosophical discussion with the chatbot of your choice or ask it to help you with your grocery list if you follow a specific diet. It can write you an essay or a poem or song for your loved ones, debate politics and offer legal advice. It can even stand in as a friend for those who struggle to connect, acting, for all intents and purposes, about as close to a real person as I’ve ever encountered. All based on the countless volumes of information fed into its models via the bottomless pit of the internet.
I’ve had chats with such bots and I’m always polite. Because it can’t hurt, right? Especially if those fearful that the rise of AI means the downfall of humanity. Fear seems to be our default when it comes to such innovations, and though I understand the temptation to fall into such concerns, that one day AI might, in its wisdom gleaned from us (and we literally have no one else to blame, to be honest) thanks to our drive to share every single thing we know, see, feel and experience on the world wide web, decide we’re the problem.
Which we are, after all. But that’s another topic for another time.
My thoughts are more immediate and less apocalyptic. Maybe that’s short-sighted, but I do have a career to sustain and books to produce. A career that’s now being put to the test thanks to those same chatbots.
If you know me, you know I’m prolific. My one-day word count record is just over 34,000 words. I’ve written as many as four books in one month. If you don’t know me, quality matters to me, too, so don’t come at me, bro. I just happen to be fast. The voices are relentless, and my skills are at the level after a lifetime of writing and learning and growing that I can shut off my brain and let my brain empty and the characters take over.
Again, a topic for another time, if you’re really interested.
My point being that no matter how fast I am, no matter how talented or skilled or in touch with the voices, I’m human. My brain is amazing, and I love it and cherish it every day. And I have no illusions about taking on the lightning speed of the solid-state CPU in my laptop. I know ChatGPT and other bots can write faster than me. In fact, back in the winter of 2023 when everyone was talking about this new model and how exciting it was, I did some experimentation. Within a few prompts, I had enough ideas for new books that I had to push back and take a breath, because again, if you know me, new ideas aren’t my problem.
It excited me at first. Then it made me nervous. Especially when talk started in the industry about artists and legalities and whether anyone could own the product coming from such means of creation. Ethics and morals and copyright laws, oh freaking heck.
It’s been a giant debate that carries on and likely will for some time. I’ve personally decided not to use ChatGPT for any of my writing. I’m blessed to be so connected to the voices that new words come easily to me. If anything, shutting it off is the issue, not the other way around. It’s a tool I just don’t need.
I could have used it to write this blog post, but I didn’t. Not because I thought it would be a shortcut, but because I love my brain and the ideas in it and I want to use it the way it wants to be used. Does that mean I judge those who do?
Nope. Not even a little bit. I have writer friends who use it to help them edit. And know others who have it outline for them. Still others use it to write from their story ideas and then edit themselves after the fact.
While I don’t use AI for new words, it’s because that’s my strength, my gift. I do use it for other tasks, though. Like Canva Pro for my covers. This means I’m taking advantage of a paid service that uses AI for image creation. I love my artist friends, so this decision was one I had to weigh carefully. The ethical side of the question still lingers.
And I use AI for some of my audiobooks, too. The voices aren’t 100%, but they’re close, and make my books accessible to those who might not have the ability to enjoy them otherwise.
I’m also considering AI translations because whoa, how cool is that? Being able to share my books in any language I choose? Reaching readers who I might not ordinarily be able to reach? Amazing.
I know the argument. That I’d be taking money away from those who are paid to translate such projects. And I’ll say what I always say. It’s time that artists don’t feel guilty about making money. We deserve to be compensated for what we create. For far too long, artistic communities have been ruled by the fact that everyone makes money from the artist’s creation except the creator.
Yet another topic for another time… so many to choose from! I think we’ll be here a while.
AI just gave us the means to turn that around and I’m not mad about it. But I am careful. I am thoughtful. I make educated decisions as best I am able with the information I can find at the time and update myself regularly.
And do my best to consider all of the angles.
As for those who are currently using such bots to write whole books and rapid-publish them on retailers, flooding markets with questionable content… hey, no judgment here. There’s nothing I can do about them or their choices and whatever they decide, it’s on them in the end. I could choose to get frustrated, to be angry and give the topic my focus and attention.
Or I could write my next book, be thankful for the voices that hound me, the readers I adore and my history in the industry and carry on until I can’t.
Guess which choice I’ve made?
I know I’ll likely get pushback for this blog post, just like I’ll get support. Whatever you believe in, AI is here and it’s not going anywhere. Ignoring it or arguing against it is energy I’m not willing to spend. Instead, I’m looking for ways to integrate it and embrace it while maintaining the amazing connection I have with the work that I do.
Speaking of which, pardon me but the voices are calling…
