Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?
I actually don't like conflict very much or at all. I've already been involved in a few contentious discussions about this topic during the past month and I don't want to play anymore. While searching for new places to potentially publish my work, I encountered several publishers stating that anyone submitting work suspected of being written by AI would be blacklisted.
I'm not a great fan of blacklisting or cancel culture or McCarthyism in any of its forms, so I did an experiment where I ran a blurb I wrote through an AI checker. It was flagged as potentially being written in cahoots with two AI programs, neither of which I had even heard of. I then had the QuickWrite program write a blurb using the same information. The version written by QuickWrite (an AI program) was only flagged as potentially using one AI program, ZeroGPT. Hence, QuickWrite is apparently more human than me.
My point was I don't like it when people are accused of things they didn't do. I think there will be a lot more erroneous accusations caused by flawed AI-checking programs than there will be actual cheaters caught. Some people took exception to this, saying some people will do whatever it takes to gain recognition. However, there have always been those kinds of people.
I don't have any problem with people using a program like QuickWrite to compose such odious items as blurbs and synopses. I do have problems with people having Chat GPT write an entire book and claim it as their own. However, as I understand it, the joke's on them because they can't copyright material composed by an AI program.
I primarily use QuickWrite to create writing prompts for me, which short-circuits the amount of time my glitchy ADHD brain has to think of increasingly wackier ideas when coming up with story ideas. While writing the story, I will sometimes have QuickWrite create a filler scene that I later go back and rewrite myself because said ADHD brain really doesn't like it when I don't compose everything in chronological order.
AI is a tool, no more and no less. Tools can be used for good or ill.
That's what I think about the subject. Others are welcome to think what they wish. I have neither the time nor the desire to police everyone's thoughts.
~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~
Free use image from Pixabay
I agree with you that Al can be a tool. We use it at my job to write articles for attorney websites. And we tried using an Al checker like you did. It sometimes found that articles totally written by the writer were suspected of being written by Al. We ended up ditching using the program.
ReplyDeleteLOL on the ADHD brain (Oh, look squirrel!). Been there, have that but also OCD, so at least I'm compulsive about it! Creativity is so unique to each individual (duh, or it wouldn't BE creative!) and that's what makes reading fiction (and writing it!) such a joy. The surprise, the twists, the sudden shocks, the "I never saw that coming!" are part of creating something unique, and that should never stop being our goal.
ReplyDeleteUsing AI for writing prompts is a good way to make use of the tool. Inspiring your creativity is much better than trying to make the AI be creative for you.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear that writing can get flagged for suspected AI use. I haven't run into that. Not that I use AI to do those things, but interesting none the less.
It's using AI for the ill that I worry about. I absolutely love your last paragraph ~ Sounds perfectly ornery to me, CL!
ReplyDelete"Tools can be used for good or ill" Excellent point! There are bad actors in most situations.
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