The talk about AI in the workplace has become so loud it’s hard to ignore. They say my career as a writer is over because AI will be writing the books. That could very well be true, but that won’t keep me from writing my own stories.
I’ve used Chat GPT to help me with back cover blurbs, descriptions for posting on Amazon, and ideas for titles. Part of me feels like I’m cheating. Another part of me appreciates the help. I rarely use exactly what it gives me. Using the structure and keywords it gives me, I rewrite it so it sounds like me. Beyond that, I don’t use AI in my writing.
Some of the writing groups I’m in talked about AI favorably, saying it will help us write better books. Many authors put their whole book in it and ask it to edit it for them. Not ever having done that, I have no idea if the results are good or bad. I wonder if it gives the impression of being good when it actually isn’t. To me, writing a request for a robot to write or edit a book is NOT writing. What comes the requester gets back is not writing, it’s programming. The writer is no longer a writer, but a programmer.
Sometimes taking the easy way isn’t the right way to do things. AI is one of those. It’s easy to let a program write a book for you, but it takes all the joy out of being a writer. I write because it gives me pleasure in creating something others may like. My imagination runs wild and takes me along for the ride. Why give that up for the sake of ease?
Most of all, I want to keep using my brain. At my age, I’m told to keep my brain active so it doesn’t deteriorate. Use or lose it. After watching my parents go down the dementia road, I will do all I can not to walk that path.
Why should we quit using our brains and turn our thinking over to a machine somewhere? It reminds me of when I was teaching and wouldn’t let my student use calculators for simple equations, making them use their brains. Parents and administrators had a fit that I wasn’t using technology (i.e., calculators) in my classes. My argument was anyone could use a calculator, but people who can use their brains for problem solving have the advantage. They have stronger, more flexible, more useful brains. It’s a muscle that needs working out to keep it in prime condition. It’s portable, needs no wi-fi connections or cell service, is rechargeable, programmable, upgradeable, and handy to have around if we only use it. I lost that battle.
AI is a great tool when it comes to scientific data, medical diagnoses, complex calculations, and such things. But letting a program do our thinking for us is harmful. Without a brain full of training and information, how do we know what the machine tells us is true or a reasonable answer?
It scares me thinking about future generations. No one has to learn math because we have calculators. We don’t have to read because we have audiobooks that read for us. We don’t have to read maps or know directions because we have GPS devices that tell us where to go. We don’t need imagination because we have streaming services and video games that entertain us 24/7. What do we need a brain for? If you believe in evolution, someday humans won’t have brains. As long as AI machines are around fulfilling every though process, they’ll become as useless as the appendix.
I love using my brain. Reading a book with my eyes gives me such pleasure. Libraries have all kinds of sources to look up and use, and it’s fun going somewhere to see in reality what it looks like. I love thinking about what I’ve seen, heard, and imagined. I love working crossword puzzles and sudoku. It’s my brain’s fitness plan and I will continue it. I still believe people who know how to think, research, and discover have the unlimited advantage. They’re the ones who learn and know how to do things. The more you know, the more you can do. The more you can do, the better off you are.
When you read my books, you can be sure they come from a human source. No mining for rare minerals, no suctioning off of water and power resources, and no farmland taken over by data centers are involved in their writing. I’ll use the internet for research and to publish my books. Some technology is good. It’s only bad when you let it do everything for you.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7