I use AI tools almost every day. So do you.
Spell checkers, autocorrect, predictive text, voice commands, Siri, Alexa, Google search, it’s all AI.
But the AI we’re really talking about now is the large language model AI like ChatGPT, the AI that many a writer fears is coming to take over the industry.
Consider the following:
In navigating the evolving landscape of writing and AI, authors can seamlessly integrate artificial intelligence into their creative process while retaining the essential human touch. One approach is to view AI as a valuable assistant rather than a replacement. Authors can leverage AI tools to enhance efficiency, streamline research, and generate ideas, ultimately facilitating the writing process. By using AI to complement their skills, writers can maintain creative control while benefiting from the speed and data processing capabilities of these tools.
Furthermore, AI can serve as a collaborative partner, aiding authors in brainstorming and refining concepts. Embracing AI as a co-creator allows writers to blend their unique perspectives with the analytical capabilities of the technology, resulting in a harmonious synergy. Additionally, AI-powered editing tools can assist in refining language and style, ensuring a polished final product that reflects the author’s voice.
While integrating AI, it is crucial for writers to remain mindful of ethical considerations and maintain transparency with readers about the use of technology in their creative process. By embracing AI as a supportive tool, authors can harness its potential to elevate their craft, enriching their writing experience without sacrificing the authenticity and humanity inherent in their work. Ultimately, the harmonious integration of AI and human creativity opens new avenues for innovation, enabling writers to explore the full spectrum of their imaginative capabilities.
The above article (text in italics) was written by ChatGPT. It’s unedited, pasted directly from the app.
I fed the robot articles I have already written on the topic of AI writing, and asked it to produce a piece of text in the same style on the topic “How To Use AI In Your Writing And Stay Human.”
Everything it produced above is my opinion and encapsulates the way I use AI in my writing. It’s not 100% in my voice – at least not the way I write on this site – but close.
I use AI for my writing and I am still a 100% human writer, writing from my own world views, experiences, stylistic choices, and everything else I have ever used in my life long dedication to writing as an art and a craft.
I use ChatGPT and Claude for brainstorming ideas. I use them for assistance in coming up with character names, titles, concepts, descriptive details. I use them for research (although I always double check those results with other sources because even it knows its limitations in that area). I use it for writing drafts of blurbs and book descriptions, and I used it to write this article about using AI. I use generative art AI tools to put an image on this post, and another AI tool to post it to Pinterest. I use AI to narrate audiobooks, and in all kinds of other ways in my writing career.
I’m still a human writer, struggling with ideas and craft, productivity constraints and mindset limitations.
For me, writing with AI is not about speed and productivity. I don’t want to use it to write an article or even an entire novel in a few seconds or minutes. I’m a writer, not an AI prompt engineer.
I use AI because it makes me think of different things.
If creativity is finding innovation in the spaces between existing ideas, then I look at AI as a way to provide more ideas, more spaces. Spaces I would never have been able to come up with on my own.
AI doesn’t detract from my creative process. AI enhances and enlivens and enriches my creative process.
I will use it in different ways as the technology continues to advance and I will still call myself a human writer.
You also have the choice NOT to use AI in your writing. How you use it is, like everything else in your writing life, totally up to you.
