Should we be afraid or embrace the change?
How it feels as a writer right now (2023)
A.I., some were excited, some terrified. I have always been a little creeped out by it. Let’s be honest, you write a question or “prompt” in ChatGPT, and then *poof! a mysterious “ghostwriter” starts typing words, as you watch it type. It gives me that old movie “Ghostwriter” vibes, only it hasn’t said anything creepy..yet.
But let me tell you how this has directly affected me and many other writers..
With the rise of A.I., many writers have reported losing work or not being able to find jobs. Recently I heard from a woman that a long-term client of hers ended their contract due to A.I. There have also been many instances in which AI programs are being used to detect the use of A.I. or plagiarism, which in theory sounds good. The problem however comes when the program detects “plagarism” falsely and you end up in a back-and-forth with the client. This happened to me a couple of months ago and is an ongoing problem for writers nowadays.
What I don’t understand is, why would you want a robot writing all your content?
Sure the content appears to be thought-out and thorough but it’s missing that human touch. It’s missing personality, pizazz if you will that only a living, breathing writer can bring. I will credit ChatGPT and other A.I. programs for helping to get the creative juices flowing when I get stuck. Other writers will say the same however it has been more detrimental to our line of work.
I mean, have you seen what Elon Musk has said about it?
A.I. (2023)
In several interviews, including Joe Rogan’s Podcast, Musk says things like, “I tried for years, to tell people to slow down…to regulate A.I.” and “Nobody listened”.
You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdy6m3pvdNE
I realize that was in 2018, however, he has been on Fox News recently saying once again that A.I. was released too soon.
Elon Musk on Fox News (2023)
Creeped out yet? If one of the most intelligent people of our time is concerned about A.I., shouldn’t we be?
As for us writers, I believe most of us are just hoping that people will start to see the value in having something written by a human. A.I. cannot portray human emotion and tone like we can. Not to mention, like something out of science fiction, could potentially resist and try to take over the world.. there’s always that.
So I would love to hear your thoughts on how A.I. has impacted you and your career. Shoot me a comment, let’s discuss!
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