Hey there darlings! Today’s topic is one that has been on my mind for a while. I remember just a few years ago, what it was like to just search Google for things. Then in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
My AI Experience
Is it just me, or did AI sort of just appear everywhere all at once? There seems to be this AI race between companies to see who can create the best AI, as quick as possible. Because it all got thrown at us as such a speed, we´ve not really had time to adapt to it.
All off a sudden, our bosses, our friends, our managers, random people online are telling us “You NEED to start using AI now”, “AI is the future”, etc… the issue is, we haven’t really been given a manual of sorts on how to use these programs. There are people who are happy to go off on their own and figure out AI for themselves, but there are also people who feel scared to use these programs, and feel stuck.
I have always had a big interest in tech. So when the AI surge happened, I welcomed it. When I started using it I realised how helpful it can be. I created simple apps to help organize my tasks. I could work with Claude to build fun tools. And I felt very positive about it all, until recently.
The past few months I’ve noticed a big surge in AI hateful content on Instagram and TikTok. People left, right and center talking about how it’s going to kill Earth, dumb down Humanity, cause wars, speed up Climate change etc… And these are all VERY valid concerns. I am not trying to take away from that. But my head has been spinning with so many thoughts recently.
AI and the Bookish Community (My personal take)
I have noticed many authors complain about being accused of using AI for their book covers, or for the actual writing of their stories. People leaving accusatory comments under authors Instagram posts like “Just admit your cover is AI”, “You definitely wrote that with AI”, etc… it’s everywhere! And I do feel for the innocent authors being accused. It’s not fair that they have to spend day after day trying to clear their name of allegations that aren’t even true.
But I also understand why AI is so hated by readers. As a reader myself, I don’t want to read something written by a machine. I want real, raw, human stories. Because books are art. Stories are art. Literacy is art. And machines, no matter how realistic they can be, will never take that away from us.
AI doesn’t create original content. Everything it knows, it learned by scanning the internet and being fed all sorts of worldwide knowledge. People are arguing that those who use these programs to write books, or create art are stealing from works of art created by others. And that’s a fair point. But we also need to understand that AI doesn’t need to be used in that way. AI is a tool. Just like a calculator is a tool used for mathematical tasks.
For example, AI can be used to create a task manager, a story bible (a software that can organize your book by characters, plot and settings), an arc reader database, etc…
Not all AI use is bad. It comes down the individual, and what they decide to do with these programs.
So what do we do?!
Before we go about accusing every author of using AI, take a step back and think. Do I genuinely believe they have used AI? Is there evidence supporting this? Am I coming from a place of pure AI hatred and fear, or am I genuinely concerned something was created with artificial intelligence?
To be honest, it is pretty easy to spot something written by a program. It usually doesn’t read very unique or humane. Sometimes the (-) can suggest AI, but not ALWAYS, as hyphens/dashes have been used by writers for hundreds of years in fact.
Realistically, the majority of authors aren’t using AI to write their stories. Most authors write because they love it. They are passionate about their story, so why would they have a robot write it for them?! The authors I feature on Darling Reader I can tell are clearly passionate storytellers, because their books have the kind of emotional specificity that no AI could fake.
Unfortunately, there is a minority group of people using AI, and realistically we can’t stop them. If’s that’s what they choose to do then so be it, but you don’t have read their books. Most people aren’t going to want to read AI written books, and those who use software’s to write them will very soon realize that.
Personally, I am not for or against AI. No matter how much we boycott it, I don’t see it going anywhere. I definitely think there needs to be rules and regulations set by governments to protect us and the environment moving forwards. We need more answers in regards to the affects these systems are having on our planet. I feel like everything is so up in the air right now, it’s normal to feel afraid, or stressed. But we need to work with each other on this, not against. Remember, knowledge is power. Take time to learn about these programs. Understand that not all AI is bad, we just need to be aware of how we use it.
PS: Laugh every time I use the word “AI”, you’ll be laughing all day lol
What are your opinions on AI? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks Darlings 🙂
