AI seems to be everywhere lately. Search engines, word platforms and more beg you to use it. There are legitimate uses for it, but some I consider to be cheating with AI.
Writing and research are two of these. There are many who will disagree, but I stand firm.
AI and Writing
At home I am not online. In town every time I try to write an email, a search entry, check over a blog post, this AI pops up trying to tell me what I should write. This is very annoying as the stupid program starts guessing at what the word is by the time I have two letters typed.
Admittedly my spelling is not always right. However, spell check catches mistakes most of the time. And that doesn’t keep covering over my document or page with lists of words and phrases.
Then, too, my novels come from my imagination. If AI writes my novel for me to edit, it is no longer my novel. It is AI’s novel and probably far from my idea of what it should be.
My present novel looks at getting old, relationships to family and friends, immigration and reinventing oneself. The main character has been a recluse for decades for medical reasons, has an abusive background. I have come to know her and those around her. AI would only guess at these pulling from whatever learning material it used.
Stephanie comes from a lifetime of people and experiences. I know what is happening and will happen to a large extent. AI won’t know ant of this and might well distort it if I explained.
If I were to use AI to write my novel, edit the result and publish it, I would consider it cheating with AI.
Research
When I start doing research, I have an idea what to look for. Often it is a bit vague. As I go exploring the topic, I can check out different parameters, fine tune, go off on tangents.
By cheating with AI, I end up looking at only what the program thinks I am looking for. It’s something like the difference between browsing the shelves at a bookstore or library and searching on Amazon. You miss so much.
Perhaps I am just old-fashioned, but I will continue to use my own imagination for my writing.
