Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is changing the way writers view the longevity of their careers.
AI is the most available it has ever been. Interfaces such as ChatGPT, DALL-E 2, and Lumen5, are able to create text, image and video-based content. Bing search engine has a chat bot, and even Snapchat has a creation that appears in users contact list as ‘My AI’.
It is no surprise, then, that there is fear from authors and other writers about what their careers will look like in the future.
Fiction authors in particular worry about the stories that could be created without them. Non-fiction authors have the benefit of writing from real experience, however, AI works based on data input. Authors may no longer be necessary in the entirety of the writing process. Authors could be used to put in basic ideas as data, the bulk of a story could be created without them, with the draft being sent off for editing by another team or in collaboration with the ‘author’. Whether this way of writing should be disclosed is still debated.
Data input of existing popular works, titles from specified genres, and books that use specific tropes, could all be used to further create a book that fits the publishing industry’s projections for the next popular style or genre. Using existing work in this way raises ethical and legal questions.
If AI is creating work based off of samples of existing work or being fed titles from multiple authors at once, in the hopes of creating a story in the same genre, who owns the copyright and has copyright been infringed through plagiarism? This is where regulation on the use of AI will become the most important.
Artists are already finding that AI is creating work based on their styles and original works, with others creator calling themselves AI or digital artists. Because the work is being created based off of algorithms AI artists have curated, they are calling the work theirs, however, they are still plagiarising the work of others. Currently there is no strong legal precedent over the ownership of these pieces.
Lack of industry regulation is the major cause of fears for jobs within writing careers. Individuals and writing industries are currently free to use AI as they like, with no workplace standards in place to define whether or not this is a valid and authentic way of creating new books.
The current strikes by The Writers Guild of America (WGA) highlight these issues. They are currently fighting for the ‘proposed regulations around the use of AI to create source material and write, or rewrite, literary material.’ The outcome of these strikes will set a precedent for how writers, and their ability to create original content, will be approached in the future.
It is more important than ever to ensure some kind of collaboration. Ideas and parameters are still entered into AI systems by humans, so at a very basic level the ideas still need to come from humans.
There are benefits to using AI as well, and writers should not completely turn their backs on the rise of this new technology. Instead, they should take advantage of it. AI can be a useful tool for editing and proofreading, idea generation, creating story outlines and keeping up with writing as it progresses, such as looking for story inconsistencies or an accidental change in the spelling of a character’s name.
Currently, AI is capable of writing stories based on basic prompts, with no depth. There is a lack of lived experience and understanding coming through AI generated stories. AI naturally lacks the critical thinking, independent opinion forming and creativity that humans nurture and grow thanks to experiences unique to them.
Idea generators and writing assistance is not a new phenomenon. With detailed information input such as characters’ names, story genre, adjectives to describe body parts, and a character’s favourite drink, Story Generator creates short stories based on information given. While they are not always comprehensive, the website does its best to create something with a start, middle and end.
Programmes such as Microsoft Word and Apple Pages have inbuilt editing capabilities, making spelling, punctuation and grammatical suggestions for written work. Grammarly is a popular programme that can be downloaded to help with the same issues in a more comprehensive way, looking for tone, style and passiveness. Grammarly can also be used more widely in emails, blogs and social media posts, with the option to turn in off.
AI should be used by writers as a resource. The progression and evolution of industries due to the advent of new technologies is something that has consistently happened throughout history. Since this is a relatively new phenomenon in the world of writing, it is up to writing industries to find balance as writers are introduced to new tools to aid their processes.
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N.S.Parkinson Writes 