AI: Creative Tool or Creative Turd?

Does tech have the potential to support writers' careers, or are we all just feeding out of its palm, waiting for the ones and zeros to replace human expression?

AI is on almost every creative's mind right now. 30 years ago, the idea of a robot writing books and painting pictures and composing musical scores would have been the stuff of some bestselling science fiction saga. But now the tables have turned.

Look, I'm not going to sit here waffling on about how much I hate artificial intelligence. Why, AI can actually be pretty darn useful. But then again it can also be taken advantage of. Let's not lie– AI can create impressive works of fiction (okay, nothing too nuanced or original– yet!) but, as my school IT teacher used to say, "it's the user, not the program." The problem isn't what AI is capable of, it's how we intend to use it. How we manipulate the software for our gains. How we use it as a generator of ideas, a creative crutch. And, for some people, a means to put their feet up and not give a s*it whilst a robot does all the hard work. So here are my top pros and cons when it comes to AI and creative writing. Brace yourself.

The Pros

'Writer's block' is one of the many hurdles wordsmiths have to overcome. While some people don't actually believe in writer's block (myself included), others would strongly disagree, and turning to AI to generate scenarios, ideas and prompts isn't a bad option. As long as we continue to make choices about what could be considered a good or bad idea and have control over our creative work, then there's nothing wrong with this. The world is cram-packed full of inspiration; AI just shoves it all in your face at your request.

However, there is a very fine line between generating a prompt and a whole damn novel! Surely that's just laziness, no? If creativity is a ship, then why aren't you its captain?

Of course, one of the greatest appeals of AI is its ability to produce large volumes of text in a matter of seconds. It's impressive– but that's because it's a robot. We're all becoming very impatient, us humans. We scroll faster and watch things at double speed... and now we're so busy that the free time we do have for our creative endeavours is spent observing AI generating a human expression alternative–  five times as fast as you or I. Then again, there are some unique elements to this. For one, planning can be done faster (and planning, as far as I'm concerned, is not the same as 'writing'), and AI can even help us structure synopses, which, let's face it, nobody enjoys writing...

I guess we need to take into account that AI enables people with language barriers, learning needs and physical disabilities to develop creative work. These digital tools can also support grammar and styling of writing, not to mention the eighth deadly sin (Spelling). It's also a great in-house editor and can support sentence structure and spot technical inaccuracies related to word choice, punctuation and phrasing to a reasonable degree. Its opinion on how work communicates to a 'reader' is a whole other question, as AI isn't the target audience of any piece of fiction. Well, not yet at least...

AI can also be used to experiment with different styles of writing, genres and voices– which can provide many new insights for writers who maybe don't have access to readers or a writer's group. Writing is enormously solitary, and I guess many upcoming writers will feel isolated to begin with, hence using AI to support their progress and help guide them on their creative journey. Perhaps some aren't opposed to the company of a robot.

The Cons

So, as far as I can tell (from the experiments I've done on the likes of ChatGTP and other AI tools), AI-generated content lacks that certain... zing. I'm talking about the depth of ideas, themes and human experiences. The nuance and originality! AI relies on patterns and data from existing work and has NO imagination. Okay, the more we feed AI, the more it learns. But still, at the moment it isn't conscious, it doesn't have a heartbeat, it doesn't have an imagination. Imagine a world where the works we read no longer have that personal touch– that human voice... It's the stuff of dystopian fiction. Human emotions, perspectives, views and opinions all wiped clean. Depending on AI to be creative comes with a major risk.

And then there's the issue of AI undermining readers and fellow writers. We've been fooled before and we'll be fooled again. Plagiarism is rife. If it's possible for a uni student to hand in AI-generated work (and yes, it's happened– I've had the pleasure of spending a good hour critiquing work that's apparently 'the writer's own'...), then it's also possible for people to win competitions using the work of AI– publishing content generated by AI! We're all chickens, feeding out of the palm of AI! Cluck–cluck–cluck!

Let's not forget about quality control. AI doesn't always get it right– technology CAN and DOES make mistakes. Those ones and zeros aren't always reliable. If you do use AI to generate ideas and – dare I say – prose, then always remember to spend time reading and editing what the robot has written. AI can produce repetitive, irrelevant and often nonsensical ideas. Have you tried asking AI to write a sonnet? They always rhyme. Well, they do until you tell it not to. But then it just repeats the line lengths, the syllables of each line etc. AI is confined by its programming. We are not.

Do I use AI in my work, I hear you ask. Other than using it to help me structure my plots (which I think of myself!), I do not engage with AI when it comes to my writing. My imagination is always busy– too busy, in fact! If you're feeling particularly uninspired, then I'd encourage you to look more closely at the world around you. Be mindful of AI's positive offer and its undeniable flaws.

What are your experiences with AI? Feel free to comment below!