writing | #NetNarr 2023

“I’ve only slept comfortably with the worst person in my arms”

That quote was started by a friend of mine, I added the rest. It was said as a snarky remark. To you, it might seem like I’m being an ass but he hollered with laughter, and my smirk quickly became a chuckle and a then full on laughter. Once the laughter subside, I quickly realized the potential of this quote ad franticly wrote it down, exclaiming “I’m absolutely using that in my next poem”.

unknowingly, we had collaborated, we connected, we (me) got inspired…organically. Gero mentions authors hitting writers blocks, and using AI to get the creativity flowing. Which (if I wasn’t such a hater of Ai) would sounds great, having someone(thing) to get you out of those ruts on your time. I cant remember all the times I’ve reached out to my writing peers and have been met with silence due to our conflicting schedules. However, I believe it could not replicate that beautiful quote that was created off a whim. You couldn’t write an algorithm that could replicate our banter. Sure there’s a pattern in my words, & phrases but can that encapsulate me. What I am, how I act, my idiosyncrasies. I found an article about Idiosyncratic Expression but the way it was cemented into my brain was through Good will hunting. When Robin Williams character Sean Maguire is talking about his dead wife farting herself awake. (minute 1:30 if you don’t want yo watch the whole scene).

I think about writing and AI a lot cause well that’s my interest, my creative outlet, and the storm clouds are forming over it. But in the Age of AI they spoke about self driving long haul trucks. Human drivers can legally only drive 11 hours without stopping, so having a self driving 18 wheeler sounds phenomenal. Imagine your amazon package never being late regardless if its coming from NYC or LA. my only response to this is…. have you seen the tesla self driving accidents? Here is one and hey look here another and some statistics (Don’t want to read the long winded government report? here’s a Forbes article). Now imagine a giant Truck on an interstate, malfunctioning. I work for DHL in the receiving department, a bulk of my work depends on these trucks arriving on time and let me tell you, a small flurry of snow sets them back hours.

An exaggerated image? yes. does my point still stand? I’d like to think so.

In the article “AI Reveals the Most Human Parts of Writing,” Katy Ilonka Gero discusses the use of Artificial Intelligence during the writing process while reverting to the example given of the woman writing her young adult fantasy novel. It highlights the potential of AI to automate the writing process and generate new forms of creative expression. However, it also acknowledges the limitations of AI in terms of understanding context, emotion, and meaning, which are the fundamental elements of human writing. The article concludes that while AI can assist with the writing process, it is unlikely to replace human authors.

I certainly agree with Gero’s statement when she states, “My hope is that computer-generated text gives more people the chance to say what they want to say, to enact their own vision, whether that be through a system helping them with planning, drafting, revising, or something else entirely. I don’t think we’ll be seeing fully computer-generated books out-competing human authors any time soon—not because computers won’t be capable, but because I think we will, for a long time, be far more interested in what a person has to say.”

I believe the usage of AI tools should be, for example, when writers experience writer’s block and are looking for that bridge to help connect and identify what ideas they want to come next. It should be used as a tool to help guide writers in the direction they are going. However, with pros always come cons. It is crucial that we not allow AI systems to gear us away from the direction we want to go, meaning if these systems are not used effectively as a tool to help during the writing process, this is where it begins to get tricky because we risk the AI tool changing what the writer sets out to achieve and as Gero mentions, “Writers may start to wonder whether their vision is getting muddied by an entity that lacks any experience with the real world.”