“Why don’t skeletons ever fight each other? Because they don’t have the guts.” I asked ChatGPT to tell me a joke, and this is what it came up with. A perfect representation of what the modern perception of creativity has snowballed into, in a world that has been taken over by Artificial Intelligence - in a figurative sense (at least for now).
The opening joke isn’t something that A.I. thinks is funny. It’s something that it thinks humans think is funny. And it’s hard to miss the irony in that statement. I will be reviewing the impact of A.I. in the field of writing in this blog, completely written by a human being.
One of the greatest people to ever hold a pen, Ernest Hemingway, once suggested that writing essentially means rewriting. In other words, anything creative is born from a rigorous, human process of trial and error. Every writer has a different style, a different approach, and a process that is unique to their personality. And all of this reflects in the work.
On the other hand, the A.I. process basically includes scouring the internet to go through oodles of previously written work to give you something that is seemingly ‘perfect’ for your ask. It’s literary regurgitation.
The previous subtopic explored the lack of originality. This one aims to look at the lack of ethics. This is a concern that has been consistently raised by artists and creatives worldwide. In 2022, A Tennessee-based painter, Kelly McKernan, indirectly found out that her distinctive art style was being heavily used in AI image generation.
Imagine a vast, intangible candy store where you can get free candy, but the people who actually made the candy never find out that their product is being handed out. The ‘candy’ is a metaphor for ‘art’. And when artwork is being stolen so blatantly, imagine the ease with which written work can be chopped up and repurposed.
For most creative professionals, recognition is as important as remuneration (if not more). And taking away the concept of credit from the work can potentially debilitate one’s motivation to create.
And now for the most ominous impact of Artificial Intelligence - the environmental effects. It hardly takes a minute to write a prompt and generate an image. But the negative ecological repercussions generated by that minute of AI usage are not talked about enough. AI training models consume massive amounts of energy, which is rapidly increasing the carbon footprint. More prompts mean more greenhouse gas emissions.
The idea of something so seemingly trivial resulting in such global ramifications is difficult to fathom, given how far the AI bandwagon has come, and it seems like the journey has just started.
Having said all of that, there are certain aspects of Artificial Intelligence that can be used smartly by writers. Research is a major part of the creative process, and AI can effectively speed up that process by giving you a more comprehensive search. But this still requires a double, triple, or even a quadruple check from your end.
A quality check with AI’s help doesn’t hurt either (in a figurative sense, of course). Using AI to fix grammatical errors, take SEO advice, and check facts can help you clean up your work without compromising on your creativity too much.
In other words, if you ever get lost and can’t find a creative solution, AI can be used as a guiding light at most. Don’t make it take the wheel and risk blurring the lines between an artistic rhythm and an algorithm.
Whether you like it or not, Artificial Intelligence has successfully seeped into our everyday lives to a point where it is hard to think of a conversation devoid of AI presence. It’s in the news, it’s in the movies, it’s even in the memes you scroll every day. And from the looks of it, this train is not showing any signs of letting up.
As creative professionals, it is our unspoken responsibility to maintain the integrity of the craft. In a world homogenised by algorithms and codes, it is essential for writers to find their originality. By limiting the use of AI, you are not only preserving your own unique voice, but you are preserving the environment at the same time.
1. Is Artificial Intelligence truly creative?
Yes and no. Because the results generated are courtesy of borrowed work from other human beings.
2. Why is AI considered unethical in art and writing?
Because it repurposes work created by unsuspecting creatives and does not provide credit or compensation.
3. How does AI impact the environment?
Training an A.I. results in enormous energy consumption and consequently increases carbon footprints.
4. Can AI be useful for writers?
Yes, it can potentially help with faster research, quicker grammar checks, and SEO strategies.
5. Should writers completely avoid AI?
It’s subjective. But using it as a supporting tool is advised, instead of relying on it completely.
