By: Rutva Gupta – Tompkins High School
For centuries, writing has been a continual venue for the expression of thought and knowledge, where the sole idea of a story rested upon the shoulders of a single author. Yet recently, the transcendence of our modern society was marked by the introduction of newer technologies – essentially a revolution in how we think. Thus, a second party has entered the realm of creativity: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
So, what does the introduction of AI generally mean for writers today?
To answer this question, we need to understand how AI works, and when considering writing, it is also important to consider the analogous effects of AI on art. Introducing AI to the art world has sparked controversy about how it would impact artists, with ethical concerns stemming from AI-produced artworks. “For instance, text-to-image AI generators like Midjourney and DALL-E 2 use images available in the public domain” (Garbarine, 2023), showing how many machine learning algorithms and generated art content stem from preexisting works online. Ultimately, in this regard, AI works to hurt artists who spend countless hours perfecting their craft, as they now have to compete with a machine that can generate art of the same quality in seconds. However, proponents of AI describe the positive impact that it would play on art and creativity, showing how entire arrays of genres with countless art pieces can be made. Creativity can be redefined to incorporate artists and AI alike, who can come together to form new ideas of expression. Ultimately, advocates of AI regard it as a node for newer creativity, a stark contrast from the opponents of AI who argue its harm to an artist’s career.
However, when considering writing, AI is regarded a little differently. Writing itself is generally acknowledged as a subunit of art, and newer AI models such as the famous Chat-GPT work similarly to the aforementioned Dall-E 2, by analyzing “large amounts of data to generate responses to user inquiries” (University of Arkansas, 2022), essentially pulling its information from online, which functions similarly to art but has a different result. For example, consider the question: “What is sleep?” Generated art can draw abstract concepts that tie into answering the question, thus it can’t really go wrong. However, an interface such as Chat-GPT may generate incorrect information in trying to answer the question. That’s because swaths of online sources have to be considered in each generated response, and among this information are sources that lack credibility and display outdated information.
But what is the point of this comparison? Well, it serves to illustrate that AI plays a different role in different genres of art. Writing itself is a form of art expression, yet it offers more literal expressions versus drawings and paintings which offer more abstract concepts. Thus, AI-generated writing often presents flaws with incorrect information, poor feedback, or a general lack of quality. This goes to show that as of now and in the immediate future, writing careers will be secure as a result of these limitations. Journalism will still require reporters to stress the importance of correct information. Authorship will still require novel writers to display emotions and quality that simply isn’t achievable yet with AI. However, this doesn’t mean that AI altogether is obsolete in its use. Far from it. The University of Arkansas illustrates the comprehensive use of AI for writers in how it offers a way for writers to express new ideas, rephrase preexisting thoughts, or simply offer a way to fact-check information and correct grammar. Interestingly, I asked Chat-GPT what it can offer me as an aspiring writer, and it offers an array of skills, ranging from offering data analysis on readers, to helping me come up with new content for my stories, and it even helped me analyze this article for any grammar errors, showing its practical uses in the field of writing.
So, to answer the initial question: AI is here to stay. Although many view AI with skepticism for its threats to the writing profession, there lies a unique opportunity for writers to improve their craft and work with AI altogether. Writing is a unique experience specific to you and with how fast the world is changing with newer technologies, it may benefit an author to change with it. Work to hone your skills with newer experiences, gained knowledge, and tools, and one tool to help you presents itself in AI.
Sources
https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/2023/03/27/how-is-ai-changing-how-we-write-and-create/
https://zesium.com/benefits-of-ai-in-art-and-the-practical-use-cases/
