AI
AI: IS IT A BENEFIT
OR CONCERN
FOR AUTHORS?
Is AI
-- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE -- a benefit or concern for authors?
As a fiction author, it can be used for portions of the writing process or a freelance position, such as ghostwriting. Non-fiction writers can use it for research and the writing process also.
School Assignment Only 🙃
Artificial intelligence. Can excitement and curiosity to explore its potential replace authors' fear of a hostile career takeover?
AI is here to stay. Many already use spell and grammar checks on our word processing programs or apps, such as Grammarly. As authors, we can find ways to use AI responsibly, appropriately, and ethically and use the time saved to write our best-selling stories. Isn't that the relief many of us seek?
AI is not flawless and cannot stand alone—yet. At this point, a human element is necessary to ensure that data goes in and the information coming out is accurate.
So, as curiosity struck, I researched and found valid biases on both sides of the argument. I began this study with an anti-AI mindset and an unhealthy fear of this "new" technology and needed convincing even to try it out. Before experimenting, I wanted to make an informed decision and hear the benefits and concerns.
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Jane Friedman, well-known in the writing community, had her name and brand fraudulently used by someone abusing AI (2023).
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In a separate article, Jane discusses AI complicating self-published authors by inundating the industry (2023).
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Katherine Elkins has a healthy balance of disappointment for the flaws and respect for the possibilities (2024).
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The Publish and Prosper podcast hosts Matt Briel and Lauren Vassallo spoke AIs praises and use it daily at Lulu Publishing, as do all employees there, because it improves their writing craft (2023-present).
I explored those magical buttons. My novice-created AI images may not look realistic, but the challenge was fun. Then, I added the bio I wrote for my webpage into Grammarly's and Wix's AI tools to compare the two and realized that this embellished reproduction was neither perfect nor accurate. I tweaked it and used a few listed thesaurus-type words.
Overall, the proposed AI images and rewrites look and feel more advanced. There is a learning curve to create beautiful and eloquent images and passages, which I have not mastered.
AG (Author's Guild)
meets AI via
https://www.createdbyhumans.ai/
The Author’s Guild (AG) is the first to stand up for an author’s rights, but it is also willing to build the bridge between authors and AI by giving AI developers, such as createdbyhumans.ai, authority by licensing on an individual basis and receiving monies for this agreement (2024). AI companies may compete for your business but share similar pro-AI arguments (check out AIContentfy.com for an extensive list, 2023).
*free image through Wix
Figure 2: Pros and Cons of AI for Authors created on Canva Whiteboard by MJ Warner.
While this list is not inclusive, nor does it mention the assistance with author webpages, correspondence with fans, social media sharing, or marketing efforts, it does show many ways it can help the writing process.
The most significant factor I see here is that we don’t know how AI will fully impact anyone, business, or career. We can speculate. We can argue the facts seen thus far. In the end, we will see how AI benefits or concerns authors, but in the meantime, have flexibility, an open mind, and use caution above all else. If you’re willing to use it, do so responsibly and ethically to those who did the “manual labor” work before AI came around.
IBM’s AI definition: “Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy.” (2024)
~IBM~
AI: The Not-So-New Concept
Figure 1. Timeline diagram showing the history of artificial intelligence.
*free image through Wix
Machines & Man & AI, Oh My!
The Industrial Revolution showed us how “machines” can replace the work of humans, provide precision and consistency in products, and save time and money. In the age of technology, before “machines” such as computers, grammar and spell check, smartphones, and Alexa can process, humans must supply the data for artificial intelligence to work. These advances were created and provided a more expedited and efficient outcome than even the most talented or intellectual human could handle. This is where Alan Turing shined. Depending on the author, the history varies from the Press listing AI’s inception in 1308 (2022) to an article on Tableau giving credit to the BC years for laying the groundwork in the early 1900s (2025). Most articles, including a blog from Maryville University, credit Alan Turing for the work on his Turing Test and John McCarthy for coining the term “artificial intelligence” in his research (2023).
Oh, Alan...
The Imitation Game (Tyldum 2014) is a loosely based movie on Alan Turing's creation of a machine during WWII to break the enigma code. Despite fictional storylines and characters altering some historical value, it shows the benefits of humans working to create technology for expedited efficiency and the need to collaborate, as deciphering the crucial code and inputting this information requires a human element.
Crème de la Crème
One indisputable fact is that AI is not as new as some think. Instead, it has improved in accuracy and capability. It continues to grow stronger as technology often does with time-consuming man hours, brilliant minds and expertise, and substantial revenue backing projects and tests—but it is far from perfect. Just as any person needs training to improve, AI requires the same.
In my research of AI, I experimented with it for use on my new author webpage to add excerpts from my novels. After putting my fears aside and exploring AI as a tool (not a replacement), it proved helpful while reminding me of its current flaws and imperfections.
AI... Why, yes, I am impressed! Heading back to Canva to create a new book cover for a book I have yet to write!
References
10 AI Writing Tools Everyone Should Know About. (n.d.). Mailchimp. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://mailchimp.com/resources/ai-writing-tools/
Authors Guild Partners with Created by Humans to Empower Authors in the AI Era. (2024, October 9). The Authors Guild. https://authorsguild.org/news/ag-partners-with-created-by-humans-to-empower-authors-in-ai-era/
Baron, N. S. (2023). Who Wrote This? How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing. United States: Stanford University Press. https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/u5rMEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Deed - Attribution 4.0 International. (n.d.). Creative Commons. Retrieved February 7, 2025, from https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Elkins, K. (2024). AI Comes for the Author. Poetics Today, 45(2), 267–274. https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-11092884 https://read.dukeupress.edu/poetics-today/article-abstract/45/2/267/387698/AI-Comes-for-the-Author?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Hobsbawm, J. (2023). Generative AI Is Replacing Remote Work in the Future of Work Debate. Bloomberg.Com, N.PAG.
Friedman, J. (2023, August 7). I Would Rather See My Books Get Pirated Than This (Or: Why Goodreads and Amazon Are Becoming Dumpster Fires). Jane Friedman. https://janefriedman.com/i-would-rather-see-my-books-pirated/
IBM. (2024, August 9). Artificial Intelligence. IBM. https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/artificial-intelligence
Lentz, Paula. (2024). Ethical Authorship and Moral Motivation: The Key to Ethical AI Use. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 87(4), 592–609. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/23294906241259153
Lulu Publishing. (2024). Social Media Marketing for Authors & Creators [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCTKgT8HQxA https://www.publishprosperpodcast.com/2247307/episodes
Moore, G., & Hodges, A. (2014). The Imitation Game [Video]. In IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084970/
Prompt crafting: AI writing prompts for any marketing task. (2023, March 17). Writer. https://writer.com/guides/prompt-crafting/
Rote, M. (2024, April 9). AI And The Author: How AI Is Transforming Book Writing. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2024/04/09/ai-and-the-author-how-ai-is-transforming-book-writing/
Saddhono, K., Saputra, N., Herman, Saragih, B., Sumbayak, D. M., & Sipayung, R. W. (2024). A New way to Create Virtual Authors/Writers using AI Based Technology with Optimized Voice and Style. 2024 4th International Conference on Advance Computing and Innovative Technologies in Engineering (ICACITE), Advance Computing and Innovative Technologies in Engineering (ICACITE), 2024 4th International Conference On, 1509–1514. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICACITE60783.2024.10616853
Svenungsson, Jan. (2024). Art Intelligence : How Generative AI Relates to Human Art-Making (Vol. 00073). transcript Verlag.
Team, AIC. (2023, July 5). The Unseen Benefits of Using AI Writing Tools. AIContentfy. https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/unseen-benefits-of-using-ai-writing-tools
The AI Rights licensing platform for creators. (n.d.). Created by Humans. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://www.createdbyhumans.ai/
Understanding basic principles of Artificial Intelligence: a practical guide for intensivists - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Accessed February 7, 2025, from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Timeline-diagram-showing-the-history-of-artificial-intelligence_fig1_364826401
Warner, M. (2025, February 16). AI vs Author. Canva. https://www.canva.com/design/DAGfy6vw0Qg/Bkxbf-z5arrML2t6rNW0qA/edit?ui=eyJEIjp7IlAiOnsiQiI6ZmFsc2V9fX0
Warner, M. (2025, February 21). Feather Kisses. Canva. https://www.canva.com/design/DAGftL6vfGg/rLDtqZs5b8PecwS6ErVWoQ/view?utm_content=DAGftL6vfGg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h183557896f
Warner, M. (n.d.). Pros and Cons of AI for Authors. Canva. Retrieved February 22, 2025, from https://www.canva.com/design/DAGfvDpl9Us/6osYikqVgsM5jfWWCWlAlg/edit
What is the history of artificial intelligence (AI)? (n.d.). Tableau. Retrieved February 4, 2025, from https://www.tableau.com/data-insights/ai/history
Wordpress, 2U. (2023, May 19). History of AI: Timeline and the Future. Maryville University Online. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/history-of-ai/