My Thoughts on Using A.I. for Writing

Did this headline grab your attention?

I feel like A.I. is such a hot topic right now. It’s banned as a topic of discussion in a few JAFF groups that I’m because it almost always causes conflict and contention. Meanwhile, the JAFF market is being saturated with non-stop books that are low-quality and clearly written (and written poorly) by A.I. They’re stuffed onto Kindle Unlimited in the hopes of just earning money.

For those “authors,” it is not about the story.

To counter this, many authors are proudly standing up to say that their works are not A.I., including on the front matter of the book pages and on social media. Some organizations allow authors to register and put a badge on their books or website saying that it was written by a real person and not a robot.

And many readers – some of whom feel very strongly about the subject – are wanting to know if their favorite authors are using A.I. or not.

So here is my response to that question: I’m not going to answer.

Now, many of you are going to leap up and say, “That means you’re using it! Otherwise, you would proudly declare you’re not!”

But that isn’t necessarily the case.

The reason why I am not answering – and truly not answering, as opposed to prevaricating – is because I don’t want to contribute to a witch hunt.

Like ALL social issues, some people have very strong feelings about this. But there is a big problem in this world right now with the attitude of, “If I feel strongly about this, then it means it’s important, and I think EVERYONE should feel strongly about it as well!”

And then it causes a divide. People begin to act like it’s “my way or the highway.”

We see this a lot in politics, for example.

But the truth is that there are a LOT of divisive topics, and NONE of us have the emotional bandwith to care passionately about every single one of those.

So when people begin to condemn those who aren’t on their side, then it creates a culture of fear. It makes people afraid to say what they think, even if that opinion is “I don’t really care or not.” Because the loud voices are saying, “If you’re not 100% with me, then you are 100% against me.”

And that’s not right.

For me personally, I feel like A.I. is a tool. There are pros and cons to A.I. Some people worry about its environmental impacts. Some people feel like training the AI models on authors’ works without compensation is theft. Others worry about the quality of AI-generated products, and some are concerned about the legalities of copyrights or the morality of what AI can create (revenge porn, for example).

And I agree that those are topics that definitely are worth “hashing out.” Discussing to find where the line is.

But at the end of the day, A.I. isn’t going anywhere. And by allowing the loudest voices to be the only voices that matter, because we are afraiding of being offensive or being cancelled, then we can’t actually have productive conversations that can allow us to move forward or compromise.

And then the divide just widens further.

I think there are potential uses for AI. Someone with special needs or learning disabilities, for example, may have a beautiful story inside of them, but conditions like dyslexia may make it impossible for them to get those stories out in a way that people can understand. AI can be a tool to help them share the ideas in their heads.

History is filled with inventions and tools that people worried about. I’m sure that whe Gutenberg invented the printing press, people were worried about handwritten books and journals, and yet calligraphy and journaling are still used today.

When Microsoft rolled out its editing tools, people became worried that editors would be replaced. But I think all of us can agree now that most – if not all – authors still desperately need human editors.

And when Photoshop came around, people were worried about the fate of photography. But I think almost every photographer I know now uses it in some capacity or another, and yet photography is still a needed, booming business.

Is this the only point that matters? Absolutely not. Those who are concerned about AI have real, valid points, and they are definitely worth discussing.

I personally am one the people who is concerned mostly about the quality of AI products.

There has been a flurry of new releases for JAFF books on Amazon this last year. And many of them are pretty low quality. A few “authors” in particular are writing stories with Darcy and Elizabeth’s names, but with absolutely no consistency, no plot, no character development.

And the best way to fight against it?

Just leave a review on that book that states your feelings about it.

Every book, even KU books, have a free sample that you can look at before you purchase (or check out) the book. Take the time to look at that. This allows you to vet the book before any money is earned by that author. And if you think it’s low quality, you can leave a review or rating that reflects that opinion.

Then keep track – if that author is rapidly and consistently putting out low-quality books, then you can add them to your list of “don’t bother” reads.

I know that this isn’t really an answer you might want to hear. I get it.

But let’s be honest: if someone is writing with AI, and people are demanding to know if they are, do you think that person is going to want to be honest with you? To stand up against the mob that is on a witch-hunt to villify all AI?

Some people are choosing to take a stand against AI, and I completely support them in those desires.

But I am choosing to take a stand against witch hunts.

I am choosing to take a stand against the “my way or the highway!” and “with us or against us?” crowds.

It’s entirely possible that I don’t use AI but still don’t want to say it. It’s possible I do use AI and don’t want to say it.

At the end of the day, what I DO feel comfortable saying is that I work very hard on my books. I work hard to tackle difficult situations and difficult subjects. Some of my books contain difficult social situations, like homosexuality (Companions of Their Youth) and substance abuse (Fine Eyes & Beastly Pride) and child abuse (The Sins of Their Fathers) and narcissism (A Dear, Sweet Girl) and special needs (A Most Beloved Sister).

I do my best to make sure my books are high-quality. I have beta readers and editors (and editors are expensive!). I do my best to make sure the plot line is consistent. I try to write Darcy and Elizabeth and the other characters with good character development, fleshing them out to be like real people instead of flat and two-dimensional.

And I do that because I care about my readers’ experience when they read my books.

And the crappy AI books? Those authors don’t care. But even before AI, those kinds of books existed. For a while, there was even a person who was going on sites like FFN and AHA, and they were copy/pasting others’ work and then publishing them on KU as their own.

So there have been bad, dishonest authors before AI, and there will still be bad, dishonest authors when the next tool comes around.

At the end of the day, you have to take them one book at a time, and one author at a time.

I know there may be some of my readers who become upset at this post, and they may refuse to read any more of my books because I’m not stating if I write with AI or not (and they may even assume that because of my silence, I do use it).

That’s absolutely their right. I respect that this is a cause people feel passionately about, and I support them if they choose to only read authors who take a stand in line with what they believe in.

But building a community that allows for safe dialogue, for differing opinions without fear: that’s what I feel strongly about. And I want to make my circle of influence be a place where differing opinions can be voiced without fear of reprisal or being cancelled or ganged up on.

And I hope that even if you disagree with me about my AI non-use or use, that you will try to understand my point of view on the matter.

Because at the end of the day, that’s the only way millions and millions of people can live together in harmony. Not by creating a perfect society where we are all the same, but by allowing all voices to be heard with respect.