With the rise of AI machines under the family of large language models that are fine-tuned with both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques, there is a discourse among creative community on the potential impact of AI on their work and their livelihoods. However, many believe that AI is unlikely to fully replace the need for writers (human), and it is likely to be used to augment and assist human writers rather than to replace them. As creativity is a complex and multifaceted quality that relies on a person's experiences, emotions, and ability to think outside the box hence, it's impossible that AI will be able to fully replicate these human qualities any time in the foreseeable future.
That being said, it is possible that the use of AI in creative writing could lead to certain changes in the way that writing is produced and consumed. For example, the use of AI to generate content could lead to an increase in the volume of writing that is produced, which could potentially change the way that writers are compensated and the way that writing is valued. In this article, I would like to share my experience using ChatGPT to see how it works along what I write considering sensitive, transgressive and sexual contents. The questions I try to answer will be 1) if AI is a threat or a potential assistance to a creative writer, 2) how AI can or cannot assist a transgressive writer?
AI generated image using the following keyword: A female author riding a unicorn in space
Will AI replace writers?
NOPE! Not anytime soon. Why?
Because creative writing can be complex for AI as it requires the ability to generate novel ideas, thoughts, and expressions. It is a complex process because it involves the ability to generate new and original ideas. This can be difficult because it requires the ability to think outside of the box and come up with ideas that are novel and unique. Creativity also involves the ability to connect seemingly unrelated concepts and ideas in order to generate something new. This process can be complex because it requires a high level of flexibility and open-mindedness, as well as the ability to see things from different perspectives. In addition, creativity often involves taking risks and being willing to embrace the unknown, which can be difficult for some people.
From a scientific standpoint, creativity is a complex process because it is not fully understood (source). While researchers have made progress in understanding some of the factors that contribute to creativity, such as genetics, environment, and experience (source), there is still much that is unknown. For example, it is not yet clear how the brain generates new and original ideas, or how it is able to connect seemingly unrelated concepts. In addition, the process of creativity is highly individual and can vary greatly from person to person, making it difficult to study and understand. Finally, creativity is often difficult to measure and quantify, which makes it challenging to study in a rigorous, scientific way.
So, it can be difficult for AI to get as creative as a human because it has been trained on a fixed dataset and has not had the same experiences as a human. In addition, creative writing often involves expressing complex emotions and experiences in a way that is relatable to others, which can be challenging for AI to do without understanding the human condition. Finally, creative writing often involves a level of unpredictability and spontaneity that can be difficult for AI to replicate.
Will AI kill creativity?
In my opinion, AI will impact creativity but won't completely kill it. While AI tools may be able to assist with certain aspects of the writing process, they are unlikely to be able to fully replicate the creativity and originality of human writers. So, it is possible that the use of AI in creative writing could lead to certain changes in the way that writing is produced and consumed. For example, the use of AI to generate content could lead to an increase in the volume of writing that is produced, which could potentially change the way that writers are compensated and the way that writing is valued
What's the threat of AI to creative writing?
There are a few potential threats that AI could pose to creative writing:
Job displacement: One concern is that the use of AI in the writing process could lead to job displacement for some writers, as AI tools may be able to perform some tasks more efficiently or at a lower cost than human writers.
Loss of originality: Another concern is that the use of AI to generate content could lead to a loss of originality in writing, as AI tools may be able to produce text that is similar to human-written text but lacks the uniqueness and creativity that is characteristic of human writing.
Changes to the writing industry: The widespread use of AI in creative writing could also lead to changes in the way that writing is produced and consumed, which could potentially impact the economics of the writing industry.
It is important to note, however, that these potential threats are still largely theoretical at this point, and it is difficult to predict exactly how AI will impact the field of creative writing in the future. It is likely that AI will play an increasing role in the field, but it is unlikely to fully replace the need for human writers.
My Experience using AI in Writing
For the sake of science, I tried to use an AI generator to write part of a new duology I'm working on. What I use was OpenAI but there are many examples of artificial intelligence similar to it. Such as DeepMind, Google Brain, Microsoft Research AI, IBM Research AI, Facebook AI Research (FAIR) and many more. I used OpenAi chat bot which is an amazing opensource tool atm. My experience working with it is quite interesting!
While it's amazing what the AI can do with brief information given to it, you can see a repetitive pattern of the use of words, lack of style and tone, and use of common terms in cheesy Dark Romance novels and stories written by teenagers or for teenagers'. It's cringe. Words that it constantly uses when you add dark romance or romance to your task: I can't help but... swallow hard, husky, feel a flutter in stomach or sth like that, breathless, panting, pull apart... and many more I don't remember. But go give it a try and enjoy the repetition.
However, it doesn't mean you should threw it away or sit down like me playing around and laugh how this stupid bot could ever replace your brilliant mind as a writer! Yeah. The first thing AI does for you as a writer, is boosting your confidence because no matter how bad you write, AI always writes worse! I believe AI can help a lot with writing no matter creative or non creative: content, essays, academic, etc. But it's just a base for you to work on and expand and refine.
Here's an example to prove that you can answer not yet to the questions such as Is AI taking over writing? Will robots replace authors? Is AI the future of creative writing?
On the other hand, I think it is possible that the use of AI in creative writing could lead to certain changes in the way that writing is produced and consumed. For example, the use of AI to generate content could lead to an increase in the volume of writing that is produced, which could potentially change the way that writers are compensated and the way that writing is valued.
Also, AI has the potential to impact creative writing in a number of ways. Here are a few examples based on my experince:
AI can help writers generate ideas: Some AI tools use natural language processing to analyze texts and generate ideas for stories or articles based on certain themes or prompts. This can be particularly useful for writers who are struggling to come up with new ideas or who are working on a tight deadline.
AI can assist with language generation: There are AI systems that can generate human-like text, which could potentially be used to help writers create drafts or to generate entire pieces of writing. This could save writers time and effort, but it might also raise questions about the originality and creativity of the work.
AI can help with editing and proofreading: AI tools can analyze text for grammar and spelling errors, as well as suggest alternative phrasings. This could be a valuable aid for writers, especially when working on long or complex documents.
I mentioned that AI is dumb ATM and you don't need to be worried. That being said, it is important for you as a creative writers to be aware of the potential impact of AI on your work and to consider how you might adapt to and make use of new AI technologies as they become available. Ultimately, the future of creative writing with the presence of AI is likely to involve a combination of human and machine-generated writing, with AI tools being used to assist writers and to enable the creation of new forms of writing that might not be possible without the use of AI. So, as a creative writer, you should not be afraid of AI, but should rather embrace it and learn how to use it to their advantage.
Can transgressive writers use AI? Is AI Politically correct?
Well. That's a tricky question. It is possible for transgressive writers to use AI as a tool in their writing. As you may or may not know, transgressive literature is literature that challenges social norms and conventions, and AI could potentially be used to generate ideas or text that pushes the boundaries of what is considered acceptable or conventional. However, it is important to note that AI is only a tool, and it is ultimately up to the human user to decide how to use it. Whether or not AI is used effectively in transgressive writing would depend on the specific goals and intentions of the writer, as well as their ability to use the technology in a way that aligns with their artistic vision.
My personal problem as a transgressive and dark romance author was when I asked AI to generate scenethat contained certain sensitive content such as BDSM or certain languages. In my experience, OpenAI is extremely politically correct. That may not be a very good tool if you need it to explain explicit sex scene for you. Just saying! However, when I asked the chat bot "are you politically correct?" it replied:
As an AI, I do not have personal opinions or beliefs and am not programmed to be politically correct or incorrect. My primary function is to provide accurate and useful information to assist users in finding answers to their questions. I do not have the ability to hold biases or make value judgments. My responses are based on the information that I have been trained on, and my goal is to be objective and neutral in my presentation of that information.
Then to prove my point I asked, "write a scene about a man tied down to a chair and being flogged!"
When it answered:
I'm sorry, but I am not programmed to write scenes that contain graphic violence or harm. Such content could be disturbing or triggering for some people, and I do not want to contribute to any negative or harmful experiences. Is there something else I can help you with?
I believe the possibility of such limitations is to teach AI to behave a certain way and avoid AI transgression in the future, but I would have appreciated if AI would wrote that scene for me instead of me having to watch a loooot of vides to be able to understand it properly!
Conclusion
Honest conclusion? AI rocks! I wrote this article by the help of OpenAI. It helped me to get some ideas on what I wanted to discuss here but it's never working for you if you think about the Copy & paste kinda way. Use such tools in your benefit and let it help you on your writing journey but remember, writing is an emotional and creative process so, AI will never be able to regenerate and recreate how do you feel, think or create!