Artificial Intelligence (AI) Apps: Are They A Threat To Writers?

If you’re a writer or marketer, you’ve heard (and perhaps tried) artificial intelligence (AI) apps. In a recent writers’ group meeting, we discussed how dangerous these apps might be for our jobs as writers.

I’m undecided about AI. One the one hand, I’m enthusiastic about its potential as a research and general assistant. On the other hand, I’m fearful that AI will lead to more widespread soulless word-salad, and there’s enough of that around already.

Artificial intelligence, coming soon to an app you use

A disclaimer: I’m not an expert in artificial intelligence apps. Although I’ve experimented with AI, I’ve never used it to generate anything for my own writing.

For a couple of reasons:

• Citation. How do you cite the words produced by artificial intelligence when you create something for publication? In my PKM (personal knowledge management) app Obsidian, I use callouts and cite everything which isn’t my own words. No idea how to cite AI content to differentiate it, but I did find this: How do I cite an artificial intelligence?
• It’s recommended that you check AI-produced text carefully, to ensure that it’s accurate. In our group, several writers said that they’d generated text which was wildly inaccurate. Since so much material online is unreliable, what happens when you add more unreliable AI-generated content to the mix?

Artificial intelligence is bound to hit more apps in 2023, judging by the enthusiasm surrounding ChatGPT.

Artificial intelligence: ChatGPT

Many users are enthusiastic about ChatGPT — it has a waiting list. This writer reports 20 Entertaining Uses of ChatGPT You Never Knew Were Possible. Someone used the app to develop a plot:

“Develop a plot for a mystery novel where a disillusioned homicide detective hunts a clever serial killer who preys on musicians who perform the jazz standard Autumn Leaves”.

Two of the apps I use daily, Craft and Canva, also recently included artificial intelligence elements.

Craft launched its AI Assistant

I’ve recently started using Craft, and downloaded this book template; it’s brilliant, and highly recommended if you’re an author or pro writer. If you’re new to Craft, it will show you the potential of the app.

The Craft app now offers an AI Assistant. I’ve only used the Craft AI Assistant a couple of times, because I haven’t needed it in my current projects; but it’s easy to see that its artificial intelligence has potential.

Canva offers artificial intelligence apps too

Canva recently made its AI text-to-image widely available, and says, in Turn imagination into reality with Text to Image in Canva:

Now, whenever you can’t find the perfect images, you only need to find the right words instead – then watch them magically come to life.

I tried the app with: “creative woman with fireworks exploding over her head”. Here’s the result, which is pretty good:

Apparently Canva also offers an app called Magic Write, part of Canva Docs, which I haven’t tried.

The writer of this article, Canva’s Magic Write AI generator won’t be stealing jobs anytime soon, reports:

The Magic Write tool asks you to give it a specific prompt so its in-built AI text generator can spit out some writing for you. This could be a blog post, social media strategy, marketing ideas and more.

Are you looking forward to seeing more AI enhancements in the apps you use?

Will you be using artificial intelligence apps in 2023?

Perhaps you’re already using an AI app?

Our group was divided. Some writers were keen on them, others not so much. A couple of writers predicted doom for the writing fraternity.

As I’ve said, I’m looking forward to experimenting with AI, but I can’t see that it will replace professional writers anytime soon. Although my experience is with AI is limited, from what I’ve seen, I agree with Robert Rose, who wrote of AI content that:

… there’s no uniquely emotional point of view – or even anything that resembles building a story.

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