A.I. Friend or Foe?

It’s been a few months since I last posted a blog, and although my intentions have been to do so on a weekly basis, my life has dictated otherwise. I’ve been working on my new book, marketing the preceding two published novels and, being a mother and grandmother (which has been a true joy to watch my granddaughter develop into a fantastic little human).

After numerous conversations with folk who aren’t in the creative community let alone the writer community, it has been suggested to me that I use A.I to help me out. No, is my answer. Absolutely no way. I have a soul, which invariably means that so does my writing. I get that for folk who aren’t inclined to write creatively, they would need it…I mean phew, an entire article is written in a matter of seconds as can an essay. Brilliant…but not for people like me. Yes, the writing is articulate, yes, it can give great ideas and yes, for people who dream of publishing a book but don’t relish the prospect of the hard work involved in doing so —let’s not forget the stress, self-depreciation, moments of joy, the fatigue and the elusive writer’s block…oh yes, and being a parent or have other responsibilities; these people want a quick turnover from a rough idea to holding the book in their hand. Cool. However, the writing itself, although faultless, is missing a key factor in this—a soul. Readers want to feel the emotions; they want to be in that world they’re reading, not feel as if the writer is dead inside—which technically it is because it’s a robot/computer who has written it. So, it’s a no from me and many writers.

Now, A.I is definitely being eased into our lives with insidious success. As a society we haven’t noticed the dramatic changes that have taken place in our lives. Twenty years ago we didn’t have smart phones and the camera phone was not long released into the world. It isn’t until we look back on timelines in technology that we realise how far we’ve come and, have been a part of the changes. The same is happening with A.I and I genuinely believe that from a practical point of view, it will help others and (ironically) humanity. It is already far superior to the human brain, so, imagine for example, how it can help in medicine and medical research, or disabled people who need help; the robot will understand the needs of its charge and work along side him/her to make their life easier.

From this perspective I think A.I can work. No matter how intelligent someone is, to work with something that can boost the experience will be beneficial to a society that is dumbing down at a rate of knots. The new generation will need to up their game if they are to work with this new way of life and thinking, but is that a problem? I don’t think so. When I see the teenagers that are around my kids’ school and college, I shudder at how many have become a result of the social media hype that is now an integral part of their lives, affecting their attention span and ability to hold a decent conversation. Everything is about speed in concentration (reels are a prime example) and talking. Obviously there are different levels and not everyone is affected the same, but, I do believe that A.I can be advantageous if we, as a race are to keep evolving in the right direction…but not for creatives. We want to continue bleeding for our art!

Take care,

Eva x ©️