The Power of AI: A Writer's Honest (and Slightly Spicy) Take

Let's talk about something controversial. AI.

For a while, I didn't want to touch this topic. Didn't want to care. But now I'm seeing it rear its head in the writing world, and I can't stay quiet.

My Hot Take

I don't hate AI. I don't love it. And I don't get upset when I see it being used.

I live in a country that embraces technology. Here in China, people use AI as the tool it was meant to be. I don't see it stealing jobs or destroying lives. Does that mean it has no problems? Of course not. There will always be people who try to cheat the system with any shortcut they can find.

Take my students. At the start of every school year, they try to complete exercises with AI. It never works, because I know their capabilities and I set expectations that make it impossible for AI to copy. Same goes for art, videos, designs, even writing. AI cannot perfectly replicate human expectations. Not completely.

Yes, I Use AI. So Do You.

Do I use AI myself? Of course. It's a tool.

Here in China, we use AI and technology for everything: shopping, paying, delivery, even speech practice. So, I use it where a tool makes sense.

Let me give you a quick list of what I've actually used AI for:

• Researching legal questions

• Understanding basic concepts before writing a scene (how long does someone stay unconscious after being hit in a specific area? What are the consequences?)

• Asking if I sound too harsh in a work email (My “directness” can be a problem)

• Generating short clips of videos or imagined book scenes to share with potential readers

• Creating a potential city map of the one that lives in my head to get a visual (I will still need to hire an artist later for an accurate representation)

• Brainstorming new game ideas

• Figuring out how to fix my car

• Starting my baking timer when my hands are shoved into oven mitts or covered in dough

Oh, and let's not forget spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word. Or autocorrect. Does anyone use that? Yeah. That's what I thought.

Here’s a plug – there’s a great AI called Kimi. I can type in what content I want for my PowerPoint lessons, and it creates the slides for me. Now that's handy. Does it make mistakes? Absolutely. I still have to go through and correct, alter, and fact-check. But it generates a solid foundation quickly.

The Strange Emotional Reaction

Lately, I've noticed something odd. People seem almost offended if they think something is AI.

Admittedly, some AI videos are ridiculous. Six-legged dogs or other ridiculously impossible scenarios. They make me chuckle. But they enrage others. I'm not sure what the fear is. Do they think photos of animated six-legged dogs will replace real artists who can count? Are they afraid of being fooled? And if it's that easy to fool them... do they also think Spider-Man is real?

C’mon, people. I love writing fantasy and sci-fi, but you can't live in reality with your head firmly stuck in places that don't exist. Entertainment designed to look like reality has been around for a very long time.

The Real Problem: Lemmings Attacking Real Writers

Here's where I get fired up.

Some people ask AI to write books and sell them on self-publishing sites. Cheap entertainment. The Taco Bell of literature. Fine. Whatever.

The problem is the angry, AI-hating crowd. The lemmings. They've launched attacks on real writers who are self-publishing, assuming everyone is trying to trick them. They leave nasty comments on people's hard work. And the accusations are wild.

Examples I've actually seen:

• If there are em dashes, it must be AI.

• If there are metaphors and similes, it must be AI. (I'm not kidding.)

• If there's a compound sentence showing elimination or choice, it must be AI.

This isn't just annoying. It's affecting livelihoods. And it's spilling over into traditional publishing, which is what I'm hoping and praying to be a part of. Editors are now asking writers to remove em dashes or tone down metaphors to avoid being attacked by the lemmings.

I have worked way too hard on my writing for years to change it for the AI police.

A Direct Message to the Lemmings

So, this post veers away from my usual serene tone. If you're a lemming, stop it. Break away before you go over the cliff.

AI isn't attacking anyone. It can only be programmed by humans. Quit shaming people so you can look like one of the cool kids. Stop accusing writers without solid proof.

Let me tell you something: books are not easy to write. (Except for Brandon Sanderson. That man is a machine.) I've been wrestling with one chapter for two weeks. Two weeks!

An author I admire recently said she won't change her writing for anyone who struggles with 18th century punctuation or figurative language – that’s a them problem. (Like that em dash I threw in there?)

She’s absolutely correct. Don't believe me? Pick up some Emily Dickinson. Shakespeare. Thomas Hardy. I promise they didn't use AI.

My Promise to You

I know new things are scary. But with everything happening in the world right now (and since forever), aren't people a little scarier than AI? Really. No, really. Think about it.

If you're here for my novel, rest assured: it is 100% my blood, sweat, and tears. I did finally get through that chapter today in book two. And whoo! It’s a doozy! It definitely put the dark in dark fantasy. I'll still edit it again tomorrow before moving on. (It's also why this post is going up a little late.)

Back to storytelling next week.

I.M.He