Would you trust AI to rebuild a world that it might have helped to destroy? While it sounds like the fundamental issue is whether or not we trust the AI, I think it actually points to something different. Obviously, we trust it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t rely on it for information, navigation, and monitoring and regulating routine functions. I think the question isn’t about whether we trust it, but rather how much we trust it. How far does this trust go? Where do we draw the line?

I did a read for a fellow author a month ago, and she surprised me when she asked if I could tell what parts she asked AI to help her write. I couldn’t. The entire manuscript read just like all of her other work, and blended seamlessly. She laughed when I told her that I had no idea that she had used AI to write the novel, and said it was probably because she went behind it and edited it to make sure it blended in perfectly. “It was work,” she said, “honestly, I don’t know if I saved any time, but it gave me a guide to building a manuscript that I was happy with.”

I can relate to that. I’m working on rewrites for The Dark Mirror Trilogy, but I’m relying on old-fashioned inspiration for these expansions and improvements. I want to create the manuscript entirely on my own, and turn to the AI to assist with the edits, especially with grammar and spelling. I trust the AI with the critical eye for the mechanics of writing, but not so much with the creation of my little worlds. Only I can hear these characters, and bear witness to their story. Or maybe I’m just possessive of my creation.

I think I used an important word in that previous paragraph: “assist.” I find AI useful in assisting in areas where I’m weak. Obviously, you can’t proofread your own work, and nobody has a dispassionate eye for words like AI. Likewise, I’m not a graphic artist. I can mess up a stick figure. Seriously, I painted the easel stand and my smock in kindergarten because I got frustrated with that gloppy mess on the paper. I just couldn’t pull off that type of “art,” but AI has been extremely helpful to me in creating graphics for promotional materials. I am also honest about it and careful about reporting it and giving credit where credit is due.

AI, like technology, is a tool. It’s designed to help us. I often say they’re called “smart phones” because they make us look smarter than we are – not because they actually are. The truth is that they are the creation of humans, and I believe their potential is as limited as our own. Sure, many of us have grown up with the nightmare images of Skynet taking over in the Terminator movies, and other stories of how our technology outpaces and outlearns us, but how likely is that? AI is a creation of humans, and humans are imperfect beings in an imperfect world. I think that, in the end, it’s a balanced approach on both ends.

Why do I believe this? I’ll continue this conversation on why I don’t believe AI will outpace humanity on my YouTube channel this weekend. Look for the post for the continuing conversation.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

​Bye!