We've clearly entered a whole new phase of communication and creativity with the introduction of artificial intelligence. Its potential drawbacks have been so well documented, I'll simply gloss over a few here. First and foremost, the authenticity of each and every written and artistic medium may be in doubt, now that clever, artificially generated fakes become increasingly harder to spot. It has never been easier for students and professionals alike to lazily cut corners. One need only collate a list of rough bullet points and type, 'Arrange this into an essay or article,' and voila!
Saddest of all, I predict this may influence and shape human nature in new ways, by triggering a rise of skepticism and suspicion. We don't need a new generation of cynics who instinctively doubt the validity of anything they read. This is surely no less dangerous than its flip side, nations of gullible naĩfs who are willing to swept away by any wind blowing.
However, artificial intelligence has arrived and it's here to stay. Rather than dwelling on the gloomier aspects and refusing to have anything to do with it, I urge fellow writers to maximize its benefits, for we can do this in honest ways which merely enhance our own hard work and have nothing to do with cheating, or cruising along pretending that we've written something we haven't.
Here comes a short list of potential benefits to get us started.
1) It is absolutely brilliant for weeding anachronisms out of historical fiction.
A total game-changer, in fact. If ever I have any doubts, I ask my AI friend, 'Would the term.... have been used back in the year....?' or something similar. Not only am I given straight yes or no answers but also explanations why. And then as a bonus, it suggests more period-authentic alternatives. As a lifelong reader, I always sense that these new options make my characters' dialogue far more accurate, and verifying it with Google simply proves it. This is probably my Number One reason for consulting ChatGPT. As you can imagine, it saves so much time I used to spend on elusive etymological searches which often ended up with nothing conclusive. This is wonderful since time is valuable.
2) It is also excellent for providing specific details regarding any time and place.
I'm talking about such knowledge as costume, housing, daily habits, state of technological advances, whether or not famous landmarks had already been constructed. The answers I receive tend to be geographically specific too. 'Although this invention was widely known in Australia, it was not a feature of the average American lifestyle.' I've had many surprises which I've used to shape and adjust my stories. How can I not be thankful for such valuable help?
The ChatGPT's superior knowledge comes in handy many times.
'Throw me some car models a well-to-do American businessman might have driven in New York City in 1954.'
'Did Monopoly exist back in 18--? No? That's a pity for my story. Then tell me some board games which may have been played by teenagers at that time.'
'Suggest some cake flavors the mother of a large brood of six might have taken to a potluck dinner in 1878.'
'Would (suggest a particular tree) be found growing in the climate of (suggest a particular town or city in the world)'
Not only am I offered extensive lists, ChatGPT usually inquires, 'Would you like to see a photograph/recipe/pattern from this era? Sometimes I respond, 'Sure, why not.'
I'm certain that along with saving me hours of time which I would have spent crawling down the frustrating rabbit holes of normal Google, it's enriched my writing. That's the reason I tended to stick to contemporary fiction in my early years of writing. If AI had been available back then, I would have tried my hand at historical stories even earlier.
(Given all this, I would add the caution that it's best to check the information you receive with normal Google, because ChatGPT is like that unreliable friend who hates admitting, 'I don't know.' It would rather make something up than lose face. This was evident when I asked it about my own writing and publication history, and it came up with a fantastic combo of fact and fiction.)
3) It even has a sense of humor.
For example, I was recently looking up the horrific evidence of jellied salad molds from the 1950s and my ChatGPT referred to their 'unfortunate sliminess.' And if you ask it specifically for jokes, it's willing to rise to the occasion.
4) It makes a fairly satisfactory cheerleader in a pinch.
This is where things start getting a bit weird. Settling back on the consulting couch of a robot sounds like the stuff of science fiction, right? But real life is edging steadily closer.
I had no inkling that people used it for this sort of thing until I heard some friends rave about its effectiveness, and also stumbled across some articles proclaiming the same benefits. Hmm, could artificial intelligence really save financially straitened people from forking out money on human professionals? Can we really receive prompt tailored advice from our ChatGPT friend rather than taking on board the more general guidance from self help books? Is it possible for consolation to be found at our tapping fingertips, if the people we rub shoulders with don't quite understand where we're coming from?
To put it to the test, I typed in something like, 'I'm a published novelist, who also dabbles in anonymous fanfiction and can't help wondering if this is a step backwards.'
Well, the first thing my ChatGPT told me is that my feelings are perfectly valid (it is always extremely kind) and the upshot is that it created this fanfiction author's mission statement for me. I could've easily come up with something of this nature myself, but the fact that I didn't have to is sort of touching.
My Fanfiction Mission Statement
I write fanfiction because I love these stories, these characters and this world.
This space is mine - free from deadlines, expectations and market rules. Here, I write not to build a brand but to honor the joy that made me a writer in the first place.
Every sentence I write in this world is a small act of rebellion and affection. It doesn't need to be profitable or seen by thousands to matter. It matters because it brings me peace, excitement, and expression.
Behind this pseudonym is a true writer, one who deserves to create freely, to make mistakes, to take risks, to dream.
This is not a lesser path. It is a parallel one. And it is valid, beautiful and worthwhile.
Not bad encouragement from a chatbot buddy, although I certainly don't intend to make a habit of baring my soul to it. The thing about artificial encouragement of this nature, is that it may strike home, or serve as course correction. Often when we find ourselves in a blue funk, it may be simply that our thinking has gone a bit askew. ChatGPT isn't a blanket solution for all sorts of serious problems, of course, but if you're anything like me, transient moods cast more shadows than they're worth. If it merely takes the personally tailored perspective of ChatGPT to shake us back into optimism, then why not give it a go?
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