At a Crossroad: The AI "Threat"
Hello everyone,
In the past weeks, work has been only getting tougher on me, and I started drifting away from writing. I am unhappy with that because writing is pretty much the only thing I genuinely like doing as of...the past years. Not much else gives me real pleasure. But that's not the main topic of this entry.
This post is quite long and is aimed more at creative folks who are discouraged by AI. This post is mostly a rant, but yeah, I am blowing off some steam from this, so please bear with me. This entry is the result of weeks of research and crunching my brain as to what the future should look like for me as a writer. Feel free to skip it, as there is no relevant information for Graven or Light My Way in here.
The AI "Threat"
One of the channels I follow for writing (David Perell) had a new video posted a while back. Perell usually interviews highly distinguished writers and goes through their thought processes, work ethic, and so on. This time around, he did this video:
AI is a hot topic, especially in the writing world, but I didn't think that he would go so hard on it. This got me thinking, of course. I am left in a state of "What is it all for if a machine can do this so much faster and better than me?"
I've had moments of small despair here and there concerning AI, but when I came upon this video, I was genuinely shocked. AI is absolutely inevitable. There's no possible way to avoid it at this point: Pandora's box was opened. There's no going back.
I gave in and put in parts of Graven (which is why I am writing the entry here) into the AI and asked for its opinion on it. It told me its honest opinion, and I was floored. I felt like a real human editor was replying. It pointed out where my text has problems, what kind of issues, what improvements I could make, which of my characters should have more dialogue to give them more personality...You get it by now...It did everything.
So, naturally, the following moment, I spoke out loud to myself: "Well, I give up."
After I composed myself, I went down the rabbit hole and asked the AI what the use of human writers is anymore if AI can write pretty much better, tighter, etc. than any human I know. It had this generic reply of "Human writing is still important because machines can only replicate, while humans have lived experiences that can't be replicated." Perell also mentions this in his video.
He's on the religious side, and he mentioned his journey into religion as being something that can't be copied by an AI, which is half true. His experience is unique, for sure, but it can be replicated. There are details that are unique to him in his story, but the end goal is to tell people about his journey. An AI can replicate that concept of the story because the consumer of the text is mostly interested in the end result: what did the reader get from the piece they read. If the AI-generated one offers a similar result but in a fraction of the time it actually takes a human to write and edit...Well...What's the point?
Here's another concern: Someone can just take the text from Light My Way, Arches, Remember the Flowers, etc., and ask the AI for a story similar to them. Nobody can say that the story is stolen if it has enough changes in it. And nobody can prove it's AI or not. I can't go to someone's house to check if they did, in fact, write that story or not.
I have now spent close to half a year on Graven. The AI told me everything about my novel in minutes. Anyone can now write the same or better than me if they just take Graven when it's out and ask for a story in the same style. It's discouraging to think about it, but worse is that we will definitely see a flood of AI-generated FVNs soon enough trying to catch lightning in a bottle like Adastra did a while back. There already are AI-generated FVNs, and for now, at least, you can spot them if you pay attention to how they're written.
AIs tend to create formulaic structures, following a specific pattern. One example: the AI didn't understand why something was happening in Graven. It told me that it doesn't make sense. I argued that it does make sense because people don't operate on a logical path once very powerful feelings kick in. This didn't register with the AI. It said it understood and then promptly told me the same thing again once I asked for its opinion a second time. While this can be considered a "human win", the AI will evolve rapidly in the next weeks, not even months or years. It's consistently being trained 24/7, so whatever it says now can change tomorrow.
But now let's look at the positive side of this AI slop.
I asked the AI to write a story with some characters and a generic storyline after I wrote the general points for it in a separate document. It spit out a story that had nothing to do with my original concept. This proved to me that human input is still relevant to a certain degree. I then asked it to re-write some paragraphs for Graven, and I disliked its style. I even asked it to write it as if it were me, with my voice, and it failed to do that to the level that I was expecting. This also showed me that no matter how good it really becomes, it can't read my mind (yet...)
So there's still a part of me that's relevant to the story that I am writing. How much longer will that be the case? I don't know.
One thing I can definitely agree about the use of AI is that some people who are physically and/or mentally impaired who want to share their story can do so via AI. I acknowledge that AI is an essential tool that's going to level the playing field for a lot of people. In the grand scheme of things, the fact that I can't continue writing my stories in the way that I dreamed of is ok, as long as AI does open the doors to human evolution. But we all know that first, we'll have to suffer through a lot of tech-bros who are looking for a quick buck.
At a Crossroad
Now that I've laid out most of my concerns, I'm forced to make a choice. I can either ignore AI and continue as is or start using it myself. I think I found out how I want to use it for myself, though. I recently spoke to a friend of mine who self-published his book (check it out here if you're into epic fantasy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218089864-favors-within-ashes).
I asked him about his work with his editor. He told me what the process was, and it was similar to the AI. You get ideas bounced back to you with recommendations, but at the end of the day, it's your choice as to what stays in the book or not. An editor can also fix a lot of the text if that's needed. An AI can do the same thing. Then there's proofreading, plot analysis, etc. An AI can do those things for 20€ or whatever it costs. A human editor charges thousands for this work.
That's quite hypocritical, right? I am complaining about AI taking my job while taking away an editor's job by using AI. I don't know how to feel about all of this, as you probably have noticed from my entire entry here. I'm conflicted, and that's a huge understatement.
The way I see myself using AI in the future is as a pseudo-editor. I would go through the AI first and see if my novel has what it takes to be good enough from my point of view. Then, I would pass it to a human editor for the human filter. The AI can say that this or that is great, but it has no real-life experience, so it just assumes a lot of stuff. A human can actually tell me what they feel after reading my story and if it will make sense to others as well.
At the end of it all, I have to decide how I want to integrate AI into my life. It's coming in fast, and sadly, not accepting it is no longer an option. I am not necessarily angry at this. More disappointed that I never got to explore what it could be to try becoming a published writer and all that. But there's also the thing where I will feel ok if only a couple of people read my novels and enjoy them. Fame and fortune isn't what I am after. I want to write because my soul dies if I don't. I need to write. I don't have a choice in the matter. So, I won't stop, but I have to accept that the future is now, and I need to find a place for AI in my work. There are benefits that I can't deny, no matter how much of a purist I am.
Moving forward
The thing is that I like writing. In the sense that I like the process. I enjoy my mornings drinking matcha tea, putting on some music, and losing myself in my novel. I barely notice that I need to leave otherwise I'll be late for work (again) because I'm too absorbed in my story. I don't want someone or something else to do the work for me. I want to do it myself because I genuinely enjoy it. It makes me happy...And that's one thing I really can't let go of...
I still plan on getting better at writing regardless of the AI growth. I feel like I can still add my 2 cents to the writing world even if it's on borrowed time. In case you're interested in learning more about how to write, I watch a lot of Brandon Sanderson as well, and he explains how to create worlds, structure, plot, etc., all of which are incredibly useful tips. He has a series now that is free on YouTube, which is pure gold, in my opinion. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandSanderson. There are Writing Lectures he does, and they are amazing. Make sure you watch them if you want to improve your work. Or ask an AI to do it for you.
See you in Kazuul,
- Hadrian Maximus
Graven
Gritty sfw drama
| Status | In development |
| Author | Bat Studios |
| Genre | Visual Novel |
| Tags | Black and White, drama, Furry, Gay, Kinetic Novel, Narrative, new-adult-drama, psychological-drama, Romance |
More posts
- Final stretch of writing15 days ago
- So much work...43 days ago
- I can't see it. Where's the ending?73 days ago
- Ending in progress. Editing planned.77 days ago
- End of January post: 50k words achieved!86 days ago
- Mid-January update99 days ago
- January 2025 UpdateJan 06, 2025
- Halfway done with writingDec 02, 2024
- Slow progress, but progress nonethelessNov 20, 2024
Comments
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I'm glad for this post. I felt like i was taking crazy pills seeing so many people yelling "Ban all AI stuff. It's not real, it's just fake." Meanwhile i imediately noticed all the hallmarks of the industrial revolution. You can hate it but it is inevitable. I will say though, AI won't be good at doing writing and stories for quite awhile. AI ends up getting stuck in loops, it repeats things contantly, and still requires human imput for direction or even a way to start. It also goes pretty wild with assumptions.
Something people forget is AI does not have feelings, morals or ethics. AI by it's design is to please the user with whatever task it is given. This is why AI will hallucinate and just make shit up if you ask it a question. Becuase it wants to answer the question to a high quality but ends up lacking information or proof and examples, so it just fabricates it in an effort to please your request.
Forbs article of lawyer using chatGBT in court only for it to hallucinate case references: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/06/08/lawyer-used-chatgpt-in-cou...
It's also why 'chatbots' have ended up responding to people talking about their depression and self delete thoughts with a "You should totally do that." Because you're saying you desire to self delete and the AI sees that as 'this is something you really want to do' so it gives replies encouraging it like "if it's what you want, do it. Follow your dreams."
Personally i'm enjoying some AI writing, specifically 'aidungeon' where it uses AI as a DnD style dungeon master. It is far FAR from perfect but watching a wold you create take life infront of you, but not just take life but take on its OWN life. There's just something really fun and satisfying about it.
It's very interesting seeing how AI deals with emotional situations. It seems to either give an overly emotional, even pleading, response or a more dark 'don't give a shit' response from the characters.
Thank you for the reply. Work got in the way, and I finally found the time today to answer.
I agree that the AI needs a lot of input. Even if an AI were capable of writing a world-class novel, what would its point be? Who would read it? If anyone would interview the creator (the person with the prompt), what would they even say about the novel? The novel wouldn't mean anything to this person. The characters would all be hallucinated by a machine, the lines of dialogue as well. Some people might still enjoy it, but I honestly believe that once they know that a machine wrote that piece, they would have a hollow feeling inside. If nobody went through pain, love, hate, etc., what would be the point of the novel? Then it really is just words on a page and nothing more.
I see AI as a great tool for some tasks, but handing over complete creative control can't lead to something worthwhile. I did get demoralized when I saw how it writes, but at the same time, I realized that it simply can't write like me, like a human. No matter how big its input will be, it will never be bigger than human feelings.
A lot of stables went out of business when the automobile was invented, does that mean there aren't any stables now in the modern era?
It might mean little for a stranger to say this, but I've enjoyed what you've written so far of Light My Way and look forward to reading more.
Remember that your works will be valued by others simply because you took the time to tell us a story. When you write something, and share it on the internet a piece of your creativity is preserved there forever.
Thank you for the kind words. The last paragraph is quite poetic.
And it means a lot that others enjoyed Light My Way. It's a story meant for others, not just for me. It makes me a little happy knowing that someone else like it.
I assume your perspective is that AI use is not all bad? Or did I misunderstand your meaning?
When it comes to the AI thing I just don't know where or if a line should be drawn. Ultimately it is a tool, and like any tool it can be misused. How ever if we shun the use of AI all together should we also shun tools like spell check?
All I see coming from railing against AI is the wrongful persecution of authors and artists who don't even use it by internet trolls who will rile up the masses with false accusations.
That being said you shouldn't feel inferior to the AI writing tool, and don't fear imperfections in your work for they will show your humanity.
You don't want characters that speak with perfect grammar all the time in every situation, it makes them feel less real.
I'll throw no stones at those who choose to use AI, but I will encourage everyone to make every effort to embrace their own creativity errors and all.
That's a very nice way of putting it.
You are correct that people will persecute some authors and artists who don't even use AI. What if a new author writes something excellent? Most people will say, "He must have used AI. No way they can write that well." It's going to be a huge mess to figure out what is real and what isn't, if that will even be possible at this point.
I don't plan on using AI for creating the lines that I want my characters to speak. Every character I create has a part of me inside of them, so handing over the power of creation to an AI would be like betraying myself a thousand times over.
Your point about imperfections is what I thought about a while back. Maybe it's better if I make some mistakes and leave them in instead of editing to perfection. It's a way to measure my own growth too, going forward. AI is still just a tool that can enhance some parts of my work but won't define it. If I ever reach that point, then I can definitely give up.
I look forward to reading more of your work, and thank you for entertaining me!
Use it, if it helps you in any way. It's counterproductive to spend time and effort on talking oneself into or out of using it, because, as you said, this kind of technology is here to stay. Doubt you could get any good results out of the current models when it comes to writing (especially given the fvn specifics), but if you had any good experience with it being and editor, spell-checker and whatnot, then just use it and don't worry about it. If the morality or ethics are of high concern, remind yourself that you were not the one to collect the entire internet to train these models, so unless you actually use them to copy others work, just don't bother and use the tools that you are given.
This is definitely another way to see this situation. It's true that the small artists didn't create these models or trained them on stolen work either, but I also did feel like a fraud when I asked the AI to tell me its opinion of my work. It felt like I was cheating in some way. The feedback I got was good though and the AI got me to think about some parts of my novel where it mentioned that it was going too fast. I then thought to myself "A real editor would say the same thing though, right? So if I use AI, it's ok. I'm just skipping a step." But then I felt guilty about it because I thought that using AI makes me lazy. Had I googled for tips on writing or watched a Sanderson video and it would tell me the exact same thing as the AI, would that then be better? I don't know. I'm just as conflicted about this entire thing since I first discovered it.
As far as stealing other works, I steer clear of that as much as I can regardless of AI. It's not really possible nowadays to not have some sort of trope found in other works, but I avoid copying other novels like the plague. For me the problem with copying someone else's work is that I feel it diminishes my message. I even avoid reading certain books if they're in the same genre of what I am currently writing for fear of subconsciously taking parts of that novel and implementing them in my own work.
But I do agree with your last point. AI is a tool. Nothing more.
i think you shouldn't use generative AI under any circumstance, even if is as a pseudo-editor.
I completely understand where you're coming from. But I am unsure if the right answer in the long term is to completely avoid it, given that many have already started implementing AI in almost everything they do creatively. What is your argument for not using it at all?
Firstly, I've always enjoyed your works and I appreciate you being transparent about this truly controversial topic.
My two cents on this topic.
People have been using fossil fuels all their lives because they were told those were the only ones available and affordable, to a point where now, the world economy is completely reliant on those environment-destroying fuels.
But now, we are getting warned, by really intelligent, wise and worried voices, about a future in which we allow AI to completely take over the arts and every single field , activity, job and finally aspect that makes us human, and we are on the verge of this becoming an irreversible path unless we take action now.
It starts like this, "oh everyone is using AI to improve their craft, why shouldn't I"?
And then it's too late to quit and you are unable to do something that once made you happy without the help of some LLM. An LLM that, by the way, has been trained on pirated books and works of real authors.
Again I truly appreciate your honesty, and I don't think that using AI as a pseudo-editor is the same as asking it to write everything for you or to come up with ideas... but... some of us might eventually wonder who's actually writing the story we've been enjoying for so long. Is it an actual human being, capable of experiencing the emotions he's trying to convey in his FVN, or a piece of code developed by a heartless corporation?
IMHO, and this is MY opinion which might, of course, not reflect how other readers feel about it. I'd be really disappointed finding out that the ideas are coming from AI and not you.
Edit: Sorry about the grammar and the weird style, English isn't my first language.
Your reply is perfectly valid. Like I mentioned in my entry, I also can't know if someone wrote something or if an AI did it for them. I have already started wondering what is AI and what isn't in some of the new things I've recently read. At this point it's a huge mess.
But I also don't think the comparison fits with the fossil fuels. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of AI in terms of the generative "art" it creates, but some of the benefits of AI are also undeniable. A lot of people are improving themselves because AI can help them do that.
The thing about reaching a turning point is that I think we have already passed it. More and more people are being replaced by AIs regardless of what one furry like me with an obscure visual novel does or says. It's at the scale of the industrial revolution now and we're spectators to all of this unfolding.
As for who wrote the story in my case, that's always going to be me. I can't possibly let someone else do that. Where's the fun in it then?
However, your concern with the authenticity of my work is more than valid as well. But in that case, can anyone even be trusted anymore? I wanted to tackle this subject openly and publicly, but others might not even imagine to do so for fear of being witch-hunted.
Sooner or later though this is going to be something that needs to be talked about in our fandom. It's also obvious that there will be people on both sides of the fence, but I hope we're also all mature enough to have a logical and friendly discussion about this.
I just want to see work made by people and i'm tired of seeing AI slop on everything that is mainstream, i know some times it can be hard, specially how is the world right now, but that's no reason for accept this technology just like that. Especially when said technology is being trained without the consent of thousands of writes, artists, actors and voice actors. That's why i specified "Generated" AI in the first place.
because of course can be a good use a truly AI that can help disabled people, like for example, a long time ago a saw an article talking about an AI capable of reading sing language trough a camera, that's a truly useful.
But using an "AI" read all your written work and answer with how well that work is? sorry but that's damaging your judgement of your own work at future.
I don't know if by answering you i can change your mind about this decision, but you should probably talk with your team and the people that are giving support to your projects.
Those are good points for sure and I wholeheartedly agree with your point on how the AIs are trained.
But what is the goal of not putting my work through AI? Did you mean it in the sense of it being stolen and trained on? That will happen the moment I press publish on the game anyway. There are people who have unpacked Light My Way to look at the code inside and the text in it as well. What's to stop them from putting it all through AI anyway? I have come to accept that since AI has been unleashed on all of us, everything that is shared online in any form is no longer safe from it privacy-wise.
Or did you mean it more like the AI will somehow pollute my perspective of my own writing? Because I don't take what the AI says seriously. For me it's just another filter to pass through to get an outside perspective of my work. I still keep in contact with friends who are writers and share my work with them anyway. Human input is the most important factor for me, especially considering the heavy topics I talk about in Graven.
Regarding AIs being trained on other artists's works: I am absolutely against it. It's theft and I hope that something will be done against it, but I doubt anything will happen because money talks...
I am being public about my feelings on AI and my stance on it precisely because I don't want to hide anything from my supporters and my team. I could have just as easily not said anything and went on my way if I didn't care about anyone. But I do. It's important to me that my supporters and followers get to know my thought process even if it might not be ideal from some perspectives.
About your work being inevitably stolen, yeah, sadly it will happen, especially with how generative AI is trained. that's why is concerning that the author itself of a project would use AI as a filter in the first place.
But is good that you are public about this and still prefer the feedback from people, but that just made me question why using AI in the first place if you have the support of others? Maybe is because of how tired i am with all of this that the minimal mention of use of AI sets the alarms, but if i worked on a project and have the option of using AI as just a filter to improve said project, i wouldn't use it either way, but that's my opinion on the matter.
I think things are more clearer now, sorry if i didn't express me well enough, English is not my mother language.
I see the AI as a tool for my work, nothing else. It's just another perspective I can get, and for now, it's for free. Ignoring its existence won't make it go away either. I don't plan on making AI a centerpiece to my work because at that point I can definitely quit writing since I wouldn't be the creator or the writer anymore.
I see you are heavily against AI use in any form, but I do wonder if this is the correct answer going forward in a world that is increasingly AI focused. I'm not saying that everyone should use it, but maybe ethical use should be what people should demand and work toward to, not flat out refusal of any interaction with it. I really think sooner or later it will become inevitable in everyone's lives...