An Author's Perspective on "AI x Everything"
An Author's Perspective on "AI x Everything"
I'm Nick, I'm a human who writes. Novels, blog posts, code, you name it.
I can remember a few times when I encountered technology that made me go, “Ooooooh.” Loading up Star Fox on the Super Nintendo and seeing actual 3d spaceships shooting lasers at each other. The first Avatar movie in IMAX. Beat Saber on Oculus Rift.
You could call me a computer graphics enthusiast, but my reach has always exceeded my grasp. I’ve dabbled in bad 3d rendering engines for the now-dead Adobe Flash player, a bad 3d ray tracer as a final college project, and even a bad 3d terrain generator. If there’s been a way to make art with a computer, I’ve at least half-assed it.
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for? [1]
Machine Learning generative art is the latest shiny object capturing the world’s attention, and I am no exception. Unfortunately, unlike Star Fox, this one cuts both ways. Most of my current bread-butterers are in the Terminator’s sights.
Am I worried? Yes and no.
In November, I tackled the ethics of using generative art to illustrate your writing in this article published by NiftyLit. It will set up some context, but I’m trying to keep these under 500 words so they are digestible in a single bathroom session.
AI Hot Takes
AI x Business Emails - Nobody reads these anyway, but if we’re using AI to expand our bullet points and the person on the other end is using AI to summarize it, maybe we should just send the bullet points.
AI x Short Stories - You always had “Save the Cat.” Great short stories encapsulate part of the human experience that AI currently can’t replicate.
AI x Press Releases - Remember when that school used AI to write a condolence email after a mass tragedy? Maybe don’t do that.
AI x Novels - The only thing duller than a bag of hammers. If your goal is to live in the slush pile permanently, “you do you,” but stop clogging the pipes.
AI x Illustration - Can you afford an illustrator? No? Go for it. But maybe don’t copy a celebrity’s likeness blatantly. And maybe don’t go as hard as this guy. Remember, if you use AI to illustrate it, you’re only an art director and can’t copyright it.
AI x Grammar Editor - I use Grammerly because I can’t place a comma to save my life. As long as you keep it in line and preserve your voice, tools like this are great.
I think I may make a little series about this, as I am the Jack-of-All-Trades-under-threat-from-AI-dystopia. It can be about any one of my soon-to-be-obsolete career choices. I knew I should have been a ditch digger like my mamma always threatened.
The more I publish the easier it will be to copy and replace me after all!
