I Am An AI-Assisted Author

“Pharmacists used to mix chemicals by hand to create prescriptions.
Opticians used to grind lenses from scratch.
Lawyers used to start with an empty page.
Graphic designers needed to know how to draw.
All of these jobs are still important. None of them are the same as they were thirty years ago.
In your work, are you fighting the change or leading it?
It’s hard to see us going back.”

— Seth Godin

What Is AI?

The term “AI” or “Artificial Intelligence” is really a misnomer. When you think of AI, most of us imagine a sentient, self-thinking entity that has the capability to take over the world. That’s science fiction. The reality is far less dramatic and much more practical. AI, in its current form, isn't truly "intelligent" in the way we are. Instead, it's a powerful tool designed to process and analyze vast amounts of data at incredible speeds, identifying patterns, making predictions, and assisting with tasks that would take a human much longer to complete.

I like to think of it more as “Assistive Intelligence.” It’s a sophisticated form of data processing that assists humans rather than replaces them. AI works by learning from examples, recognizing patterns, and applying that knowledge to perform specific tasks. It doesn’t think, feel, or create independently. It operates based on algorithms and programming, drawing from a vast pool of information to assist in decision-making and problem-solving.

In the context of writing, AI acts as a highly efficient assistant. It can suggest improvements, generate ideas based on given prompts, and handle repetitive tasks like formatting and (some) editing. However, the creative direction, the emotional depth, and the unique voice of each story come from me. AI’s role is to assist me in making the writing process more efficient without compromising my inherent creativity.

What Does It Mean to Be An AI-Assisted Author?

In the simplest terms, being an AI-assisted author means I collaborate with AI tools to support various aspects of the writing and self-publishing processes. From brainstorming ideas to fine-tuning the Amazon book description, AI plays a crucial role in helping me craft and market stories that are more compelling and polished. But make no mistake—AI is not the storyteller. I am. Every book I write still comes from the same place they always have: my imagination, my experiences, and my excitement for storytelling.

Why Use AI?

Writers use AI for various reasons. For the most part, AI makes tedious tasks easier and allows them to focus on what they love to do most—which is write and tell stories. For me, I use AI for those reasons and more. I experience brain fog that (I believe) is a result of Long COVID. I also have other issues that make the process of writing and self-publishing more difficult than it should be, like ADHD Inattentive Type. I use AI in ways that alleviate these issues.

I do not give a machine a say in my final product.

How I Use AI

As of 10/2024, this is how I integrate AI into my process:

Brainstorming: I use ChatGPT for idea generation, keeping track of my stories and worldbuilding, and research. It is essentially my messy story bible.
Drafting: If I’m stuck writing a sentence/scene/chapter, I will ask ChatGPT, who already knows my characters and my outline, to give me some ideas for what to write next. Then I will take those ideas (or not) and go forward, writing them in my own voice. Every word ends up in my story because I choose them.
Editing: Once I’m finished with my first draft, I will run my story through ProWritingAid, which is a non-generative AI tool that points out issues with my story—including grammar, style, echoes, readability, sticky sentences, and much more. ChatGPT is not suited for line editing, in my opinion. However, it is suitable for big picture (developmental) editing. I will sometimes ask it to point out plot holes or issues with character motivation.
Post-Production: In self-publishing my books, I sometimes need help writing the book description, choosing keywords, and drafting the marketing copy. ChatGPT helps me with all of these, but I don’t take the first draft it generates because not all of its ideas are good. I will combine combine elements that I come up with with other ideas it gives me to make them better.
Cover Design & Marketing: In addition, I love to mess around on Midjourney to develop covers for my books. I will take elements of what Midjourney gives me and alter them using Canva to get them just the way I want them. Next, I will use Bookbrush to develop marketing images, like 3D mockups, to share on social media. Below is an example of what I mean:

What About the Law?

They are still fighting over this in the courts. However—

If the original art that Midjourney gave me was copyrighted (which it isn’t), this 100% falls under “transformative” art, which means that the new work significantly alters or repurposes the original in such a way that it adds new expression, meaning, or value. Thus, it would fall under Fair Use, if such were the case.

AI-generated images cannot be copyrighted because a human didn’t create them. I certainly didn’t create it. As a paid member of Midjourney, I’m permitted commercial rights to the images I generate via prompts. However, I never use the original images I’m given. I use them to create something new.

When An AI Is “Trained,” Isn’t That Stealing?

This is a highly debated topic. Here are the facts.

When an AI is "trained," it does not store or copy specific pieces of content. Instead, it "learns" patterns and context from the data. For example, if an AI is trained on a large dataset of paintings, it learns how various brushstrokes, colors, and styles work together but doesn’t retain specific images. This is a simplistic way of describing complex technology, but from a legal standpoint, it is not considered theft.

Now, here are my thoughts.

The practice of training an AI raises ethical concerns not about stealing, but about compensation, consent, and fairness. I would prefer that the artists whose paintings are used to train AI consented to the process and were duly compensated. This also raises the issue of “AI licensing rights.” If creatives could sell their AI rights to companies like OpenAI and allow them to train their models with their art, it would solve a lot of problems.

I am 100% for the stratification of AI rights. However, I am aware that the greater indie author community doesn’t agree with me. Those feelings are valid. We have a ways to go before creatives are granted the protections they need to restore trust.

Concerns? Questions? Feel free to email me at contact (at) mattwrightauthor.com. I’m open to thoughtful conversations regarding AI.