About AI

Overview

Nothing I write here will change anyone’s mind, and that’s not my goal. Everyone decides how they will interact with AI—how they will use it in their writing and how they will use it in other aspects of their life. Based on these choices, other people will decide how they will interact with you and your words.

With that in mind, it seems proper that I explain my own use and opinion of AI.

My Stance

At the moment, the bad aspects of AI make it abhorrent to me. The environmental costs are a deal-breaker, to say nothing of the effect on society, which might be even worse. I wouldn’t want to live next to a datacenter, so I won’t ask others to do so.

My Use

I try to completely avoid using AI.

When writing fiction, I like doing all the work that writing requires. To me, that is where the joy and sense of accomplishment derives. So I certainly don't want AI anywhere near the words I write. I also won’t use it to generate ideas or track details. Again, I find all of that to be a wonderful part of writing fiction.

If you have any questions, please ask. If you’re thinking about interacting with me or my words, you have a right to know, in my opinion.

The Use of AI by Writers That Aren’t Me

If a writer knowingly uses AI of any type when producing their words, I think they should be up front about it. I will be just as direct in my response and politely decline to engage with those words.

There is a difference between using AI to work your words, and using it to work your plot, or the ideas of your story. I recognize this difference, but again, I will politely decline to engage with words produced even in this somewhat peripheral way.

Finally, a writer can avoid AI in producing their words, or their ideas, or their plots, and only use it to track or organize all the original details they have thought of and decided to use. In this case … I will still politely decline.

• What if a writer lies and is using AI?
  I treat them just like an honest writer. I take them at their word.
• What if their words make you suspect them of using AI?
  I treat them as an honest writer. I take them at their word, and I recognize that nothing and no one can be certain if another writer used AI.
• What if a writer uses AI and after you’ve worked with them a bit tells you: “Aha, I’ve been giving you AI influenced words and you never even noticed!”
  I treat them as a liar and decline to engage with their words ever again. Even ones they insist are AI-free.

Does this cover all the scenarios? At the moment, I can’t think of any others that significantly differ. Let me know if you have one.