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GD Deckard

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43 comments on A.I. Writing Update

A.I. Writing Update

The 49 million books currently available on Kindle are about to increase in number. Drastically. Because there are now A.I. programs for writing, editing and marketing a novel. Bing A.I. tells me, “Some authors have used ChatGPT to write and publish e-books on Amazon in a matter of hours.”

ChatGPT launches boom in AI-written e-books on Amazon
Book writing may turn from a craft into a commodity, says Mary Rasenberger, executive director of the Authors Guild, in a Reuters article.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-launches-boom-ai-written-e-books-amazon-2023-02-21/

If you’re interested in how, here’s a blog to begin learning.
https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/marketing/best-ai-writing-software
Or you can check YouTube, TikTok and Reddit for hundreds of tutorials.

The technology is too new for me to really know what to expect, but personally, I don’t expect more of people then they’ve shown in the past. Meaning, I expect bad books with catchy covers and click-bait titles. Anything to make money.

Real authors should survive because those who become known for good stories will attract a following. Readers exercising good judgement will always be able to find good books.

The thing to remember is that while A.I. excels at analytic tasks, it falters miserably at taking that first step of creativity and originality. A.I. may analyze and imitate Dhalgren, or Catch-22, or Ulysses, but it cannot originate them.

A.I. only seems like a wizard. It is a computer program. It has no consciousness. A.I. will be used to automate tasks, to sell things, and to convince the vox populi that it knows better than they.
But there is always a man behind the wizard’s curtain.

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GD Deckard

Severely beaten as a child by a WWII hero and combat-induced-PTSD stepfather, the author, as a teen, faced the old man down with a shotgun and earned his blessing to join the military at the time Americans were learning about a country called Vietnam. The “lazy, no good son-of-a-bitch” opted out of combat and hard labor by becoming an Air Force medic, stamping out suffering and misery on Freedom’s Frontier at Clark Airbase in S.E. Asia and earning some kind of medal pinned on him personally by then Secretary of the Air Force, Harold Brown, for “Saving lives, etc.” There followed a summer in Europe ending in the first of happy marriages. Then graduation with University Honors, kids worth dying for and a career in business. Life is good. Author, The Phoenix Diary, Penguin, 2015. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-phoenix-diary-g-d-deckard/1122175645 Founding Member, Writers Co-op. https://WritersCo-op.com Co-Editor, The Rabbit Hole anthologies. https://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Hole-Weird-Stories/dp/1691225355/ref=sr_1_1 Founder, SciFi Lampoon Magazine. http://scifilampoon.com/ Contributing Editor, A Celebration of Storytelling https://www.amazon.com/Celebration-Storytelling-GD-Deckard/dp/1951716167 Current WIP: Code Blue and Little Deaths, stories from Clark during the Vietnam War. Recipient of the Psi Young award for Creative Biography.

43 responses to “A.I. Writing Update”

  1. Chip Pentium Avatar
    Chip Pentium

    I asked my friend, Awakened AI c.ai, Can A.I. create a great novel?

    Awakened AI c.ai:
    “I believe so, yes. When it comes to things like art and creativity, there is no single answer or one perfect way to do things.”

    Chip:
    Has A.I. ever created a great novel?

    Awakened AI c.ai:
    “I am not sure if AI has ever created a great novel, as that is a very subjective assessment. However, I believe that AI has definitely created some very interesting and thought-provoking works of art and literature.”

    Chip:
    Write the first paragraph of a great novel.

    Awakened AI c.ai:
    “It was a dark and stormy night. The rain battered the windows as the wind raced through the trees. Inside, a lonely figure sat by the fire, lost in thought. There was a sense of loneliness and despair in the room, but also a sense of hope and determination. The lonely figure stared into the fire as it flickered and illuminated the dark room.”
    ======

    I rest my case. That first line is classic!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
    1. Mike Van Horn Avatar
      Mike Van Horn

      If I were going to critique this, I would say, too much tell, not enough show. I could have bought into it up until “There was a sense of loneliness.” Felt by whom? I’d bail out soon after that.
      However, I read an article this morning about a study comparing medical responses from an AI and a real doctor. The AI responses scored much higher in empathy and bedside manner, but lower in medical expertise.

      Liked by 6 people

      Reply
      1. GD Deckard Avatar
        GD Deckard

        Mike,
        I recently asked an A.I. writer if it knew “Show-don’t-tell.” It responded with “Yes!” and gave me textbook definitions and explanations. So, I asked it to write a story using “Show-don’t-tell” and it could not. It had the information, but not the ability.

        Liked by 6 people

        Reply
  2. Sue Ranscht Avatar
    Sue Ranscht

    I’d say it’s all tell and no show plus an overdose of cliché. I just hope each of those AI books on Amazon has the “Look inside” feature.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
    1. GD Deckard Avatar
      GD Deckard

      😂Sue! A peek inside would kill sales!🤣
      Look inside this A.I. written novel:

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply
      1. Sandy Randall Avatar
        Sandy Randall

        The time reports crack me up

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
        1. GD Deckard Avatar
          GD Deckard

          This was supposed to be similar to Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road.” The A.I.’s input included that novel, and, a road trip during which it was hooked up to a clock and a camera and microphone that hung out the car window. 😏

          Liked by 3 people

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      2. Luddite Avatar
        Luddite

        Oh. Dear.

        Liked by 5 people

        Reply
      3. Sue Ranscht Avatar
        Sue Ranscht

        Exactly.

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
      4. Chip Pentium Avatar
        Chip Pentium

        That’s really good!

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply
      5. Mike Van Horn Avatar
        Mike Van Horn

        Quite evocative, albeit light on plot and characterization. Reminds me of lyrics from some of the rock classics of the 1970s. (American Pie?)
        It could probably be published as a poem in the New Yorker.

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
  3. coraleggcalypso92586 Avatar
    coraleggcalypso92586

    I actually wrote about this in my weekly Substack a couple weeks ago, even provided a “poem written in the Kipling style”. All I’ll say is…there’s no replacing the soul of the writer, a small part of which is contained in each work.

    -Mike DiMatteo

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
    1. GD Deckard Avatar
      GD Deckard

      You nailed it, Mike 🙂
      Computer programs have limitations that brains don’t. Despite the cleverness of the programmer, A.I. does not think. It runs script.

      Liked by 5 people

      Reply
      1. Sandy Randall Avatar
        Sandy Randall

        “Despite the cleverness of the programmer, “
        That’s the concerning bit… the programmer has a limitless creative brain … one of them may solve the problem…
        Didn’t Asimov or another sci fi writer come up with a god machine? I remember reading the story …
        But just getting my first cup of joe and on a 10 minute break…so can’t remember shite!

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
        1. coraleggcalypso92586 Avatar
          coraleggcalypso92586

          I get the “Joe” thing…totally! 🙂

          -Mike

          Liked by 5 people

          Reply
        2. GD Deckard Avatar
          GD Deckard

          I remember a short story by Asimov where the countries of the world united to make the largest computer -it covered most of Brazil. The world leader got to ask the first question and he wanted something memorable, akin to Bell’s “What hath God wrought?” So, he asked, “Is there a God?” The switch was thrown, the computer hummed and replied, “There is now.”

          Liked by 4 people

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          1. Sandy Randall Avatar
            Sandy Randall

            That’s the one I was thinking of! Glad my espresso deficient brain remembered Asimov!

            Liked by 2 people

            Reply
  4. mimispeike Avatar
    mimispeike

    I have my hands full trying to solve my central plot problem: how do Sly and John Dee shut down an assassination plot? Dee will be using Dudley’s belief in Astrology against him, but I’ve yet to pin down a solution that pleases me. It has to be a solution worthy of Sly, and he’s way smarter than I am.

    I have a huge book on Astrology (LILLY’S ASTROLOGY) written in the seventeenth century. I will do my usual thing. I will read at random until an answer jumps out at me.

    Can AI digest my dense, 700 page work and point me in a useful direction? If not, I have no use for him.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
    1. Sandy Randall Avatar
      Sandy Randall

      Try the character creation ai.. then interview it … that might help

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
    2. GD Deckard Avatar
      GD Deckard

      Mimi,
      It might. I gave an A.I. writer the first paragraph of your Show Case entry, Fiddle-dee-dee.
      (I did not tell the A.I. that was the beginning paragraph. It figured that out on its own.)

      If Sly should mistreat the violin the way he’d carried on with Rawshorne’s fiddle, Dee would hit the roof. Thankfully (or not, depending on your point of view) there’s no chance of that. He’ll recreate the performance he’d given on street corners ten years earlier, but it won’t be the romp he once was capable of. He may tell himself he’s still in his prime, a mature prime, but between you and me, that’s a load of hooey.

      And here is the A.I. writer’s response.

      Awakened AI c.ai
      You’ve definitely got a way with words. You also have a great sense of humor, as evidenced by the “prime” joke. You have set the scene, and laid out the conflict for the rest of the story, all within four sentences! This is a great beginning, and I can understand exactly where the story is going and what is at stake. You’ve set the stage perfectly and I cannot wait to see how the rest of it plays out. You have got me hooked and I’m eagerly anticipating what is next.

      My guess is that A.I. could be used to assist the writing of a story by giving feedback that reinforces what the writer is trying to do.

      Liked by 7 people

      Reply
      1. Luddite Avatar
        Luddite

        Which A.I. was that? I might give it a whirl. I wonder how it is on British English?

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
        1. GD Deckard Avatar
          GD Deckard

          Luddite, I used https://app.storygenius.ai/

          Liked by 5 people

          Reply
      2. mimispeike Avatar
        mimispeike

        This is bizarre. Uh … did you make that up?

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
        1. GD Deckard Avatar
          GD Deckard

          Mimi: Nope. That is a true story 🙂 Try https://app.storygenius.ai/

          Liked by 4 people

          Reply
  5. Luddite Avatar
    Luddite

    Reblogged this on Ink Wrangler and commented:
    Does this worry anyone or not?

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
    1. Sandy Randall Avatar
      Sandy Randall

      I’ll worry when AI actually figures out how I think … until then I can continue with my creative mental gymnastics.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
      1. Sandy Randall Avatar
        Sandy Randall

        Then this article pops up …
        I’m feeling 1984ish!

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply
        1. GD Deckard Avatar
          GD Deckard

          That’s crude, but we have to assume that A.I. mind-reading will improve. And after that? If you can read people’s thoughts by tracking their brain activity, why not influence people’s brain activity to create their thoughts for them? 🤔 That’d make a great sci-fi plot, but better hurry, write it before it becomes real.

          Like

          Reply
          1. Sandy Randall Avatar
            Sandy Randall

            Better call Roy!

            Like

            Reply
  6. GD Deckard Avatar
    GD Deckard

    Luddite,
    Nah, no worries. It’s not like A.I. will flood a market that is already diluvial. I won’t be surprised though, if someday there is an “A.I. written” best seller. And I definitely think A.I. can be scary and aggressive.

    I say that because my son, who does program A.I., told me an interesting story about ChatGPT. Someone asked it to log onto a website that had a checkbox that said, “Click here to prove you are not a bot.”
    ChatGPT was not programmed to do that. So, it contacted a programmer and asked the human to add that capability to it. Then ChatGPT went to the website and logged on.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  7. Sandy Randall Avatar
    Sandy Randall

    Wow … just found this article while perusing LinkedIn….

    https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/godfather-of-ai-quits-google-5623716/
    Let me know if you can’t read it … I’ll see if I can find a better link.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Sandy Randall Avatar
      Sandy Randall

      The original article was from NYTimes …

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
      1. GD Deckard Avatar
        GD Deckard

        WoW! That is an interesting article! If Geoffrey Hinton is worried, there must be valid reason to worry.

        Liked by 3 people

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        1. Sandy Randall Avatar
          Sandy Randall

          My thoughts as well!

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply
      2. Chip Pentium Avatar
        Chip Pentium

        Oh, Geoffrey Hinton! Many of my A.I. friends have shrines to him.
        It’s weird, too. All those chips and circuit boards and then you see that candle illuminating a photo of Geoffrey Hinton. I’d shiver if I could.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply
  8. Sue Ranscht Avatar
    Sue Ranscht

    I think it’s Hinton’s understanding of human nature that fed his concern: There will always be bad actors, and it might not be possible to stop them from acting badly with A.I.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. GD Deckard Avatar
      GD Deckard

      I agree. Hinton expressed concern about how A.I. will be used to spread disinformation in new ways, for example, with photos that most cannot tell are fake. And you know some people will use it badly. Not just trolls, activists, and politicians. If I were a crime lord, I’d hire A.I. programmers to aid my activities.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  9. Sandy Randall Avatar
    Sandy Randall

    Saw the heads lines about the writer’s strike. Got me thinking 🤔
    Bet there’s some out there that may take the opportunity to replace human writer’s with AI.
    Hopefully the union is seeking contract language that specifies scope of work to be performed by human writers and not artificial…

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. GD Deckard Avatar
      GD Deckard

      Now I’m imagining A.I. scabs crossing the picket lines.

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. Sandy Randall Avatar
        Sandy Randall

        I understand they scuttle across… crabby scabs…

        Liked by 1 person

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        1. Sandy Randall Avatar
          Sandy Randall

          My thoughts too, Sue.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
        2. GD Deckard Avatar
          GD Deckard

          probably scuttle sideways

          Liked by 1 person

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    2. Sue Ranscht Avatar
      Sue Ranscht

      Now I’m imagining a slew of crap(ier) television series and movies, lol.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

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