Oooph… this is so no bueno … As a photographer (now exploring the world of writing), i have watched and experienced with distress, the shift in the way images are generated. I like to think that I have developed a critical eye (and ear) that can spot a difference between the human element and the robotic one. I like to think that I can see and experience in creative content when human emotion is informing that which I’m looking at or reading. But really? Who’s to know if and when we’re being duped? There’s certainly no “watchdog” to monitor this. And even if there was, how on earth would “they” be able oversee such a thing? Even with disclaimers or badges, fact is, people can lie. Sigh… I guess like all things, awareness is a start…?
I’m a photographer too, Jody, and it is maddening the way our business is heading. You used to count on an image to speak truth. Now, organizations like one I’m a part of, PPA, seem to appreciate the painterly images as well as heavily photoshopped ones. Now AI is infecting our writing world…
What comes to mind is that the frustration/helplessness (I share it) derives from the fact that the "little guy" isn't going to fix this. It won't be changed book by book, or sticker by sticker, even if those might be appealing. It's like a "100% organic" sticker on a banana, versus federal laws regulating the food industry. So I would reframe the issue as what role governments at all levels need to take to reign in AI. Of course, it's easy to be frustrated over the likelihood of that happening in our current environment. But at least it gives me a greater sense of what needs to happen.
I agree—yes! So we need to be petitioning the government, but they're not doing anything under Biden, and it will be even worse if Trump wins. So where to start?
Maybe the start is with widening awareness that this needs a government role? Because it isn't just that legislators aren't acting, but also the citizenry isn't demanding it.
This is such a great, thought-provoking post. AI frustrates me immensely; I haven't bumped into it much in the writing world (maybe because I'm not on the editing/publishing side), but I belong to a lot of nature photography groups and it feels like half of the photos are now fake AI garbage. Can we keep some of the good of AI like GPS maps and Siri, and toss the other stuff? Reminds me of a funny meme saying something like, "Can AI do my dishes and laundry so I can create art, not the other way around?"
Thanks for sharing what The Authors Guild is doing. I joined after attending one of your conference sessions, and they helped me build a basic website. I really like them, and the badge is such a great idea as we navigate this David and Goliath fight.
That's disheartening to hear, Katie. I know nothing of how it's impacting photography, so I'm not surprised to hear this. I have had some limited experience of authors sending me AI-generated images that they want to use on their covers and it's been a hard no. You can tell the difference, and images of people do look . . . "off." So we just trust our instincts and we're all going to get a lot better at telling the difference.
This is so unsettling. It's already somewhat impossible to know what was generated by AI and what is author written, except often the AI language is oddly vague. I am definitely joining the Author's Guild now. Thanks for posting this, Brooke. Better to know what we're up against than not!
This issue reminds me of when I became a drone pilot. The technology was waaaay ahead of the government i.e. FAA. FAA owns our airways but didn’t know how to handle us. It took 3-4 yrs. for them to wrangle us under their rules.
I hope the same thing will happen with AI. In the meantime, I will join the Authors Guild. Thanks for addressing this.
I have these same concerns, Brooke, but Ted Gioia wrote an article recently that reinforced the 'why' behind staying the course. I reshared the article with the following note:
"In Ted’s article, you can go ahead and replace the word “music” with “book” and the lesson still stands.
"There is a future for creative people across the spectrum of arts and artistic pursuits, but the creative future will come from a new renaissance of sorts as folks grow tired of the industry-churn schlock and look for something new and fresh and exciting."
Now, do I have hope that the Big 5/6 will become the arbiters of the future, working with authors directly to stamp out AI? No. Not even close. They're going to stay fixed on the past while trying to maximize their almighty dollars until their clenched fists crumble into dust.
But I do see potential for a new renaissance coming from small indie and hybrid presses who protect and promote creativity by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their authors against AI.
I agree, Fallon. I think it's going to take fresh and creative thinking to get to that renaissance, but I'm with you 100%—the indies will lead the way.
So appreciate you keeping us in the loop about this. Knowledge might not translate to power, in this case, but staying current about this issue is vital. I will be sending this article to other writer friends. Big THANKS!
a keynote speaker at the PNWA touched on this thing exactly. that amazon will be rolling out AI written books, flooding KU, and they are testing it now. we have about a year or two, but i think probably less. i like the idea of say what you are, not what you aren't. and i think exposing our humanity will become so very important, showing readers WHO we are as a human being. i'm joining The Authors Guild now. thanks for sharing your perspective and expertise.
Glad to be a member of Authors Guild. I'm hearing the business world is placing pressure on colleges and universities to embrace AI for writing because they will need to use it on the jobs in the future; which truly terrifies me as we strip out critical and creative thinking from higher education.
Thank you for addressing this, Brooke. The whole AI situation truly scares me, not just as an author, but as a reader and consumer. Too many people can't tell the difference between human-made writing and AI and don't really care. A sticker is good but won't stop the tsunami.
It gave me pause this week to learn that the Nobel Prizes in both Physics and Chemistry came about through the use of AI. While this is surely evidence of AI’s potential to be a part of meaningful scientific progress, there’s a downside. I worked at Carnegie Mellon University during AI’s infancy. Back then, they called it “computer learning.” It was the scariest stuff I’ve ever been a part of. As a writer, I won’t go near it. As a human, I try to remain hopeful. Unfortunately, at that same time, personal computing was also taking off. I recall being hopeful that it would radically democratize the acquisition of knowledge. … Instead, it gave us fake news.
Oooph… this is so no bueno … As a photographer (now exploring the world of writing), i have watched and experienced with distress, the shift in the way images are generated. I like to think that I have developed a critical eye (and ear) that can spot a difference between the human element and the robotic one. I like to think that I can see and experience in creative content when human emotion is informing that which I’m looking at or reading. But really? Who’s to know if and when we’re being duped? There’s certainly no “watchdog” to monitor this. And even if there was, how on earth would “they” be able oversee such a thing? Even with disclaimers or badges, fact is, people can lie. Sigh… I guess like all things, awareness is a start…?
That's the thing—awareness and education. So for the critical thinkers among us we can be vigilant and ... cynical of everything we see. Not fun.
I’m a photographer too, Jody, and it is maddening the way our business is heading. You used to count on an image to speak truth. Now, organizations like one I’m a part of, PPA, seem to appreciate the painterly images as well as heavily photoshopped ones. Now AI is infecting our writing world…
Sigh… yes Stephanie it’s sad and disturbing and disappointing too… 😏
What comes to mind is that the frustration/helplessness (I share it) derives from the fact that the "little guy" isn't going to fix this. It won't be changed book by book, or sticker by sticker, even if those might be appealing. It's like a "100% organic" sticker on a banana, versus federal laws regulating the food industry. So I would reframe the issue as what role governments at all levels need to take to reign in AI. Of course, it's easy to be frustrated over the likelihood of that happening in our current environment. But at least it gives me a greater sense of what needs to happen.
I agree—yes! So we need to be petitioning the government, but they're not doing anything under Biden, and it will be even worse if Trump wins. So where to start?
Maybe the start is with widening awareness that this needs a government role? Because it isn't just that legislators aren't acting, but also the citizenry isn't demanding it.
<< It's like a "100% organic" sticker on a banana, versus federal laws regulating the food industry. >>
A very apt analogy! Thank you.
This is such a great, thought-provoking post. AI frustrates me immensely; I haven't bumped into it much in the writing world (maybe because I'm not on the editing/publishing side), but I belong to a lot of nature photography groups and it feels like half of the photos are now fake AI garbage. Can we keep some of the good of AI like GPS maps and Siri, and toss the other stuff? Reminds me of a funny meme saying something like, "Can AI do my dishes and laundry so I can create art, not the other way around?"
Thanks for sharing what The Authors Guild is doing. I joined after attending one of your conference sessions, and they helped me build a basic website. I really like them, and the badge is such a great idea as we navigate this David and Goliath fight.
Thanks, Brooke!
That's disheartening to hear, Katie. I know nothing of how it's impacting photography, so I'm not surprised to hear this. I have had some limited experience of authors sending me AI-generated images that they want to use on their covers and it's been a hard no. You can tell the difference, and images of people do look . . . "off." So we just trust our instincts and we're all going to get a lot better at telling the difference.
My drop in the ocean: I just became a member of the Author's Guild following the link you provided, Brooke. Thank you.
Good!!
This is so unsettling. It's already somewhat impossible to know what was generated by AI and what is author written, except often the AI language is oddly vague. I am definitely joining the Author's Guild now. Thanks for posting this, Brooke. Better to know what we're up against than not!
This issue reminds me of when I became a drone pilot. The technology was waaaay ahead of the government i.e. FAA. FAA owns our airways but didn’t know how to handle us. It took 3-4 yrs. for them to wrangle us under their rules.
I hope the same thing will happen with AI. In the meantime, I will join the Authors Guild. Thanks for addressing this.
I have these same concerns, Brooke, but Ted Gioia wrote an article recently that reinforced the 'why' behind staying the course. I reshared the article with the following note:
"In Ted’s article, you can go ahead and replace the word “music” with “book” and the lesson still stands.
"There is a future for creative people across the spectrum of arts and artistic pursuits, but the creative future will come from a new renaissance of sorts as folks grow tired of the industry-churn schlock and look for something new and fresh and exciting."
Now, do I have hope that the Big 5/6 will become the arbiters of the future, working with authors directly to stamp out AI? No. Not even close. They're going to stay fixed on the past while trying to maximize their almighty dollars until their clenched fists crumble into dust.
But I do see potential for a new renaissance coming from small indie and hybrid presses who protect and promote creativity by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their authors against AI.
Ted's article is here for those interested: https://www.honest-broker.com/p/nine-predictions-for-the-future-of
I agree, Fallon. I think it's going to take fresh and creative thinking to get to that renaissance, but I'm with you 100%—the indies will lead the way.
So appreciate you keeping us in the loop about this. Knowledge might not translate to power, in this case, but staying current about this issue is vital. I will be sending this article to other writer friends. Big THANKS!
Truly depressing. All I can hold onto is to believe wholeheartedly that our minds can soar freely without limit while AI is tethered by rules.
<< The Authors Guild continues to be David in the fight against Goliath. >>
I hope so, because most writers feel like the soldiers who battled Goliath BEFORE David!
Ha! Yes, at least we have a David fighting for us!
Yet another Goliath. It's a bit overwhelming. DIscouraging. And I very much appreciate that you've written about it.
a keynote speaker at the PNWA touched on this thing exactly. that amazon will be rolling out AI written books, flooding KU, and they are testing it now. we have about a year or two, but i think probably less. i like the idea of say what you are, not what you aren't. and i think exposing our humanity will become so very important, showing readers WHO we are as a human being. i'm joining The Authors Guild now. thanks for sharing your perspective and expertise.
Glad to be a member of Authors Guild. I'm hearing the business world is placing pressure on colleges and universities to embrace AI for writing because they will need to use it on the jobs in the future; which truly terrifies me as we strip out critical and creative thinking from higher education.
That sounds like the business world, doesn't it?
Thank you for addressing this, Brooke. The whole AI situation truly scares me, not just as an author, but as a reader and consumer. Too many people can't tell the difference between human-made writing and AI and don't really care. A sticker is good but won't stop the tsunami.
It gave me pause this week to learn that the Nobel Prizes in both Physics and Chemistry came about through the use of AI. While this is surely evidence of AI’s potential to be a part of meaningful scientific progress, there’s a downside. I worked at Carnegie Mellon University during AI’s infancy. Back then, they called it “computer learning.” It was the scariest stuff I’ve ever been a part of. As a writer, I won’t go near it. As a human, I try to remain hopeful. Unfortunately, at that same time, personal computing was also taking off. I recall being hopeful that it would radically democratize the acquisition of knowledge. … Instead, it gave us fake news.
I try to stay hopeful, too. Today's post just didn't inspire it. So many fake books, counterfeit books, piracy. It feels truly out of control.
Agreed. Scary.
The AI thing is frustrating. To be honest, I can not even fathom that somebody would call themself an author and use AI. But that's our new reality.