The Problem with Dragons

If you want to read about my experience trying out AI for the first time, click here for part I – Dragon AI; otherwise, continue reading below.

AI has become a hot topic of debate in the writing world. There is a great deal of hostility towards AI among writers, agents, and publishers, driven by the fear that authors and artists will quickly be replaced by AI, and of course, no one wants that. But should we fear the AI Revolution?

I grew up in an analog world, with the digital age beginning when I was in high school. I’ve worked with computers for my entire adult life, and that has taught me to embrace new technology rather than fear it. (I mean remember the fear about Y2K? Anyone?)

For me, this is where I draw the line on AI. It’s a tool and, as such, should be used as a tool. I don’t want to read AI-written books any more than the next person, but even Grammarly and ProWritingAid are lesser forms of AI. So, should writers not use them? Well, they are grammar tools, and what is AI? A tool.

I often use AI-generated images for this blog; it was my first real interaction with Grok AI, which, for reasons that are beyond me, apparently offends some people. However, I don’t write this blog for financial gain—nothing about it generates income, so why should I feel bad about using AI? I’m not taking money out of the pockets of other artists. If I didn’t use AI, this blog would just be less visually interesting; so, why not use AI? Even tools that lots of people pay for, like Canva, have AI generators built in.

What I am against is using AI to do the work for you, versus using it as a tool to improve. AI-written books, AI book covers – no, thank you. Using AI as a sounding board or to help you get past writer’s block, I have no problem with that, but I am probably more laid-back about AI than the majority of the writing community.

Where do you stand on the use of AI in writing, or in general, for that matter? Comment below or subscribe for more bookish content. Visit me on X or Instagram for additional content.