AI is Mostly Bad for Authors, Except for...

I'm estimating that approximately one bazillion articles have been written about AI and its detrimental effects, so this is not going to be another essay; just my perspective as an author.

First of all, whether my novel that Zuckerberg stole sold any copies or not, it wasn't his property to appropriate. I get it; rich people can do whatever they want with no consequences. I've yet to see anything come of all the uproar his book theft caused among the writing community, including the righteous anger expressed by various authors guilds. Where's the class action suit? Why wasn't I asked to join? I get email notices all the time about Acme Company doing something wrong, asking me if I want to file a claim. Yes, I generally end up with $3.29 out of the deal, but it's the principle. (Oh, I see that there was a suit that got dismissed by a judge, but I'm certain it's just the first of many. Still would like to know how to join one, though.)

Then there are "authors" publishing AI-written books, and many of them aren't one bit embarrassed to admit it. The proper course would be to shun those people on social media, rather than engage with them. Starve them of attention. But I suppose Reddit respondents can't help themselves. On the other hand, it seems the newest thing to do is to accuse someone of having AI write their book--because they use em dashes. I use em dashes all the time! AI stole that from me and from all the other authors out there!

Which leads me to probably the biggest "bad" for authors. AI-written books generate distrust among readers. Nobody wants to buy that slop, but how is anyone to know what it is without buying it? So, we're all going to be viewed with suspicion. Enough of that crap flooding the market and people will stop buying books all together.

I have my own experience with AI. After trying almost a score of different blurbs for my novel and getting more and more frustrated--none of them described my book in a way that would intrigue readers. I threw a plot summary into AI to see what it could come up with. Here it is:

Leah Branch has spent the last decade chasing stardom, pouring her soul into dive bar performances with a band on the brink of collapse. When it all falls apart, she flees to a tiny Wyoming town, hoping to forget her dreams and start fresh. But reinvention is complicated when she falls for the wrong man, hides her past, and watches her new life crumble—again.

Just as Leah rediscovers her voice, the opportunity she once craved finds her. But stardom isn't just about talent—it's about sacrifice. Nashville demands she change everything, from her name to her sound, and the life she thought she wanted begins slipping away. With heartbreak, hard choices, and a love that lingers, Leah must face her biggest question yet: Will she finally fight for the dream she once abandoned, or has she already found what she’s been searching for?

I actually used it for a time, em dashes and all. The thing about it, though, is that it's almost clinical. It's arms-length. While it uses all the right buzz words, there's no emotion. It describes emotion. AI is the equivalent of a sociopath. It can pretend to feel things that normal humans feel, but it's plain mimicry. The blurb tries too hard to be perfect, but people aren't perfect. If a fellow writer showed this to me and told me they wrote it, I'd take a couple of steps back. "Is he going to murder me?"

Now imagine a whole book written like this.

There is one thing AI can do that I can't, though. That's create art based on my vision. I have to say, I love the character art Whisk came up with for me, as well as the couple of animated images, which I use on my website. Canva even went a bit further, by making a short (maybe five seconds or so long) video of my main character singing (also on my website). Yes, it needed prompting to come up with an acceptable musical selection, but any visual/aural form one asks AI to create involves prompting, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not about to just accept anything. 

Granted, not every author will feel a need for something like this, but it has its marketing practicalities. I posted Canva's video on Instagram (when I was still using Instagram), and people seemed to like it. That's because humans are visually oriented. If they "see" the character, they're more likely to relate to it/her/him. Did that video help sell books? No, but social media is a long game, which I've now decided to quit playing. 

For my website's page dedicated to Running From Herself, my goal was to cram it full of content. I took Thomas Umstattd's advice to heart and included almost everything he suggested. (If you're gonna do it, do it.) It contains four AI-created elements, from character art to animations to video. And no, the page isn't gaudy; it's tasteful. 

So, AI writing? Nope. Never. Steer clear. AI as an accompaniment? Sure, use it for what it does well.