In the last few years, AI has become a growing concern for writers. I have recently seen the pitfalls of the introduction to AI in the digital writing world. For several years, I have done freelance writing as a side hustle of my regular job. It was a good way to make some extra cash, and I usually averaged between $30-100 a month. So by no means “quit your day job money” but it was a decent way to use my writing skills to pay on student loans or save for a vacation.
I primarily worked with one company as they had a steady group of clients and they provided me with plenty of work that I could knock out a couple times a week after I got done with my teaching job. However, this year the assignments have been few and far between. I had no assignments between January and March, and my last one was back in June. And that was a rewrite for a very picky client (but hey, the customer is always right).
When I inquired as to why the jobs seemed to dry up, I was told the clients they usually got work from was not sending any work. They were using AI for their content, so the gigs were few and far between. So I may be going back on to Freelancer or Upwork to see if I can find some new gigs. Again, not quitting my day job just yet.
So yeah, AI sucks in the fact that it is taking jobs from freelance content writers. However, I have seen plenty of content created from obvious AI that would have benefited from at least a human proofreading before it was posted. I’m sure the site owners look at it as cost-cutting, but it proves the old adage of “you get what you pay for”.
I’ve also seen the hazards of AI with the rise of ChatGPT. As a middle school teacher, we have embraced the advantages of technology during the COVID pandemic. Most of my students are issued iPads or Chromebooks, depending on what the school chooses to use. It is good in a way, as students can easily research information, type out their work, and submit work remotely. It also makes grading classwork easier on our end. However, students can be lazy and try to find shortcuts. I always have students that copy/paste from the internet (I might give them a pass if they at least cited their sources). However, with the rise of ChatGPT we also ran into students submitting work that was obviously AI generated.
And if you follow the news, yeah my school district was the one that used AI to plan our bus routes. It did not go well.
So with all that being said, can AI be useful for writers? My answer is, yes, as long as they use it ethically.
That does not mean that you, the writer, ask AI a prompt and then copy/paste whatever it generates. That is lazy and in bad practice. A lot of sites are now even cracking down on writers submitting AI generated content, which I applaud.
I recently decided to try out ChatGPT to see if there were any good uses for it. And I have to say, I can see where it can be useful. I’ve asked it questions like recommendations for budget vacations and got some decent recommendations. I also tried having it provide outlines for a story idea I had, and to provide some ideas for stories. Some of the generations were pretty decent and I may use some of the ideas it gave me.
And I want to believe in my heart, that is what the creators had in mind when they made this app. Its not meant to replace the human mind, but to be a tool to help us. It is something that can give us ideas to build off of, help with writers block, and provide some leads to investigate. I can see the benefits, but also the pitfalls of AI.
With all that being said, AI shouldn’t be a replacement for human writers. It can’t replace the human ability to create and communicate. And I promise, any content you read from me will never be AI generated. But, if used ethically it can be a great tool to help in the creative process.
I like to write about various topics, including history, books, travel, and wrestling.
My new novel, What the Dew Might Bring, is available here
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