Books written with ChatGPT are now available for sale on Amazon, and literary journals are being inundated with submissions written using this artificial intelligence. As other tech companies scramble to introduce their own versions of this AI, many writers are wondering what effect artificial intelligence like ChatGPT will have on the publishing industry. With would-be writers and novelists attempting to get published with minimal effort, will AI and ChatGPT ultimately replace creative writers? The tech experts at Web Design Relief have been following this latest development, and here’s what we’ve learned.
Here’s What Creative Writers Need To Know About AI And ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a chatbot developed by OpenAI, launched in November 2022, and recently updated to be even more comprehensive. It is powered by vast amounts of data and computing technology that allow it to make predictions and put words together in an intelligent way. It uses not only vocabulary and information, but also understands words in context. ChatGPT mimics the speech patterns and responses of a living, breathing person.
This technology has the potential to offer unique benefits to writers who are dealing with writer’s block, helping them brainstorm or create writing prompts to further develop any ideas. Writers who need to generate large amounts of content may also find that using ChatGPT speeds up the writing process and allows them to focus on editing what the AI compiles. If you use ChatGPT as another tool to help you fine-tune your creative writing— a means to an end, not an end in itself—you may find positive ways to incorporate it into your writing process.
Since ChatGPT only exists in the digital realm, it doesn’t have a unique life experience or point of view: It can only draw on what its creators have programmed it to do. As a result, AI writing occasionally seems stilted or somehow “off” to readers. Being able to draw on actual human experiences and to connect with readers on a genuine, emotional level may give living, breathing writers an edge. You’ve lived a life ChatGPT is unable to have.
Unfortunately, there are some “writers” who are using ChatGPT and other AI programs to create short stories, novels, and even poetry with minimum effort. Since ChatGPT was launched, some literary journals that have open submissions windows and offer payment for accepted work are noticing a pronounced uptick in the number of submissions received. One journal noted a 38% increase in spam submissions written by AI as more people try to make money through work they haven’t actually written.
With ChatGPT, an entire book can be written in hours instead of weeks, months, or even years. Over 200 books on Amazon currently list ChatGPT as a co-author—and those are only the ones who admit to using AI. Since Amazon does not require users to disclose the use of AI, the actual number of books written using AI is probably much higher. There are writers who are not disclosing that they are using ChatGPT or other AI assistance to create their work.
Plagiarism is also a concern. An AI chatbot may draw too much “inspiration” from another author’s writing or the intellectual property owned by a corporation. AI-powered tools are not immune from copyright infringement.
Technology exists that can help spot writing created by AI, but these programs are expensive, and AI is learning how to outsmart them. While the majority of literary journals do not pay their contributors, those that do may choose to reduce (or eliminate) payment for acceptances in order to combat submissions written by ChatGPT and other similar programs. Literary journals may also shorten open reading periods, require more personal information from submitters, or even resort to requesting invitation-only submissions.
Those who write for a living may also face the harsh reality that companies will adopt AI-powered tools to create content. These tools may become capable of certain types of writing that would put some writers out of a job.
The publishing industry is still grappling with the impact of ChatGPT, AI-powered writing tools, and the changes they’ve created. Readers and editors still want to see genuine writing by authors, not bots. Our tech experts at Web Design Relief will continue to monitor the situation and track any developments affecting creative writers and their work.
Question: What are your thoughts on ChatGPT and AI writing programs?
On the other hand, A I can be a good research tool. That is why it is being integrated into search engines. It can teach foreign languages by providing study materials. None of these functions are threatening. It’s all in how it is used. I told it to write poetry and it was awful.
I was astonished to see your paragraph:
“This technology has the potential to offer unique benefits to writers who are dealing with writer’s block, helping them brainstorm or create writing prompts to further develop any ideas. Writers who need to generate large amounts of content may also find that using ChatGPT speeds up the writing process and allows them to focus on editing what the AI compiles. If you use ChatGPT as another tool to help you fine-tune your creative writing— a means to an end, not an end in itself—you may find positive ways to incorporate it into your writing process.”
If that’s the way a good organization that’s worked for years and years with real striving writers sees it, then we’re indeed in trouble. Someone in one of the paid writing groups I belong to said, “It’s cheating pure and simple.” And even if a writer chooses to argue that, they are most definitely cheating themselves out of the work and growth and learning that are essential to better and better writing.
When used properly, technology can help writers. Word processing programs have made typing out a story easier. Instead printing out pages and pages of paper and mailing out submissions, you can send them to journals or agents with a few clicks of a mouse. Spell check will let you know instantly if you’ve made a typo. An internet search can immediately bring you research on a topic, writing prompts, and articles of interest to writers. You can read a book on a smart phone, tablet, or e-reader. Are these all cheating? The paragraph clearly states that if AI is used as a means to hone your own writing—not to create writing that you will pass off as your own—then it could potentially be helpful to a writer. We state how AI can be misused and the potential negative results, but we will also examine any potential positive outcomes for writers. Our goal is to present the whole picture to our readers. Obviously, we are concerned. We are in the early days of AI and creative writing, and the article also states this is something to be monitored. The full effect of AI on the publishing industry remains to be seen.
You’ve provided a good example of how we at least cheat ourselves by leaning on much of this technology. With all due respect, using no programs but my eyes, I immediately found two undetected typos in your first five lines.
By depending on some of the tech alternatives you mention, we underestimate ourselves and our capacity for learning and hard work. Spelling and grammar can, seriously, be learned! 🙂 And honing one’s writing is not an assignment to be handed off to AI. It is a deep lifelong process, and that is exactly where the riches lie.