Artificial Intelligence: An author’s friend or foe?

 

By Bonnie Vanak

 http://www.bonnievanak.com/

I still remember the sound of dial-up internet on America Online. I’d sit there at the computer, hearing the static grumble of the phone line connecting to the modem and see the little man run across the screen (well, it was more like a leisurely stroll compared to today’s lightning speed). There was a sense of excitement knowing a door to a new and information-laden world opened for me.

Back then it was fascinating to watch an emerging technology. I was a fledgling writer itching to get published with a New York publisher and research was key to my historical romance novels. I used the internet to research Egypt and Arabian horses for my Khamsin Warriors of the Wind series, books that were eventually published by Dorchester Publishing. But, as a friend warned me back then, the “internet is a bathroom wall. Anyone can write anything on it.”

Never have I forgotten that advice. These days of another emerging technology – artificial intelligence – her advice is still valid and wise.

A few months ago, I became aware of using AI to write. I work for a large company as a copywriter and we were told to use an AI program in our work. This edict caused me to research it for my own personal work as an author. I started asking questions. A couple of friends who work in IT told me they had been using AI for years.

That was the day when I started exploring AI to see if I could utilize its benefits.

First, let me preface this by saying I am aware of AI’s potential for damage for creatives. AI can nudge aside artists and creatives and those using it could fail to give those creators fair compensation. It’s a new technology and what’s to prevent someone from taking another’s work, using AI to manipulate it and sell it as their own?

That being said, I decided to use it for my own benefit in writing books to see if I can write faster through AI’s brainstorming capabilities.

For those who don’t know, Open AI’s ChatGPT launched the end of 2022 and became available to the public. Open AI describes it this way: “We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

ChatGPT scours the internet for information. It’s free. You create an account, and plug into the prompt bar what you wish the program to write. It can be anything. Except sex or murder. ChatGPT refuses to write that and if you keep trying it will shut you down. That’s okay with me. Since I write romantic suspense, I like to be innovative with sex and killing someone.

I use AI to help sketch out scenes. I do not write a book with AI produced words. My work is my own and original. Instead, I use AI as an electronic brainstorming partner. I regard it with a healthy dose of skepticism and take from it what I can use.

It isn’t always accurate, so I do not use it for research. I’m also wary of plagiarism.

But it’s fast, so fast that if you use it the right way, it can help you write quicker. I could never write a book only using AI because I’m known for writing books that are dark, sexy and have heart. AI is not dark, not sexy and it certainly has no heart.

Perhaps the best way to explain ChatGPT is to give you this example. I logged into my free account, and entered this into the prompt bar: Make yourself a best-selling romance author and write a short scene in which Jase, an FBI agent working undercover in a dangerous motorcycle gang, goes to his seedy apartment to relax and finds out someone has broken into his home. He is worried and wonders if his cover has been blown. [My current WIP for Harlequin romantic suspense’s line is about Jase]

Here’s what AI wrote:

Jase stepped out of his unmarked car and entered the dimly lit hallway of his rundown apartment building. The stench of stale cigarettes and cheap liquor assaulted his senses, reminding him of the less-than-ideal cover he had adopted for the past year. He ascended the creaking stairs, his heart pounding with a mix of exhaustion and anticipation.

Unlocking the door to his cramped apartment, Jase paused for a moment to take a deep breath, ready to let go of the burdensome persona he had worn all day. But as he stepped inside, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Something wasn't right. The air felt heavy with a palpable tension, and the eerie silence only deepened his concern.

The sight that greeted him sent a wave of adrenaline rushing through his veins. His small, cluttered living room was in disarray, furniture upturned, and personal belongings scattered haphazardly across the floor. The sense of violation washed over him, threatening to shatter the fragile sense of security he had built.

Not bad. However, it’s too simplified. Jase is a biker. He doesn’t drive a car. Also, the writing doesn’t take into account Jase’s personality. He’s an FBI agent and former Army Ranger. He’s dealt with danger before and he’s undercover. He HAS no “fragile sense of security” because he’s aware that his cover could get blown. Paranoia keeps him alive!

Here’s how I rewrote those paragraphs and added to them to make the scene longer:

Jase pulled his bike into the assigned parking spot and scanned the area as always. Tension rode his neck muscles as he pulled off the black helmet and placed it on his bike. This place was a former Florida motel in the heydays of pink flamingoes and signs advertising COLOR TELEVISION and AIR CONDITIONING, but it was a dump even then. More of a dump now. Still, it was safe for this assignment. Most tenants never spoke to one another and minded their own business. He dismounted and trod up the stairs, avoiding the rusty iron railing that wobbled with each touch. Landlord didn’t care about repairs, only the rent getting paid.

A tingle rushed down his spine as he neared his apartment. Jase stopped, scanned the area again. No one around. Not even the stray cat that chased away the rats snacking on the garbage overflowing the dumpster. He inched closer, muscles knotted and his body ready for action.

His door stood slightly ajar. Perhaps a crack. Jase removed the Glock tucked into his waistband and chambered a round.

With the tip of one steel-toed boot, he kicked the door open. Son of a … The postage stamp studio looked like someone dumped the contents into a blender and spat them out. Frayed sofa torn open, stuffing spilling out. Same with the old armchair he’d found at a thrift shop. Coffee table broken and lying in pieces.

Weapon cupped in his hands, he advanced. It took less than a minute for his head to assure him “all clear” and tuck away the Glock. He studied the refrigerator standing open, the eggs spilled onto the floor and the bread smashed. Inching closer, he saw the clear indent of a biker boot on the store-bought loaf. Yeah, no surprise here. Lance sent his crew to upend Jase’s place to search for the stolen jewels. He peered at the fridge’s wire shelves and shook his head. Beer was gone as well. No surprise there, either. The gang never wasted a beer, not even when they wrecked someone’s place.

You can see what I wrote is nothing like what AI produced. Then why use the program?

I use it to visualize the scene quicker so I can rewrite in my voice and add depth to the scene and the characters to advance the plot. I added more color to the setting so the reader would get a sense of exactly what kind of apartment building Jase calls home for this assignment. I added Jase’s personality, his caution and coolness in an emergency.

AI is a guideline that helps me brainstorm and “see” the scene almost as if someone else were talking about it.

We’re entering the artificial intelligence technology age. Like all tools, AI can be beneficial or dangerous, depending upon its use. Whether you choose to use it wisely or not, or simply ignore it, is up to you. But like the internet, AI is here to stay and will likely be the next wave of the future.

Bonnie Vanak is the author of paranormal and romantic suspense novels. Her next book, Her Secret Protector, is out October 2023 from Harlequin. Visit her website, www.bonnievanak.com for more information.