How I am Using AI

I am really interested in the current discussion, that appears to be everywhere at the moment, about generative AI and in particular Large Language Models (LLMs). I have just read the results of the survey conducted by the Australian Society of Authors, and from that survey it is clear that AI is creating a lot of concern and fear in authors. Whilst I completely understand the concerns, as I share some of them too, I take a slightly different viewpoint.

I am not particularly afraid of AI and in fact I am using it in a small way in my work. I guess the main concerns are about copyright and regulation and where this largely unregulated technology may go in the future. But I suppose how I look at it is that it is not going anywhere. It is out of the box as they say. So I believe that those who learn to use it in creative and ethical ways will be ahead of the game.

Many authors will already be using AI in the form of Grammarly or ProWriting Aid, or possibly through Facebook Ads. Then there is Siri, of course, and chat bots on online shopping sites. AI takes many forms and is a part of many of the technologies we use every day and have done for many years.

I have been experimenting with ChatGPT and Sudowrite. The first thing to mention is that these technologies are definitely not foolproof. They are often wrong because in reality they are only guessing what the best answer to your prompt might be. It’s a bit like predictive text. When it guesses what word you want to put next it is often wrong.

I have not yet been able to prompt it to give me something that is perfect, that is, something that I would simply cut and paste without any editing. But it does give me ideas which help me to improve what I am writing. Also it must be noted that these LLM’s cannot create out of thin air. So authors still need to write passages or prompts to give context. Recently I asked ChatGPT to write a book description for my upcoming book. I entered the synopsis that I had written and asked it to write a book description. Whilst it did a pretty good job I felt that it gave away too much of the story. So of course I needed to edit it.

Here’s what I came up with:

Nineteen-year-old Annie finds herself trapped in the Kew Lunatic Asylum in 1894, with no memory of how she got there. She struggles to understand her situation and cope with the horrific conditions at the asylum.

Annie's mother died when she was just five years old, leaving her father grief-stricken and unable to provide the love and support she desperately needed. When her stepmother arrives, Annie is forced to take care of her younger half-siblings. Seeking solace in her Catholic faith, she falls under the influence of a strict and unforgiving priest.

As her mind begins to clear, Annie meets the kind and compassionate Helena, who helps her come to terms with her past and consider a future beyond the asylum. But will the man she loves be there to support her as she fights to escape the horrors of the institution? This emotional and powerful story exposes the abuses and mistreatment that were all too common in mental institutions in the late 1800s.

I would love to know who out there is using LLM’s and who is dead against them. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.