I’ve anxiously awaited writing to you since my previous blog posts. I wanted to assure you that I have not lost my integrity as a writer–I will not use AI to create another blog post.After writing, The Content Creator’s Quest, I decided to conduct an experiment of my own. I wanted to see if I put one of my blog posts in Chat GPT, how would it write its own post.
MY FINDINGS
After some minutes of analyzing my writing, it created its own post and image. I put the posts side by side on my dual monitors. What stared back at me, was a piece of writing that deleted my presence from itself. My word choices and the way I choose to express myself was replaced with a squeaky clean voice. Sure, it was grammatically sound and took no risks to convey my thoughts. But my mind rejected the post immediately because it was not of me.
I took some time to think of what are the factors that contribute to how I express myself. The first correction that AI made –was to change my time of employment at Enterprise from a short stint to a brief time. I chose the word stint because during my upbringing that’s how adults described work ventures that were a waste of time. It conveyed that it wasn’t a serious job and that it was transactional.
But how can I download my Caribbean heritage, my upbringing in New York and my coming to self in Connecticut? There’s no possible way that it can capture the many expressions I hold from international influences. All that it can do is apply make up and a waist trainer to my writing so that it can be visually appealing.
AUTHENCITY CAN NOT BE REPLICATED
In Cassandra Rosas’ article she explained that AI produces content based on the patterns and data it has been trained on. This often leads to generic and repetitive content. She also shared that if two separate users wrote the same prompt, AI will share similar insights with minor differences in content delivery.
William Zinsser gave the advice to develop one voice that readers will recognize when they hear it on the page. The voice must be enjoyable and not cheapened by being inauthentic. AI is unaware that it is erasing creativity and authenticity with each post it creates. It is simply carrying out its programming as it was designed.
Zinsser’s advice to writers holds the answer as to why AI can not replace good writing. It is because good writing comes from a writer sourcing their work from their life experiences and heritage. It is from a writer having good taste and instincts when choosing what words to deliver their message to their readers.
This is why I will not use AI to produce the content I create. I love the process of writing–reading for inspiration then mulling about ideas until my mind finds the direction I want to go in. I also respect the English language and my readers too much to settle for what AI has to offer.