Writing In A World Of The Authenticity Killer : Artificial Intelligence

Nothing will humble you more than getting laid off in one of the toughest job markets to date. Sure, the US unemployment rate might sit around 4% right now, but it feels much higher as you endure this painstaking market as a jobseeker...and competing against artificial intelligence.

The only thing more painful than these factors has to be a storyteller witnessing this attempt to kill authentic writing. Now, this might show my age, but I still remember when laptops were banned in our K-12 classrooms. At least, they were for me. Perhaps that was just a rule taken up by my English teachers at Alton High. Looking back at it now, as a late 20-something, I know it was the right call.

The infinite scroll, short-form video trends, staring at a screen for hours on end to complete a homework assignment, and now artificial intelligence checkers. As messed up as some of the trends were in the late 2000s and 2010s, I'm grateful that I finished school before all of these factors took hold.

Why the heck am I talking about school and artificial intelligence? I saw a heartbreaking post on Threads this afternoon from a frustrated parent whose child turned in a paper that was flagged for AI for using a single word. That word was "discord," and was used a dozen times in the paper. Simply changing that word brought the AI score from 18% to zero on the paper.

This boiled my blood. What is the world coming to where a single word flagged by an AI checker and the person using the checker as a credible source, means that the writer is producing inauthentic work? Could it also insinuate that they might be cheating? Possibly.

Unfortunately, I lost the link to this particular post, but from what I can recall it was tied to a deeper conversation about how AI creates a challenge with neurodivergence and masking a disability. I believe this is an important conversation to continue having, however, I would like to focus on a different point for this point: the authenticity of writing.

The prospect of writing a paper, novel, news article or even an email, is painful for some people. Others, like myself, thrive when we have an idea spark on a random Tuesday at 4:30 a.m.

Artificial intelligence tools like Claude and ChatGPT might be great one-off tools that help those who are struggling to complete these written tasks. That's fine, I suppose. I draw the line, however, at completely replacing someone's job with a machine or inhibiting the creative freedom and growth of a child trying to write an essay for school.

In a sense, our society has created an oxymoron about the use of AI. We place all of our children's work through an AI checker, much like the older plagiarism checkers, and punish them if anything gets flagged. Full-time writers, however, are encouraged to use AI almost full-time in corporate and marketing settings now. It's how companies are able to operate faster and without having to hire a second or third writer for the team.

I suppose you could call the age we are now living in as one of inauthentic artificial intelligence or IAI. It's a shame we are subjecting school children through this equally painful and challenging frontier that adults haven't yet mastered.

As a writer, who has most recently worked for an SEO Marketing firm, I will be frank with you all: I have written content using AI in the past, but strictly as a tool to help flesh out an idea. This was also before I learned how harmful AI is to our water resources, specifically in the Western states.

When I was writing with the assistance of AI in 2023, I felt part of my brain turn to mush. There wasn't anything exciting or as fulfilling about completing a piece of work. My work didn't feel authentic or like me, so I stopped using AI as much as possible. The result? Better work, writing that felt like me, and direct compliments from clients who found my work to be compelling and well-researched.

Now, in 2024, I avoid using this authenticity killer as much as possible. Sure, it can save time on an email, letter, or social post. It can also catch mistakes that a writer might miss. At the end of the day, not using it saves lives.

Not using AI programs like ChatGPT or Claude in the age of inauthentic artificial intelligence also means you're saving:

1. Natural water sources

2. Jobs

3. Crucial lessons in critical thinking

4. Creativity

I do believe we could create a future where AI is used as a tool rather than a total replacement. I also believe that it is possible to utilize it in a reasonable way that doesn't obliterate the job market and environment.

If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught me anything over the last 5 years, it is that hope is crucial. We all need even an ounce of hope but should not be your only source of change.

That's why as a writer and storyteller, I have committed to now curbing my AI use, unless it is deemed necessary by an employer. After all, the most compelling form of storytelling has always emerged from that which is human.

Writer Findings: Did you know there are Chrome widgets and phrases you can use to stop Generative AI during a Google search? I just learned about this yesterday! Typing "-ai" after your search terms can prevent Generative AI from appearing. I've also found the widgets Hide Google AI Overviews and Hide AI Images to be excellent resources.