What to do with AI...

Some people would say, avoid AI like the plague, its unethical and would only destroy you. Some say, use it as a tool. Others may say, use it to save money and time. I know this is a big topic and a lot of people are skeptical, especially writers and designers.

People in the non-writing world use it for their personal lives and may already be implementing in their business worlds as well. I don't know, I'm not them so I couldn't tell you what they are using it for. But there are so many things a person can do with it, it's getting scary. But what about writers? Please, do not use AI to write your entire book. That is NOT what I'm saying to do.

There are tests to see if something is using AI in artwork or stories. But guess what? You have to use AI to test to see if it is AI. Isn't that weird? For those people who are absolutely against it and are using these tests--aren't they being hypocrites? I'm not passing judgment here, but it's sad if a person has to go that low. Besides, those tests are not accurate. I tried those tests using things I knew 100% weren't AI, and the tests said they were. So please do not let these tests using AI to determine if the book you want to read is AI or not. Just read it. Just because the story is good doesn't mean AI was used in its creation.

I'm not here to debate AI, or get on the AI wagon or convince you it is a good or bad thing. It doesn't matter what I say anyway because you're going to decide either way on your own. But there are ways you can use AI as a tool instead of letting it do the work for you, as some people suggest it does already.

You take this as a grain of salt or be open to this idea if you want to. Or you can argue and say it's the plague of the world. Either way, you and I can't do anything about it. Use it or ignore it--its up to you...

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• You can use AI to record your writing statis, AI can act as a "friend" who is supporting your writing. I've been trying this method to give me that extra boost of confidence and support. I noticed that the AI congratulates my progress each time. I know this isn't a real person, but it does feel nice seeing someone (in this case, something) rooting for me to reach my word count goal. None of my book was used for this process. I simply asked the AI to keep my goal in mind, and after each writing session, I shared what my progress was. I gave the date, said how many words I wrote and the fact that I wanted to reach such and such chapter by the end of the week. It replied back with positive notes.

• You can ask AI to "interview" you. You can give very little information and ask the AI to "ask" you questions about a certain topic (say 10 questions) that you can answer and use your answers to write a bio for your website, newsletter, or whatever you need those questions for. AI will only use what you give it and create something based on the answers you gave it for those questions asked. Sample question: "AI, I want to write a blog post about my journey as an author. Can you give me some questions to answer about what inspired me to write?"

• You can ask AI to give you instructions for something. I struggled for a cover design because I didn't know how to do something, so I asked the AI to give me instructions, a step-by-step guide to create it myself. When I was confused by a step, I asked for a sample, so I knew what it was talking about. I shared what application I was using (Paint Shop Pro). The guide was mostly understandable, so I did have one time where I asked for a sample and caught on once I saw what it meant. I was able to put in the work myself, using the guide that it created for me. It was like having a friend next to me telling me how to make something. Granted, mine wasn't as good as the AI's, but it was nice having that ability to learn. And now I can keep working on that so my work can improve.

• You can use AI to set reminders for you. Most phones (mine has this through Google) already have this ability, so you're probably already using it without even knowing it. When you say, "Hey, Google, remind me to buy pens," AI just set that reminder. Google is now using Gemini on its phones. You can do these little things for your writing too. You can ask AI to remind you to write during such and such time or write so many words each day. With your daily check-in, you can stay on top of that. And you can set AI to remember things like your name, birthday, that you wrote such and such book, or when you were married. When you have a "conversation," written or verbal, it will remember to call you by your name, making it feel more personal--like a friend. Keeps you from "feeling" lonely. And we know that writing can sometimes feel like that. So, that's actually two things right there.

• You can ask for ideas when you're stumped. Writer's block can be fierce at times, and when nothing seems to work, where do you go to get out of it? You can give a very brief synopsis of the book, tell AI where you are in the story, and ask for ideas. You don't have to use those ideas; you're just brainstorming. A totally different idea can be sparked from the suggestions given to you. You're still doing the work. It's the same if you're stuck on what genre the book is. If you give enough information without sharing the whole book, AI can tell you what genres the book it thinks it is. You can run that against other books in the genre that you know are accurate. It gives you a starting point so you know where to start. Again, you're still doing the work, but now you saved a little time from a lot of guesswork.

• AI can help break down a busy schedule to make it easier to work with. Since Gemini (through Google) can "see" your schedule on Google, it can give you your full day's plans if you're using Google to schedule your day. If you're afraid you don't have time to accomplish everything, you can ask AI to break everything down for an easier approach. Here, you're not using outside information, only your own. It can make life easier with a positive approach. Yes, it's not human so there are flaws, but don't we have flaws?

• Sometimes, you just want to vent and say something out loud without judgmental ears. You want to process something on your own, but not on your own. You can "have a talk" with AI, just say what you're thinking, and AI will respond in a forgiving way that's not judging in any way at all, giving you a chance to "let it out". This can be healthy because keeping it in isn't healthy at all.

So, you CAN use AI without allowing AI to write your book. It can be a companion of sorts when you need something to get out of a binge. You could easily call up your friend too, but people aren't always going to be there at that second you need them--they have their lives too. So when your friends are busy, you can ask AI to help with something that needs attention right now. If that makes sense. I'm using the tool as that sense, as a tool. I'm thinking, why not? I'm not substituting it for anything, but adding it to the arsenol I already have in place. I still do the research, I still talk to humans, and I still write my stories. But sometimes having that extra thing that I can use like when I don't know how to do something, comes in handy. I spent hours looking for videos on how to do something on Youtube, but couldn't find something that worked for my software, having that guide came in handy and it worked. I'll never get those hours back, but at least I know now I can ask Google for help. Or Gemini. Or ChatApt, or whatever its called. I haven't used that one. I like Google because I'm already using it.

So, what are your thoughts? Should we still be ignoring AI or can we find a middle ground and use it as a "tool"?