We are in an interesting period where certain technologies are developing very quickly. You can’t read the news without seeing articles talking about Chat GPT or other Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs. I’ve played a fair bit with Chat GPT. I find it very interesting to see the varied things that can be done with it. I’m also interested in what the creative community thinks about the use of AI in various creative endeavors.
Currently, the Writer’s Guild of America is on strike which I believe is due, at least partially, to the use of AI in Hollywood. It seems that they are worried that AI could steal their jobs from under them. As I’ve played around with AI I can see that the writers do have something to fear. I’ve asked AI on numerous occasions to create original content for me, some in the form of short stories while others in the form of blog posts, and each time I’ve done this I have not been disappointed with the results.
So, where do we draw the line? Do we even have to draw a line? If my goal is to regularly post meaningful content that readers can think about and learn from should it matter if I have AI assist in that content’s creation? The idea is still mine. I review and edit the information that AI retrieves. I manage the platform I post on. So, I’m still creating then, right?
Let’s think about it in another way. Consider a photographer, for example. Years ago, when cameras needed film to take pictures, the photographer was required to understand how their camera worked. They would have to alter the speed of the shutter or aperture settings and they would need to select the correct film in order to create different elements within their photographs. Today, all of those settings, and more exist on digital cameras but one could make the case that a photographer can alter no setting on their camera and make all of the elemental changes in a photo-editing program, such as Photoshop. Are today’s digital photographers less of an artist than the film photographers of yesterday or must we consider a new definition of the word artist? I would guess that the answer we get would depend on who we ask.
With regards to blog posts, do you think the author must divulge his or her use of AI in the creation of that post? Would it be considered misleading to omit that information? I want to put out content that will spark a conversation. It doesn’t matter to me if I write every word of that post or if I use AI to help generate it. Going forward, I think there are going to be a lot of questions regarding the ethical use of artificial intelligence. It’s probably in our best interest to start asking, and answering, those questions now.
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