AI Rethink (part 1)

Last year, I wrote an article about the burgeoning realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its negative effects on the human factor in perceiving art and imagery. Not that I wish to recant the claims I’d made, but I have had cause to reflect on my standpoint and shift perspective somewhat over the intervening months — because I can, so there!

I had decided to dig a little deeper than the superficial, face-value ramifications of this rapidly expanding industry — something that can, at the very least, seem daunting to many of us, as it certainly was for me!

Nevertheless I thought to myself, “Baby steps, Guy, let’s explore a little…” I had a body of copy that I needed to significantly edit as part of a business proposal, and wasn’t really looking forward to the prospect. On a whim, and after having watched a couple of YouTube videos about ChatGPT, I decided to give it a swing. Having downloaded the app, I input the aforementioned copy and typed the instruction to make it more concise and business-like, yet friendly and engaging, including bullet points etc. for clarity. In the blink of an eye (quite literally) it was done, almost exactly what I wanted, requiring only one or two further instructions to make it just right. I was understandably gobsmacked! 

Granted, it was my first newbie venture into this vast, seemingly unfathomable field, yet I felt curiously reassured, as my writing had not been bastardised or made unrecognisable as my original work. I had been given precisely what I had asked for, all beautifully packaged — with bells on! It was still my own work, yet modified according to the nth degree of my instruction. I had gained a new-found respect for the tool (which is precisely what it is) and my fears adequately assuaged. Now for the next baby step…

Back in 2015, I had co-authored a book with my Norwegian friend, Kari Enes, called “She Said He Said”. We self-published it (with the help of a friend in Australia who knew the ropes, cover design and other elements by me) on Amazon and had great hopes for its success, yet because we didn’t have the know-how to market it effectively online, we sadly didn’t achieve the big hit we’d both hoped for. 

Now though, almost a decade later, and with the growing popularity of eBooks, Kari and I are looking to give it a go once more. Aside from our marketing strategy and how we plan to get exposure for our writing, we’ve also realised that there is more of a need, especially in our genre of “Sowing the Seeds of Consciousness”, for eBooks that are shorter in length for easy reading. 

We therefore plan to segment the book into individual chapters, publishing each as separate eBooks. On this occasion though, we’ll use an AI publishing tool to save us a great deal of time in modifying, editing and designing new layouts and colour schemes for each eBook. 

We’ll also be needing visual elements, which I might previously have designed myself, although here again, AI might save me many hours of unnecessary time, whilst maintaining the integrity of the content, which is our writing and teachings. 

All of a sudden then, instead of AI being fearfully regarded as a voracious troll seeking to devour the Billy Goats Gruff as they cross the bridge, I’m perceiving it rather as an extremely capable means of streamlining a creative process — augmenting rather than diluting… You know, I guess I need to remember that I’m the one with the creative essence, and that art is determined by the soul of the artist, something that can never be replicated or superseded by AI!

There’s lots more to be said on this topic, to be sure, so  I’ll continue the discourse in the next blog post.

Guy McGowan
WASA representative in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.