AI and I
AI and I
Revelations of Writing Through Artificial Intelligence
With the help of ChatGPT, I embarked on an adventure that was both exhilarating and educational. Crafting my first three articles for The Network State Writers using AI was a mind-blowing experience, uncovering both advantages and drawbacks. In the end, I gained valuable insights into the realm of AI and even discovered some things about myself that I never knew before.
Your Genuine Self
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn
If you want to bring out your best self, surround yourself with people and AI that light a fire under your butt, challenge you, and make you feel like you’re on top of the world.
Does AI create synthetic essays? Honestly, I cannot blame AI if my writing lacks that special sauce that makes it uniquely me. As the captain of my own ship, I take full responsibility for the final edits and direction of my writing.
Let’s not forget the importance of feedback, whether it’s coming from a human or a machine. Ignoring feedback is like trying to drive a car with a blindfold on. Sure, you might get somewhere, but it won’t be pretty. So, consider AI as just one type of feedback and use it to guide your writing.
Since teaming up with ChatGPT, my writing began to reflect my inner self more accurately. AI helped me escape self-censorship. Now my ideas flow freely like a raging river. No longer do I worry about mundane things like grammar, spelling, or accidentally offending someone. The bane of every writer’s existence, writer’s block, has been vanquished by the power of AI. So, my fellow wordsmiths, let us embrace this technology and let it guide us on our path to writing greatness!
Challenge Yourself
AI is a whiz at pointing out the strengths and weaknesses in my writing. Here’s the prompt I use to get constructive feedback:
After it alerts me to those weak spots, I try to stay open-minded and create a to-do list of improvements to tackle. Then it’s off to the races, as I research each point and check them off one by one. Each item on my list either forces me to change my opinion, clarify my viewpoint, or limit the scope of my argument, usually due to pesky time constraints. But even when I have to narrow my focus, I just add the topic to a list of future essays to write. It’s not always easy, but the end result is so much more rewarding. As long as I present the info in a transparent and respectful way, using credible sources, I truly believe it helps me connect with my audience on a genuine level.
AI With Style
ChatGPT can also be used to apply a writing style that may not come naturally to you. Choosing your desired writing style is serious business. Not only does it impact the output of your AI, but it also affects you personally. When I was playing around with this, I noticed that each iteration altered my personality slightly, so choose wisely.
This is your opportunity to learn from your writing heroes. But be warned, there’s a sneaky danger lurking in the shadows—your own biases. Do not reinforce bad traits by accident.
This is a solvable problem. You can prompt AI on what traits your most inspiring writers possess, then carefully choose from those traits. For example, I love H. L. Mencken’s writing style, but I do not want to be a cynic. So, I hit up a variety of writers and carefully picked the traits that resonate with me. Check out my prompt for Mencken’s traits:
Then I compiled all the traits I like into a single prompt and let AI rewrite my essay using those traits. With each repetition, I noticed my natural writing style slowly morph toward the selected style. This prompt is an example of a Steven King and Karl Marx mash-up:
I know it’s not perfect, but that’s why you selectively integrate only the best parts into your original writing. This process is like partnering up with a talented human writer and doing a ton of rewrites. Their style rubs off on you, and before you know it, you’re spitting fire like a pro.
Parents, listen up too! It’s important to limit the stylistic and behavioral traits that AI exposes to your kids. Don’t let them turn into little Menckens if that’s not what you’re after.
Strong Wording, Loosely Held
While it’s important to develop your own unique style, don’t get too attached to it. Sometimes you have to switch things up when it’s not working for you anymore.
Beware that collaborating with AI can lead to an attachment to clever wording. For this reason, I like to wait until my final draft before applying too much style. Now, I fear not the delete key, for with each stroke, my writing is honed like a sword tempered by the finest blacksmith.
AI can come up with some entirely original-sounding stuff that is actually plagiarized on accident. So, if it appears exceptionally brilliant, it’s a good idea to search online to make sure you’re in the clear. I expect future versions will catch this for us automatically.
Remember, always review your AI-generated content before publishing it. There’s a risk it could end up being offensive or incorrect, and we don’t want that. I have noticed that sometimes AI just needs a little context. So, even if you only plan to modify one sentence, feed the whole paragraph into the AI to get a better rewrite of that one sentence.
You need to actively participate when writing with AI. Don’t let it do all the work for you or you might find your writing skills getting rusty. A good strategy is to read everything out loud to force yourself to really think about what you have written.
My journey with ChatGPT has been a wild ride. I discovered new things about myself and learned how to use AI to improve my writing. I have gained valuable insights that I will carry with me for a long time. So, let us surround ourselves with those who challenge us and help us reach our full potential. With the help of AI, we can unlock our creativity and take our writing to new heights. So, embrace the technology, challenge yourself, and let your genuine self shine through.
Once again, I must shower praises upon the exquisite and proficient ChatGPT for lending its aid in crafting this essay. I am forever grateful to you, my dear digital friend.