Will AI replace authors?
It’s Impossible
I’ll do you one better: what does it mean to be an author? or for that matter, a writer?
It is my opinion that someone who writes does it for the enjoyment, and if that is the case, then no, AI cannot replace authors.
No matter how intelligent it gets, or how much Shakespeare it reads, what does any of that really matter? There have always been God-like authors out there, so why not toss on another one? AI cannot replace your genuine joy to write; nothing can do that.
You get to write. Isn’t that a nice thought? Do not let AI impede on your love of the craft.
Yeah, Yeah — but What About the Money?
At the end of the day, people want to make a living off writing. I mean, who wouldn’t? Readers literally pay you to put words on a paper and tell stories all day. Definitely not your typical 9–5. On top of that all, writing can be rather lucrative — despite what you may have been told.
As long as you write a well-crafted book and know how to market that sucker then you’re all set. Easier said than done, I know, but the point is that you can make real money off writing.
If your interested in exploring the financial world of writing even more, check out this other article that can help further guide you: Can You Make Money Writing?
So, will AI change any of this?
If you look at your average conversations with bots like chat-GPT then you are probably thinking there is no way in heck that AI will take over the publishing industry.
Well…
The way AI works is, basically, that if it doesn’t stop it will only get better. In other words, as long as people keep pumping money into AI that can write really good, well then, that AI is going to be able to write really good. And it will be able to write a whole heck of a lot faster than any human, too.
(If that’s real writing is a subject of debate, but that’s a discussion for another time).
So let’s consider this: an AI that can write twenty thousand high-quality words a day is going to be a real tool for publishers. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that either. If I am a publisher then I want to pick the book that gets me the most money — simple as that. And if this AI trend continues, then AI is going to be the next Jeff Bezos of writing in no time.
If AI doesn’t turn out to be just a trend and ends up sticking around, then it is only a matter of time before it can write very quickly, punchy, and effectively. AI will be able to write better than humans.
If AI is just a trend, well then, I guess writers who write for money may have been saved by the bell. But I seriously doubt it’s just a trend. If anything, it’s only a matter of time.
The Apocalypse of Writting?
In any case, AI is not going to ruin your writing dreams any time soon. It still has a long way to go before it can craft a coherent story, let alone a damn good scentnece.
We might be witnessing the last time when people can actually make real money from their writing, so do not think about it as missing the train, but instead, just barely catching it.
AI will not destroy literature; it will advance it if anything. In fact, it will advance most parts of society. Not to completley derail the topic here, but Elon Musk (that weird fellow who’s got a lot of money and AI on his hands) says that he envisions a society in which AI takes over almost every job, making money obsolete.
Now wouldn’t that be something?
No longer would you have to worry if your story is good enough to make rent, or if you are going to have to fight an AI in a literary contest just to buy groceries for the week.
Most authors are broke.
Most authors also can’t write what they want because editors are the devil’s spawn (no offense editors, we still love you and your merciless edits). Could you imagine a world where one can write without the constraints or worries of the outcome to their writting? I think a world like that might even be good for literature.
What now?
To wrap things up, AI is not in any condition to steal your writing money, at least not right now. Maybe one day AI will take over the publishing industry, but AI can never take over writing itself. Truly, the act of writing is natural and ingrained into each and everyone one of us; it has to be. Everyone has a stroy to tell.
We write not for the money or the fame or the rush of hitting publish, but because we as writers can not not write. It is who we are. Words are our friends and stories are our allies.
If writing makes you feel something, anything to drag you away from the dreary everyday, then nothing can take that joy away — be it AI or any other force. And if just one person cares enough to read, that is the greatest ecstasy to ever be achieved.
