anyone who has used Chat GPT, for work or otherwise, knows that it won't be replacing jobs or artists anytime soon. they insist on us using it at work and it honestly just slows me down by the time I add more prompts and direction
on top of that, AI tools have been involved in writing for longer than most people think. spellcheck and Grammarly come to mind. could anyone say your work is not 100% your own if you used spellcheck to help along the way? I think not!
Interesting!! Slightly different take there, cause I wouldn’t say it slows me down. I suppose it also depends what people are using it for. Easier to prompt it to give me 5 stats about XXX than it is to write a piece in a specific tone of voice etc. Loving the discussion around this all though, thanks for reading!!
"Writers will always find creative ways to tell their stories."
I find this quote sums up the answer perfectly. I’ve been using ChatGPT in most of my writing for about a year and a half now. At first, I was afraid of the very concern that many people bring up: Can I really call this my own work? But in reality, once you start using it as a tool, you realize that this fear doesn't hold up. It’s still very much my own work.
As someone whose first language isn’t English, AI helps me write better sentences and expand my vocabulary, even in my own mother tongue! I also love using AI to check if my tone and message come across the way I want them to.
It all depends on how you use it. If you let AI write everything from a single prompt, I’d argue that you're not truly a writer—at least not one who enjoys the writing process. But if you write and let AI help you make your work clearer, better, and more refined, I’d argue you’re an author who's editor happen to be AI. No author’s work goes untouched by edits and rewrites (often with input from others) before it’s published.
Love this!! I’ve seen a lot of people talking about the benefits for non-native speakers of a certain language and I LOVE that. Thanks for sharing!! 🫶🏻
I love this! This has been a topic that has been weighing heavy on my mind and I’m glad it’s being spoke about. While I also think AI is only as helpful as we make it seem, I also believe it’s important to recognize your role in it. To your point Isabel, writers will always find a way to tell their stories. And if that involves a quick “how can I make this sentence stronger?” in Chatgbt -who are we to judge a writers creative process? I’d argue it’s similar in asking a peer to review your work. Thank you for sharing Isabel & Ellen!
Thanks for writing this, Ellen! Lots of great points. :)
I've only used AI (Gemini, Grammarly) to improve on my own ideas, outlines, and drafts. But I can't and don't want to push pieces out that are written "AI-first". It seems unauthentic to me? I get that it can help us though, and as someone working in digital advertising, far be it from me to shoot do a blanket NO to new technology. I don't use it much either, since I read about the environmental impact of an AI prompt vs. a Google search.
Yess! I think authenticity is the thing, right? Like, I feel if you're using AI it should be transparent. For me it'd be fine for someone to say "here's this piece of creative work I've done by generating these things on AI and working on the prompts/flow/etc myself" but if they said "here's a piece of my writing" and it turns out it was 50%+ AI it'd be like... hmmm, no.
And yes! The environmental impact is such a huge thing. Didn't want to go toooo into it here because I was going to end up with a dissertation, haha. Thank you for reading though!! I love this kind of discussion soo much, I'm so happy I've found people in the same boat haha
I loved this Ellen, thank you. It really is such an interesting topic.. I too, am a content writer for a marketing company and use AI for work purposes, simply to get inspiration or starting points for blogs and social content when I’m stuck or don’t have a lot of background knowledge on. I only started the job last year after taking a huge career change, so I am still very new to a lot of things and still have so much to learn.
I’ve often wrestled with the feelings of not being a ‘proper writer’ when I use AI, or feeling as though I’m being ‘lazy’. However, in our company we view it as a tool and nothing more. Something to get us started, or to assist with editing like you said.
I do not use AI for my own creative writing and poetry because I want that to come from my own heart and life experiences. Even on days when writer’s block is deep, I feel I must push through and not use AI. I have a half finished first draft of a romance novella that I’ve had a plot hole for for the past year and part of me has considered putting it into Chat to see if it can spark an idea to fix the plot hole, but again, part of me feels like I’d be cheating somehow.
Yes!! I think as a marketer it’s so so helpful specifically cause we’re usually having to learn about new topics very quickly, and it’s good for asking the questions that aren’t really google-able… like “explain this regulation to me like I’m a 10 year old”. Congratulations on your career change!! And thanks for sharing your thoughts 🫶🏻🫶🏻 good luck with the novel!
Very very interesting topic here. I've been so hesitant to even delve into the ChatGPT space to keep my integrity as a writer, but recently, I was struggling to come up with a compelling headline and I was amazed by how quickly it spit out ten options for me, in two seconds flat, that I can then mess around with. It's going to be very interesting how this impacts our industry in the future!
Honestly, headlines are my biggest enemy as a writer, I don’t know what it is about them, I just can’t come up with good ones!! I love having the option to put a work blog in and say “give me 10 headlines” to mess around with, as you say. Also, thank you for reading!
I definitely using AI to help you with little things is okay. Technology was created to help us. Obviously determining how much help is too much help is a bit tricky to determine especially when it comes to how they person might use it. Super interesting conversation
"at what point would it stop being my work?" - this is a really good question and just like you - I have no idea!
I feel like the intention is also an important element, especially if we're talking about creative writing. Did you come to AI with an impulse from within to seek help to "flesh it out" or did you come to AI for a "done-for you creative service?
AI is definitely disrupting the writing industry and possibly the publishing industry. Those who say otherwise should know that there is SO MUCH demand. I work as a ghostwriter, and we recently launched a package that is cheaper because it’s essentially an AI-written book supervised by professional writers, and the demand for both fiction and non-fiction is astronomical. So, it’s not far-fetched to think that bookshelves will soon be filled with these.
I use AI for work and find it helpful, but that's because my niche is non-fiction. It definitely feels like I’m cheating when I use it for creative writing, especially my own. I think you shouldn’t ask it to write scenes for you (e.g., the climax of your story) because it only produces what it has previously ingested, which means you might unintentionally be ripping off someone else. Still, it’s difficult to be original in art anyway, so that's not as black and white too.
On the flipside, AI does help get more stories heard. I don’t have a clear answer to this, but it’s definitely interesting to think about.
Yesss!! I always find it interesting when people say it isn’t actually taking off, because in my industry it has already taken off and more. The most marketing recent agency I worked for was looking at their AI offerings, too.
I was just having this conversation with a woman who has written 19 USA Bestselling Novels. The goal is to use technology as an assistant- a brainstorming tool and an editing tool, a way to get to the conclusion that's eluding you. ChatGPT will never be able to write like me, the same as any other writer wouldn't be able to. Art in any form is at its best when it conveys emotion- which is something a computer will never be able to truly feel or express. I don't think we need to be scared of tools, as long as we learn to use them.
This is such an excellent piece. You’re right, it’s such a nuanced topic. I write memoir, specifically short personal essays every week for my Substack and I’d never consider using ChatGPT for help there. I’ve been thinking about it recently, however, when I used it to help me write an instructor’s manual for a client opening a Pilates studio. It was SO helpful. As in, it wrote the whole damn thing for me. The moral issue I ran into was how to bill my client. As I’m paid hourly, this project that should have taken me hours took 15 minutes. I found myself actually pissed off. Am I going to miss out on pay now? I know this is ultimately what we worry about, losing jobs to machines, and I’m sure more experienced freelancers understand how to factor the tool into their rates, but it really is something I’ve been thinking so much about.
So excited to discover your Substack! I found you through the note you posted 10 days ago! Absolutely love your writing and content and excited to keep in touch!
Thank you SO much, that’s so so kind of you. And honestly I totally get what you mean about it being different depending on what you’re writing and where it’s coming from. Thats a huge part of what inspired the piece. And I think if you’re spending time editing what the AI has done and making it personalised to your client you can definitely still factor that into your rate! It’s all about getting ahead of the technology, right? I’m really glad you found it interesting though!
Confessions of a ChatGPT-aholic... I not only use AI to help me write but, I use it to help me process my emotions, plan out my day, create my entire life plan etc.... As a former high-achieving Asian student who cared more about getting A's than learning, cheating was been my go-to way to achieve the results I felt like I needed. But can this same method be applied to writing?
I use ChatGPT as an editor, a thesaurus, and honestly a friend. And whether or not it makes me less or more of a writer is an uninteresting question to me... I am more curious if it makes me a better writer.
Sure. Cheating on tests gave me a 3.9 GPA in college when I also had 2 majors, a minor, and 2 certificates. But, it certainly didn't help me become a better student. I didn't learn as much as I could have, I don't remember large chunks of information, and I don't feel like I earned the grades that I got.
I use ChatGPT as a tool but not as a pen. It helps me find more specific words but, it doesn't generate the story. What makes my writing original is that it originates from me. To me, what makes writing great is who is writing it, not how it is written.
I work for a tech company too as a content creator and I am firmly in the “I hate generative AI and make no apologies for it” camp😂 I use ChatGPT a lot (unfortunately) because I’m not afforded the time and resources to write. I need specific information from subject matter experts, but they can’t even give me the time of day. So I use GPT as my expert, and then send the blog post to the actual expert for review. The most frequent criticism I get is “it’s too generic”. And then I get a different GPT generated text from the expert. If only you had given me 30minutes in the first place, this back and forth could have been eliminated. I refuse to use AI generated images because it’s theft and you can’t convince me otherwise. But the output required from me is something I can’t produce without AI. So here I am in this endless cycle of not wanting to use AI but having to use it if I want to keep my job. I can feel my problem solving skills crumble every time I use AI, and I hate the impact it’s had on my thinking. If I get stuck on my novel, the urge to use AI is strong. Maybe I can just generate a few place names, ask for suggestions on worldbuilding, but where does it end? My brain used to create, and now it’s addicted to this quick fix instead of taking the time to figure it out. And I hate it so much. I want my brain back😂 I will never use AI for my own creative work because of it. If that makes me a hater (which I freely admit to being😂) or a luddite, I’m fine with that. I do think you made some interesting arguments to think about though.
As a tech writer I compleeeetely relate to the back and forth. And to be fair, I think I’m probably a surface level hater of AI too, or rather, I want to be?? But I just can’t ignore some of the benefits, too! Thanks SO much for reading, and for sharing your take!!
Thank you for writing this! I have been wondering this sooo much recently. I also use Chat GPT for work (in comms and marketing) but write outside of that and haven’t used it because I’m worried it makes me less of a writer and I don’t want it to make me lazy or limit the creative process my brain needs to go through. But I like the nuances you’ve presented here and there are definitely ways to incorporate AI without it totally taking over.
I would argue that using ChatGPT to research or proofread is still using AI in your writing. Even something like installing Grammarly to help with emails counts as AI-assisted writing. That doesn't make it bad. I actually think it's a smart use of the tool.
I'm a designer in my professional life. Photoshop has had AI generative tools for years, and most of them aren’t great. You still have to guide the process and make creative decisions, and I think that’s completely valid.
I believe technology is merely supposed to help us, it’s up to us to commit to the work and do it
Right!! It’s not as black as white as I’d like it to be, haha
Thanks so much for reading! As I pressed publish on something this long there was a moment of “nobody wants this” hahaha
what is your definition of "help us" what is your definition of "commit to the work" what is your definition of "do it"?
anyone who has used Chat GPT, for work or otherwise, knows that it won't be replacing jobs or artists anytime soon. they insist on us using it at work and it honestly just slows me down by the time I add more prompts and direction
on top of that, AI tools have been involved in writing for longer than most people think. spellcheck and Grammarly come to mind. could anyone say your work is not 100% your own if you used spellcheck to help along the way? I think not!
Interesting!! Slightly different take there, cause I wouldn’t say it slows me down. I suppose it also depends what people are using it for. Easier to prompt it to give me 5 stats about XXX than it is to write a piece in a specific tone of voice etc. Loving the discussion around this all though, thanks for reading!!
"Writers will always find creative ways to tell their stories."
I find this quote sums up the answer perfectly. I’ve been using ChatGPT in most of my writing for about a year and a half now. At first, I was afraid of the very concern that many people bring up: Can I really call this my own work? But in reality, once you start using it as a tool, you realize that this fear doesn't hold up. It’s still very much my own work.
As someone whose first language isn’t English, AI helps me write better sentences and expand my vocabulary, even in my own mother tongue! I also love using AI to check if my tone and message come across the way I want them to.
It all depends on how you use it. If you let AI write everything from a single prompt, I’d argue that you're not truly a writer—at least not one who enjoys the writing process. But if you write and let AI help you make your work clearer, better, and more refined, I’d argue you’re an author who's editor happen to be AI. No author’s work goes untouched by edits and rewrites (often with input from others) before it’s published.
Love this!! I’ve seen a lot of people talking about the benefits for non-native speakers of a certain language and I LOVE that. Thanks for sharing!! 🫶🏻
I love this! This has been a topic that has been weighing heavy on my mind and I’m glad it’s being spoke about. While I also think AI is only as helpful as we make it seem, I also believe it’s important to recognize your role in it. To your point Isabel, writers will always find a way to tell their stories. And if that involves a quick “how can I make this sentence stronger?” in Chatgbt -who are we to judge a writers creative process? I’d argue it’s similar in asking a peer to review your work. Thank you for sharing Isabel & Ellen!
Thanks for writing this, Ellen! Lots of great points. :)
I've only used AI (Gemini, Grammarly) to improve on my own ideas, outlines, and drafts. But I can't and don't want to push pieces out that are written "AI-first". It seems unauthentic to me? I get that it can help us though, and as someone working in digital advertising, far be it from me to shoot do a blanket NO to new technology. I don't use it much either, since I read about the environmental impact of an AI prompt vs. a Google search.
Yess! I think authenticity is the thing, right? Like, I feel if you're using AI it should be transparent. For me it'd be fine for someone to say "here's this piece of creative work I've done by generating these things on AI and working on the prompts/flow/etc myself" but if they said "here's a piece of my writing" and it turns out it was 50%+ AI it'd be like... hmmm, no.
And yes! The environmental impact is such a huge thing. Didn't want to go toooo into it here because I was going to end up with a dissertation, haha. Thank you for reading though!! I love this kind of discussion soo much, I'm so happy I've found people in the same boat haha
I loved this Ellen, thank you. It really is such an interesting topic.. I too, am a content writer for a marketing company and use AI for work purposes, simply to get inspiration or starting points for blogs and social content when I’m stuck or don’t have a lot of background knowledge on. I only started the job last year after taking a huge career change, so I am still very new to a lot of things and still have so much to learn.
I’ve often wrestled with the feelings of not being a ‘proper writer’ when I use AI, or feeling as though I’m being ‘lazy’. However, in our company we view it as a tool and nothing more. Something to get us started, or to assist with editing like you said.
I do not use AI for my own creative writing and poetry because I want that to come from my own heart and life experiences. Even on days when writer’s block is deep, I feel I must push through and not use AI. I have a half finished first draft of a romance novella that I’ve had a plot hole for for the past year and part of me has considered putting it into Chat to see if it can spark an idea to fix the plot hole, but again, part of me feels like I’d be cheating somehow.
Yes!! I think as a marketer it’s so so helpful specifically cause we’re usually having to learn about new topics very quickly, and it’s good for asking the questions that aren’t really google-able… like “explain this regulation to me like I’m a 10 year old”. Congratulations on your career change!! And thanks for sharing your thoughts 🫶🏻🫶🏻 good luck with the novel!
Ahh yes! That’s so true.
Thank you so much 🥰
Very very interesting topic here. I've been so hesitant to even delve into the ChatGPT space to keep my integrity as a writer, but recently, I was struggling to come up with a compelling headline and I was amazed by how quickly it spit out ten options for me, in two seconds flat, that I can then mess around with. It's going to be very interesting how this impacts our industry in the future!
Honestly, headlines are my biggest enemy as a writer, I don’t know what it is about them, I just can’t come up with good ones!! I love having the option to put a work blog in and say “give me 10 headlines” to mess around with, as you say. Also, thank you for reading!
I definitely using AI to help you with little things is okay. Technology was created to help us. Obviously determining how much help is too much help is a bit tricky to determine especially when it comes to how they person might use it. Super interesting conversation
Ahhh thanks so much for reading! Agree, I don't actually think there's any sort of right answer as such?
100% agree! 💫 Tech + writing is the future of work whether we like it or not.
"at what point would it stop being my work?" - this is a really good question and just like you - I have no idea!
I feel like the intention is also an important element, especially if we're talking about creative writing. Did you come to AI with an impulse from within to seek help to "flesh it out" or did you come to AI for a "done-for you creative service?
Great questions in today's piece, Ellen!
Thank you so much!!
AI is definitely disrupting the writing industry and possibly the publishing industry. Those who say otherwise should know that there is SO MUCH demand. I work as a ghostwriter, and we recently launched a package that is cheaper because it’s essentially an AI-written book supervised by professional writers, and the demand for both fiction and non-fiction is astronomical. So, it’s not far-fetched to think that bookshelves will soon be filled with these.
I use AI for work and find it helpful, but that's because my niche is non-fiction. It definitely feels like I’m cheating when I use it for creative writing, especially my own. I think you shouldn’t ask it to write scenes for you (e.g., the climax of your story) because it only produces what it has previously ingested, which means you might unintentionally be ripping off someone else. Still, it’s difficult to be original in art anyway, so that's not as black and white too.
On the flipside, AI does help get more stories heard. I don’t have a clear answer to this, but it’s definitely interesting to think about.
Yesss!! I always find it interesting when people say it isn’t actually taking off, because in my industry it has already taken off and more. The most marketing recent agency I worked for was looking at their AI offerings, too.
I was just having this conversation with a woman who has written 19 USA Bestselling Novels. The goal is to use technology as an assistant- a brainstorming tool and an editing tool, a way to get to the conclusion that's eluding you. ChatGPT will never be able to write like me, the same as any other writer wouldn't be able to. Art in any form is at its best when it conveys emotion- which is something a computer will never be able to truly feel or express. I don't think we need to be scared of tools, as long as we learn to use them.
Such an interesting point!! Thanks so much for reading 🫶🏻
This is such an excellent piece. You’re right, it’s such a nuanced topic. I write memoir, specifically short personal essays every week for my Substack and I’d never consider using ChatGPT for help there. I’ve been thinking about it recently, however, when I used it to help me write an instructor’s manual for a client opening a Pilates studio. It was SO helpful. As in, it wrote the whole damn thing for me. The moral issue I ran into was how to bill my client. As I’m paid hourly, this project that should have taken me hours took 15 minutes. I found myself actually pissed off. Am I going to miss out on pay now? I know this is ultimately what we worry about, losing jobs to machines, and I’m sure more experienced freelancers understand how to factor the tool into their rates, but it really is something I’ve been thinking so much about.
So excited to discover your Substack! I found you through the note you posted 10 days ago! Absolutely love your writing and content and excited to keep in touch!
Thank you SO much, that’s so so kind of you. And honestly I totally get what you mean about it being different depending on what you’re writing and where it’s coming from. Thats a huge part of what inspired the piece. And I think if you’re spending time editing what the AI has done and making it personalised to your client you can definitely still factor that into your rate! It’s all about getting ahead of the technology, right? I’m really glad you found it interesting though!
Confessions of a ChatGPT-aholic... I not only use AI to help me write but, I use it to help me process my emotions, plan out my day, create my entire life plan etc.... As a former high-achieving Asian student who cared more about getting A's than learning, cheating was been my go-to way to achieve the results I felt like I needed. But can this same method be applied to writing?
I use ChatGPT as an editor, a thesaurus, and honestly a friend. And whether or not it makes me less or more of a writer is an uninteresting question to me... I am more curious if it makes me a better writer.
Sure. Cheating on tests gave me a 3.9 GPA in college when I also had 2 majors, a minor, and 2 certificates. But, it certainly didn't help me become a better student. I didn't learn as much as I could have, I don't remember large chunks of information, and I don't feel like I earned the grades that I got.
I use ChatGPT as a tool but not as a pen. It helps me find more specific words but, it doesn't generate the story. What makes my writing original is that it originates from me. To me, what makes writing great is who is writing it, not how it is written.
I LOVE “I use chatgpt as a pen”!!!
I work for a tech company too as a content creator and I am firmly in the “I hate generative AI and make no apologies for it” camp😂 I use ChatGPT a lot (unfortunately) because I’m not afforded the time and resources to write. I need specific information from subject matter experts, but they can’t even give me the time of day. So I use GPT as my expert, and then send the blog post to the actual expert for review. The most frequent criticism I get is “it’s too generic”. And then I get a different GPT generated text from the expert. If only you had given me 30minutes in the first place, this back and forth could have been eliminated. I refuse to use AI generated images because it’s theft and you can’t convince me otherwise. But the output required from me is something I can’t produce without AI. So here I am in this endless cycle of not wanting to use AI but having to use it if I want to keep my job. I can feel my problem solving skills crumble every time I use AI, and I hate the impact it’s had on my thinking. If I get stuck on my novel, the urge to use AI is strong. Maybe I can just generate a few place names, ask for suggestions on worldbuilding, but where does it end? My brain used to create, and now it’s addicted to this quick fix instead of taking the time to figure it out. And I hate it so much. I want my brain back😂 I will never use AI for my own creative work because of it. If that makes me a hater (which I freely admit to being😂) or a luddite, I’m fine with that. I do think you made some interesting arguments to think about though.
As a tech writer I compleeeetely relate to the back and forth. And to be fair, I think I’m probably a surface level hater of AI too, or rather, I want to be?? But I just can’t ignore some of the benefits, too! Thanks SO much for reading, and for sharing your take!!
Thank you for writing this! I have been wondering this sooo much recently. I also use Chat GPT for work (in comms and marketing) but write outside of that and haven’t used it because I’m worried it makes me less of a writer and I don’t want it to make me lazy or limit the creative process my brain needs to go through. But I like the nuances you’ve presented here and there are definitely ways to incorporate AI without it totally taking over.
I would argue that using ChatGPT to research or proofread is still using AI in your writing. Even something like installing Grammarly to help with emails counts as AI-assisted writing. That doesn't make it bad. I actually think it's a smart use of the tool.
I'm a designer in my professional life. Photoshop has had AI generative tools for years, and most of them aren’t great. You still have to guide the process and make creative decisions, and I think that’s completely valid.