The answer to that question kinda depends on which end of the science fiction stick you’re on. There are people who love it and people who hate it. There are also people who will avoid it like the plague because it’s too hyped, and some people just don’t want anything to do with any type of new technology.
What Are the Benefits of AI Technology Today?
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It can help you start a project.
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It can give you ideas.
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It can clarify certain aspects of certain topics.
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It can give you an overview of a topic.
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It can help you expand on a brainstorming session.
What Are the Drawbacks of AI Technology?
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It’s not going to reliably write anything for you.
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It’s not 100 percent correct.
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It is biased on some topics, especially fiction.
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If you ask it for facts then tell it to give you the sources, 99 percent of those sources go to 404 errors.
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The writing is flat.
While AI technology is really cool, it’s still got some very serious drawbacks, from a standard user perspective. I can’t go into security and safety and all that jazz. I’m not an internet security expert, but the security experts who have spoken on AI technology are sounding the alarm bells, so if you’re worried about security, don’t feed any AI bot anything specific or identifying, not about yourself or anyone else.
My take on it, is that AI bot generated info is only about 80 percent accurate when it’s asked about non-fiction topics. It makes the sort of broad statement answers that you’d expect when you’re first learning a topic. If you ask it to clarify, it will. However, you can’t just take the AI generated information at face value. You really have to fact-check everything it spits out, and that means going to reputable sources and reading that information. So that very thing - RESEARCH - that you were trying to avoid, you have to do it anyway.
In other words, if you don’t have time to write your own content or book, you don’t have time to manhandle that AI bot either.
What Is It It Good For?
Idea generation and testing ideas. You can even have it test writing styles and genres to see which version to like best. I was testing out a story on lost keys.
Write a story in third person past tense about a woman, Janice, who cannot find her car keys.
Janice had a lot on her plate that day. She had an important meeting at work, a doctor's appointment, and had to pick up her child from school. She had planned out her day meticulously, but as she reached into her purse to grab her car keys, she found that they weren't there.
Janice searched through her purse multiple times, but the keys were nowhere to be found. She emptied the contents of her purse onto the floor, but still no luck. She retraced her steps from that morning, trying to remember where she had last seen the keys. She checked the kitchen counter, the living room, and even the bathroom, but the keys were not there.
As time ticked by, Janice grew more and more frustrated. She knew she couldn't be late for her appointments, but she couldn't leave without her car keys. Janice took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. She sat down on the couch and closed her eyes, hoping to remember where she had last seen the keys.
After a few minutes, Janice's child walked in and asked what was wrong. Janice explained the situation, and they began searching the house together. They checked every nook and cranny, but the keys were still missing.
As the clock ticked closer to her appointments, Janice decided to call for help. She reached out to a friend who lived nearby, who graciously offered to drive her to her appointments. Janice was grateful for the help and promised to return the favor in the future.
Janice eventually found her car keys later that evening. They had fallen out of her purse and were stuck in between the cushions of the couch. Janice breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, glad that the day's events hadn't ruined her plans completely. She made a mental note to double-check her purse in the future to avoid another mishap like this one.
I could do something with that. It’s not terrible, but it is flat, and I feel like I’ve read it before. It’s not inspiring.
rewrite it as multiple haikus
Car keys, where are they?
Janice searches everywhere,
Purse empty, no luck.
Her plans in danger,
Appointments she cannot miss,
Keys are a must-have.
Janice takes a breath,
Tries to remember the last
Time she had the keys.
Her child lends a hand,
Together they search the house,
Keys still out of sight.
A friend saves the day,
Drives Janice to her appointments,
Grateful for the help.
The keys found at last,
Stuck between the couch cushions,
Relief floods Janice.
That’s terrible.
rewrite in the style of shakespeare
In fair Verona, where our story lays,
There lived a woman, Janice was her name,
Her day, so busy, as she went her ways,
Full of appointments, all were not the same.
As she reached for her keys, alas! She found,
That they were not within her purse's hold,
She searched and searched, but they could not be found,
Her frustration grew, her mood turned cold.
Her child came to her aid, and they searched anew,
But still, the keys evaded their sight,
With time running out, Janice knew what to do,
She called for help and a friend arrived that night.
The friend drove her to her appointments with care,
And Janice was grateful for such kindness shown,
When she returned home, she found the keys there,
Stuck between the couch cushions, all alone.
Janice learned a lesson from her plight,
To check her purse and keep her keys in sight.
That’s plagiarized.
rewrite the original paragraphs as if it were a horror movie
Janice's day was going according to plan until she reached for her car keys and they were nowhere to be found. She searched her purse and every inch of her home, but the keys had vanished without a trace. Fear crept into her heart as the thought of missing her appointments loomed over her.
Her child offered to help, and together they searched every nook and cranny, but the keys remained lost. As the day grew darker, the atmosphere around them turned eerie, and strange noises echoed throughout the house. Janice's nerves were on edge, and she could sense something was watching her.
With no other options, Janice called a friend for help. The friend arrived promptly, but as they entered the house, the door slammed shut behind them. The lights flickered, and a chill ran down their spines as they heard a sinister whispering in the darkness.
As they searched for the keys, they stumbled upon an old family heirloom that had been misplaced for years. Little did they know that the heirloom had been cursed by an evil spirit, and it was responsible for the disappearance of the keys.
After a harrowing search, the friend discovered the keys tucked away in a hidden corner. As they made their way out of the house, they were pursued by an unseen force, the cursed heirloom glowing with an otherworldly aura.
Janice knew that they had to destroy the heirloom before it brought any more harm. With trembling hands, she shattered it into pieces, and a blood-curdling scream echoed through the air. As the pieces fell to the ground, the house shook, and the evil spirit was vanquished.
Janice shuddered as she recounted the day's events, knowing that she had faced an unspeakable horror. From that day forward, she made sure to keep her keys in a safe place, and she never forgot the evil that lurked in the shadows.
There we go. The very last thing I asked it to do gave me something worth working with. It’s important to understand, though, that this is just an extended blurp paragraph. The details are not here, and in no way is this a full story. At least, it’s not a full story that anyone should submit anywhere.
