The Big A.I Debate

A.I has been a very hot topic for writers in the last few years. It’s not difficult to see why … Since ChatGPT et al dropped in late 2022, what the technology means for creatives has been a focal point.

Screenwriters and authors have been concerned with everything from getting ‘replaced’ through to ethical use, plagiarism, copyright and much more besides (because: duh! We need to protect our interests).

Now, it seems those concerns and talking points have finally begun to filter down to non-creatives. In recent months, I have been in several reader and viewer discussions online where the discussion has turned to A.I-generated content, novels, TV shows and movies.

Most have claimed they would ‘never’ engage with A.I-generated *anything*. One reader Facebook group even went as far as to create a graphic that writers could download to advertise they did not use A.I to write their books.

Whilst a laudable sentiment – and one I personally agree with – I don’t think that can work. I will explain why in this article, but first a disclaimer of sorts.

B2W’s ‘Official’ Stance on A.I

Let’s get one thing dealt with upfront … especially since people get so het up, finger-pointing and making accusations about this topic so quickly.

No, I don’t use A.I. on a day-to-basis in my own writing or script editing. Hell, I have tried to make sure I’ve turned off or revoked every AI toggle I can on B2W’s social media.

For avoidance of doubt, I am an ‘old-school’ creative. I genuinely don’t see the point of cutting out a major part of the process. Also, the significant environmental cost of generative A.I gives me pause. (I have been committed to environmental causes since I was a teenager. I don’t even drive a car!)

That said, I do think it’s unwise to ignore A.I altogether as creatives. If we want to protect our best interests, I don’t believe we should stick our heads in the sand.

It should be obvious to most by now that the technology is NOT going anywhere. It’s also pretty clear it’s not going to ‘replace’ writers … but it still makes sense to know how it works.

Also, in an industry that prizes efficiency because time is money, we are going to see A.I built into what we do more and more. This will happen whether we happen to agree with this or not.

Don’t believe that? Okay, then look at technological advances historically. In the past, computers, Kindle ebooks, audiobooks, novel writing and screenwriting software and even spellcheckers and copy&paste have all been accused of ‘cheating’.

Now all these things are used on a day-to-day basis by writers, readers and viewers. I believe in generative A.I will end up being factored in like this too. Like THE MATRIX’s Agent Smith said, it is inevitable. More, after the jump.

1) You’re Already Using – & Reading! – A.I

As mentioned, in that Facebook group, lots of readers claimed they would ‘never’ write a piece of writing that has used A.I. But as another member pointed out, it’s important to be specific here. If readers mean those godawful, scammy A.I-generated books that have flooded Amazon, then yup … I agree wholeheartedly. F*** that shit!!

However, if writers are using autocorrect or a spell-checker, that’s powered by A.I. Most online systems have it built in now. Whilst some writers might have the tips or tech skills to avoid it, I’d venture a significant number of creatives do not.

What’s more, it’s not just a case of paying the money for a (human) proofer either. Those cost a LOT more than a year’s subscription to Grammarly, Hemingway or ProWritingAid for just one draft!

When you’re poor and/or have lots of drafts, many creatives simply cannot afford that. After all, most authors are only earning £7,000 a year FFS! Many new screenwriters generally are earning even less or £0 as they’re only working speculatively.

2) No one Can Agree Where Development Ends & Creation Begins

Here’s another intriguing point I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet. But first, let’s get real here.

Whether filmmaking or publishing, we work in an industry reality where the initial financial burden of development typically falls on the writer. It does not tend to fall on the gatekeepers (such as agents,  publishers, producers et al), especially speculatively work.

So, if a writer uses writing development services like Bang2write, is that ‘cheating’? These days, most people would say it isn’t. (Though yes, B2W has been accused of helping writers ‘cheat’ this way in the past!).

But is using A.I in *development* cheating?

In the case of A.I – actually generating your novel or screenplay via A.I then ‘editing’ it – then yes, I think that IS cheating. We’re writers, we are supposed to write the sodding book or script. Le duh.

I don’t believe dodging the above is any more ethical than TV and film producers generating outlines and then paying screenwriters lesser rates to ‘fix’ them. (The 2023 US Writers’ Strike was all about that!).

However, if writers are using A.I for development purposes, then is that different?

Utilising A.I as a tool for brainstorming, research or even for pitches and outline generation is arguably not the same as getting it to write stuff ‘for’ you. Someone in another group called using A.I for development ‘intelligent search engine optimisation’.

I can see how that may be effective in the development process. I recall what is like starting out in writing with zero contacts/community and no money. Back in the day, I had to decide between keeping the telly or the lights on at one point … there was no way I could afford even a basic script report.

Maybe if AI had been around then I would have used it to help me brainstorm character motivations, figure out structure or help me refine my pitches or loglines. I don’t know because it never happened, but this leads me on to my next point.

3) Marginalised Writers May Benefit From A.I

It’s a fact that the industry is hierarchal. This means dominant, privileged voices may be able to make principled stands others cannot afford to … either literally, philosophically, or both.

I’ve been a script editor now for twenty years. This means I realise poor writers are frequently ‘locked out’ of the industry simply because they cannot afford development or mentoring. As mentioned in the last section, I was a poor writer too.

For these reasons, I have tried to keep B2W’s costs as low as possible. I also try and demystify the process as much as I can in my articles, social media and newsletters.

This site also offers free resources so no Bang2writer is left behind. But that said, these resources can only be a rough approximation because they are not for individuals.

This means, for many people, receiving individualised feedback – even from a robot – can be very illuminating. Utilising artificial intelligence as a development tool to help navigate this could well mean the difference between these writers finishing their book or screenplay … or not.

It’s also a fact that writers with disabilities, mental health conditions or neurodiversity burn out quicker than those without. I accept that using A.I as a tool (as mentioned in #2) could be revolutionary for these writers.

It would also mean we are not denied their voices. The technology could be the leveller most progressives want when it comes to making the industry less hierarchal. (Note how I don’t say it actually *is*, yet).

4)  AI checkers are diabolical!

Because I feel we need to protect our interests as creatives, I believe checking out new tech is important in the digital era. Just as I’ve researched all the major A.Is for both writing and script reading, I’ve made it my business to check out all the major A.I-checkers as well.

I have put (human-written) pieces through the checkers … and nearly always, at least one will claim my writing is A.I-generated. Sometimes they ALL will, but they will have different percentages! These may range wildly too, from 1-2% through to 75-90%.

In addition, I saw a tweet from a techbro that claimed A.I-checkers are fundamentally misunderstood. The tweeter said that A.I-checkers are an approximation, NOT literal. This means it’s not about how much of the text is A.I-generated, but how certain the checker is.

Confused? I was. So the tweeter explained:

if an A.I-checker comes up with a result of 95%, it means the checker is 95% certain the text is A.I-generated. It does NOT mean 95% of the actual text is generated by A.I.

If this is true, then that is a subtle, yet crucial difference. It also means the way humans interact with the A.I-checker is completely different to what the robot actually means. This disconnect is super-ironic on a philosophical level!

5) Accusing Writers of Using A.I Won’t Hurt The Dominant &/Or Established Voices

Make no mistake, the anti-A.I absolutists have already come for B2W. Multiple Bang2write articles have been accused of being AI-generated, including ones written as far back as 2008!!!

I have been accused of being an ‘AI-apologist’ for writing posts or articles about the technology. I have even been accused of being so prolific I ‘must’ be using A.I.

That doesn’t bother me because: obviously. I’m an established ‘pre-A.I’ voice, so it’s easy for me to slap these finger-pointers down.  I also enjoy a good ruckus online, so people stepping voluntarily on to B2W’s BBQ for a grillin’ is fun for me.

However, new bloggers are getting ratioed for supposedly using A.I, even when they’re not. It won’t be long before new authors and screenwriters are too. How do THEY prove their books or screenplays are ‘real’ writing, especially if they started post 2022?

I am very concerned that in a bid to be ‘fair’ we run new bloggers and writers out of town … Not least because you can bet it will be the marginalised writers who suffer most, rather than the more privileged ones.

TL;DR:

No, A.I is not going anywhere … and as we continue on this path, more and more systems will have it built in whether we like it or not. (And I do not!).

This means that ultimately, I don’t think it’s fair to put the onus on writers to ‘prove’ we haven’t used AI in our books and screenplays. We are already taking on board the heaviest development costs in terms of time, mental bandwidth and money.

So this also means being an anti-A.I-absolutist won’t automatically deliver fairness, or transparency. All that will happen is marginalised writers will get harangued, often through no fault of their own. (Especially if the A.I-checker is WRONG, which they frequently are).

So, do whatever you think is right for your own writing. Be an absolutist if you want, but don’t go after other writers.

Good Luck!

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