The AI Conflict

They're Here.

Whether we like it or not, AI is here. If you are anything like me, you voted against this. We all thought it was a democracy, but reality check: our vote never counted when AI invaded the world.

AI is here and has made its way into every platform online. In some places, like China, it is quickly getting normalized. Unless you are following the updates on this, you may not be aware of how this affects you and me. I decided to evaluate how I am directly being affected.

AI regularly butts its way into my writing routine. It interferes with my writing by asking me if I'd like to turn on copilot. (I refuse.) It asks me if I would like to write my blogs using AI. (I refuse.) It takes information about me on the internet and expands upon it, acting as my publicist. (I refuse - no wait. I can do nothing about that.)

On that latter point, I admit that having AI help with promoting my books through search engines (which was completely out of my control) is turning out to be a good thing for me. Smile.But should there come a day when negative info circulates about me or my work, that smile will be wiped off of my face and replaced with a grimace.

I have discovered that AI can be useful as a tool. But ... where do we draw the line? For me, I refuse to let it write for me. I refuse to let it create music for me. I have no desire to share cowriting credits with Artificial Intelligence. I don't want to split royalties with it! If I submit a song or a book to be published, I like to keep the "Did you use any AI in the creation of this" box unchecked.

But also true, the I WILL NEVER USE AI boundary that I once had has been pushed back.

I admit I now use it to get prompts for newsletters, promotions, and blurbs. Do I let it write for me? No chance. My writing is flawed, and that's how I like it! Because it's really, truly, grammatically messed up stories from ME who you are going to be reading. Not some robot-brain. (Yes - paragraph is intentionally grammatically messed up.)

However, when it comes to marketing, I SUCKETH at it. But being that I'm self-published, I'm all I've got to promote my books and music. I don't have a publicist fighting for me. So, that's an area where AI tools have benefited me. My research time is much faster with the information that is spat out of the search engine at lightning speed.

Speaking of battling the beast of promoting, I found TikTok as a promotional engine to be gnarly. I gave up on it completely until a couple days ago, when I had a burst of inspiration to go back into the arena and face the beast. This is where AI comes in. I typed into my search engine, "What can a fiction author do to promote their book on TikTok?" It spelled out a step by step, 30 day plan with what to post, how to do it, the whole tamale. I must admit, AI can be useful for research.

Another way it can be useful: multi-lingual communication. Check this out: I did NOT expect this! I asked TikTok to translate one of my videos. Wouldn't you expect it to post captions in another language on the bottom of the video? That's what I was expecting. But what it rolled out was a transformed reel, with ME speaking in the languages. My eyes, lips, and facial expressions were all changed to sync up with the language, and it was my voice! So it made me look like I was bilingual. Here's the video, choose the translation option to check it out HERE.

What do you think about using AI for the purpose of translating?

And sigh ... I also will admit I did have to check the "I used AI in this video" box just the other day. No, no, no, NOT to write books or create music. I used it to create a promotional video. The details of my crime: I dreamed up a video idea on TikTok, told it to make my character, Lord Robert, come out of the page of a book, and make me cover my mouth with my hand and look shocked to see him. I described him to look like Chris Hemsworth, but with shoulder-length dark curly hair and green eyes. I was prompted to record my face turning from right to left and then to count out loud to six. By just doing that, it was able to create a frighteningly realistic video of me.

The video was impressive. I didn't care for the dialogue it came up with and the voice it used didn't sound human, so I replaced the dialogue and recorded my own voicever. What do you think? Would you use AI to create a video to promote your product?

AI might be able to fool our eyes, but what I've discovered is that AI can't compete with a real human voice. My ears always know the difference. I was once tempted to try the AI audiobook option for my prequel novella, but ... CRINGE. I'll either record my own audio, or save up to pay voice over actors who are worth every penny. This is an area that frustrates those who make a living as voice actors.

Shout out to Tim Campbell, who co-narrated the Danger Lies Within audiobook with me. He can speak with over 100 accents and is amazing to work with.

Some of you may hate on me and unfollow me for what I'm about to write. But my flawed opinion is that AI can be useful to some degree. If you are on the internet, you've already been using it for years, whether you agree with it or not. Using it to help promote business doesn't bother me. Although, I have to draw the lines even there.

One reason to draw a firm line and make sure we don't overuse AI, or become lazy and have it do things we ourselves are perfectly capable of doing on our own, is because of how it is hurting us. My daughter has brought to my attention that to power AI requires tons of water. I didn't realize this. How much fun we have playing in the pool, until you learn that there is an invisible beast sucking the water dry. This fact adds another layer to the conflict. Not only are we concerned with humanity losing a sense of purpose and becoming lax in honing their crafts and talents, whatever they may be, by relying too much on AI, but now we face the threat of survival. Areas like California that suffer from drought should be concerned. (For more on this, check out this article.)

My daughter is in college, and she said some of her professors have resorted to using AI to assist them in teaching their lessons, to the point where they aren't even thinking for themselves anymore. As an education major, she has no respect for that. Her teachers are in their thirties and forties, and my daughter is twenty. Perhaps her generation is far more aware of the issues surrounding AI. Perhaps they will be the ones to turn things around for the better. Let's just hope we don't see a global crisis before they do.

Like any tool, AI can come in handy. But if we allow it, we can become too dependent on it and lose our ability to create. Just like if we break a leg and sit in a wheelchair for weeks, but never try to walk again, atrophy sets in. The wheelchair is a wonderful tool, but we've still got to work the muscles or we'll forget how to walk.

If only we could cap the use of it in other countries. But we have no control over what the governments of the world do. We are powerless. If our world leaders were wise, they would draw a firm line, but they are flawed humans who can't resist power and like to pretend they are gods. The way I see it, if the water and power companies cap OUR use of water and energy, shouldn't there be a cap on how much AI is used?

AI is here. Figuring out where to draw the line is the conflict we are faced with. As individuals, we can take responsibility for our part, just as we can conserve water and energy because it is necessary and wise.

Here is where I draw the line: NEVER allow AI to usurp my God-given ability to create and grow our crafts as a creator. Remember it isn't my fellow man who I am at war with, and that humans need to stick together if Transformers are about to take over the planet.

Ultimately, I trust in God, who raises up leaders and tears them down. Who allows nations to rise and fall. Who holds this universe together and if it is His will, allows it to come apart. What man creates will eventually be destroyed. What God creates is so that He may be glorified, and those who follow Him will live forever.