As you might have guessed, I’ve been playing with AI and using it to assist me in writing blog posts, composing client proposals, and coding. In that process, I’ve noticed that using AI to assist in writing is powerful but also brain-numbing.
Powerful in that AI is helping me with grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It suggests small tweaks like an editor sitting right next to me — like, “Hey, try using active voice vs. passive voice”. I like this powerful side of AI a lot right now.
Brain-numbing in that AI quickly puts me down the path of least resistance when it comes to critical thought and creativity. It can almost take over my thinking if I’m not careful — and I’m sure that the long-term effect will not be good for me or others. Here is an example of what I mean:
Starting a work from a blank canvas requires a lot of creativity. The blank canvas forces me to wrestle with ideas, exercise my brain, and press into deep thought to make meaningful connections. My brain is making little idea-sparks, and I’m trying to start a fire. However, if I request four headlines from an AI for a blog post, it creates them, and now my blank canvas is opinionated, and my brain doesn’t struggle. My idea-sparks are no longer needed. AI can make 10 or 100 of them in a matter of seconds. However, that struggle and work to create are necessary to retain my ability to think for myself, know how to challenge assumptions, and evaluate outside input.
At first, I thought this creative process in AI was powerful, as was the grammar, punctuation, and spelling assistance. However, I’m wrestling with using AI for ideas because, as far as I can see, AI might be programming me to be subservient to it. If I’m not careful, it could replace my ability to create new ways of thinking if I let it control the idea-spark creation process, weakening my ability to do so myself.
I’m not against AI right now. I’m just trying to ensure it elevates my capabilities without replacing them. Or, simply, that it is teaching me to fish and not fishing for me.
So, this is the post of my current thoughts on AI’s impact on the creative process and a personal exercise in making sure I write using my own idea-sparks. For now, I’ll let AI serve as my editor, help me stay competitive in our high-tech world, and take care of some of the more monotonous tasks.
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