To AI or not to AI, that is the question…

Depending on who you ask, AI is either the greatest thing since sliced bread or an evil machine destined to overtake humanity–ok, that one might be a bit of a stretch; we’re not there yet! I raise the question of whether creatives should use AI assistance, but in my experience, software like Grammarly and having an AI summary of your documents with Adobe have helped me cut costs as an independent author (saving time on the editing process).

However, this has not replaced actual human review of manuscripts–nor should it. Ultimately, AI cannot detect tone or understand sarcasm. When writing dialogue, I found that an AI copilot can be stubborn about pointing out that “I dunno” or “Uh-huh” aren’t complete sentences. Full disclosure, I freelance as an AI programmer/tester for a couple of AI-generating platforms, providing a slightly unique perspective on the inner workings of this cyber evolution.

I have also found that the use of too much AI or simply AI-generated text or dialogue can feel and read as soulless. That “soulless” aspect of AI may just be the creatives’ saving grace, because then, when our actual words are read, readers will know and sense that human aspect that allows you to connect with true art.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been developing a web series as a web comic. Since I can’t draw well, I’ve created this illustrated world with the help of AI. I look forward to sharing it here soon.

Meet the cast of “Lower East Life.”