Why I lote AI as a storyteller

Let’s start with the obvious.

What the heck is lote?

And why do I feel like this towards the infamous & now populistic AI?

More significantly, why is it that you possibly feel the same way?

Say what?

Well, if you research the subject, you’ll swiftly discover that LOTE is an acronym for “Languages Other Than English” … obviously, that’s not what I am referring to in this context!

What you won’t learn by online research (other than by reading my substack) is that I enjoy inventing words.

Lote is one of them … right alongside bureautwats and confustication.

Lote is a very simple word that most people will identify with as soon as they know what it is. Fyi, lote is simply the first 2 letters of “love” followed by the last 2 letters of “hate.” In other words, lote is to love/hate something.

Okay, so now we have that out of the way, why does my opinion have any credibility when it comes to the AI revolution? And what does it matter? Surely, the vast number of AI creators using generative AI is proof that it works.

Heck, just look at how many “content creators” on Substack are trying to sell their algorithms for becoming “successful” on this platform by using AI products to simplify your life.

Surely, it must be a good thing.

Well, that all depends upon what you want to achieve with your life.

If your goal is to get as many $$$ as you can from as many people as you can for as little effort as you can, then AI is definitely a great fit for you.

The proof of that is the significant recent increase in both the number & success of scammers & hackers. Instead of poorly spelled emails, most phishing emails are now professionally worded, even when written by linguistic chowderheads. Likewise, instead of waiting for someone to release a new hacking tool on the darknet, people who can’t write even basic programs to add two numbers can craft tools that exploit website vulnerabilities in minutes.

Quick aside: That’s why you really, really, really want to ensure you have 2FA enabled on any & every digital account you have that matters to you.

2FA won’t guarantee your safety.

But it makes it much more difficult for someone to exploit you …. unless you do something foolish like “click that link,” install that brand new app that “everyone in the know” has, or send money to someone you’ve never met in person.

Don’t know what 2FA is? In this day & age, you must. If not, you are asking for trouble.

And in this day of AI-enhanced searching, you will be found.

And, then, you will be hacked.

Simple example of how to do 2FA: search “2fa facebook” then follow the steps.

Repeat for each account as necessary … especially online banking & super accounts.

Depending on how you view things, you might call that the glory / opportunity / reward of capitalism or the small / narrow / selfish-mindedness of exploitation.

So how about those of you who want to grow as a person and leave this world a better place because of the time you spent here (I’m hoping that’s most of my readers)?

Well, I’ve got some great news for you. You can also find AI to be a great fit. AI tools can help turn your intangible dreams into digital reality without needing the skills and/or abilities they require which you personally lack.

Like with most things in life, it all depends on what you do with the tools that you have.

For me as a digital systems design engineer who has actually created new tech in a R&D facility, I believe that AI will ultimately help us all go as high (or as low) as we want in achieving our goals in this life. Just like a knife can be used to slice a perfect roast or pierce an unguarded heart, AI by itself (like all tech) is amoral. It is not “the beast.” Nor is it a digital deity. It has no moral compass. It is merely a tool that can be used for good or for evil; to benefit or to harm. Ultimately, what it is used for in each instance will depend upon the intent of its operators.

With my techy heart, I love so much about what AI can do & be, especially when combined in the fields of robotics & biotech. As an engineer, I have no fear about the dreaded singularity that so many digital ignoramuses debate to build themselves an audience.

What concerns me is the people who control the development & application of AI.

You’ve all seen the countless movies where intelligent but naive scientists & engineers are funded by those with huge financial resources (often because they aren’t just willing to exploit others - they enjoy it). The story always remains the same - the foolish geniuses create the product, only to be turned on by the ones who funded them. Those who helped them live their dream are just as quick to eliminate them when no longer required.

How AI is used also concerns me as someone who worked in education for more than a decade.

Just as long-term educators have seen the impact of social networking apps shorten the attention span of their students and impact their ability to both learn and retain lessons taught, so many teachers & trainers are already expressing their concern over the metacognitive offloading they are experiencing in classrooms as students become more dependent upon AI applications to do their thinking for them.

Sadly, methinks that is potentially just as much a problem for the professionals as it is for their students. I still remember how many educators I’ve managed who I busted for inappropriately “borrowing” learning materials from other sources.

I also find it rather ironic that universities are turning to AI to bust students using AI for assignments ... though maybe a better word than ironic is “hypocritical?”

However, my greatest concern with how AI is used is as a storyteller.

Personally, I have no hassle with using AI to augment something I’ve already conceived and drafted (though I haven’t done that directly yet). Second drafts are all about embellishing the colours, sounds, aromas, tastes & feelings of your story while ensuring the actual words are both correct and optimal for conveying the picture you are trying to create in your readers’ minds. If an AI tool can help you achieve that better & faster, I can’t see any ethical issues with that.

And if you see differently, that’s all good. Just make sure you stay true to your values.

However, there are two parts of storytelling that I believe all writers should ensure AI is kept away from - that all-important first draft and the support services needed to turn your story into a book.

So, why protect the first draft from AI?

To me, it’s simple. When I’ve written the first draft for all four thrillers I’ve penned so far, I’ve watched the story in my mind’s eye as I write it. Often, I get surprised by my own story as I record it.

When using AI to create a story merely by inputting an idea, sure, it’s way faster. However, you are ripping yourself off as a storyteller from living your story as you write it. And I am sure readers will feel that from the likely unemotional AI-slop you serve up as your next best-seller. I would also like to suggest that, if you don’t see that as a problem, maybe you aren’t a storyteller; maybe, you’re just someone trying to make money by selling books.

So, how about those “support services” like cover design and images for picture books?

Well, that all comes down to personal ethics, doesn’t it?

However, if you complain about all the AI stories doing authors out of a job, yet use AI to create images for your cover, aren’t you using AI to do the very same thing to graphic designers?

Hmmm. Maybe a good way to live is to go by one of the golden rules - Treat others in the same way you would like others to treat you.

It’s time for …

And this is a big one … literally.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Noun

Derived from the Greek words Paraskevi (“Friday”), triskaideka (“thirteen”), and phobos (“fear”), psychotherapist Donald Dossey coined the term to describe the often-paralyzing fear individuals experience relating to the date “Friday the 13th” and to diagnose those who suffer from it.

Synonyms: friggatriskaidekaphobia

So many people fear AI. Others fear things like today, Friday the 13th.

Yet, fear is simply the inverse of faith. Where faith believes something good will happen, fear believes something bad will occur.

And, so often, whether we live by faith or fear will determine our attitude towards things like Friday the 13th. And AI.

Hopefully, you will choose to live each day with a sense of faith. Grab the tools you have at hand & choose to use them to make your life (and hopefully, the lives of those around you) better, even if it is a supposed Black Friday with AI running rampant.

Thanks for reading my post. However, as I am not a mind-reader, I need you to click the heart-shaped LIKE button to both encourage me & to let me know that you enjoyed this post.