Real or Memorex?
Me and AI
Is It Real or Is It Memorex?
Decades ago Memorex came out with a tape that was so good it was almost impossible to determine whether you were listening to a recording or a live performance. The modern equivalent of that is this: is it real human work or is it an AI generated alternative? Artificial intelligence is exploding in popularity and use. “Everybody and their brother” are using AI to create electronic music and videos and stories. They are even making money from work created by a computer. Every form of writing has been invaded by AI, from fiction stories to legal documents. It’s all very exciting, but very frightening. I think that most of us who grew up in an age of glowing electronic tubes, analog, everything done by human labor and endeavor fear for the future of humanity. We ogle at what AI can actually do but recognize it’s just not the same as something created by a fallible human.
The younger generations know nothing but smart phones that talk back. They don’t know what they’ve missed. To them (to you?) the world is a blend of the real and the artificial. They listen to real performers but generate audio and music via AI that is about as good as the actual real-life singers. Same with writing. Same with video. And the line is only going to get thinner between the real and the computer generated. Nobody knows where it will end. Are we headed for a glorious future or a living nightmare? I guess it depends on which movie you watch.
I use AI to write short blurbs and descriptions of my stories. My stories are checked for spelling and grammar by Word. Even then I do not always make changes Word suggests. Sometimes the story doesn’t follow the straight and narrow path of proper English. I do not and will never post any kind of actual story or post written or re-written by an AI. Everything such as short stories, blog entries, and every other kind of writing is authentic and original. From my brain to your eyes. Good, bad, or ugly, it’s me.
Each of us have a voice. This website presents my voice. Everyone has their own voice. In the “back days” as my kids used to call the time when I was young, each person’s voice was clear and easy to recognize. There were no fancy AI programs back then. There wasn’t even any help with spelling or grammar. I learned to write in those days. Personal computers were not really available to the consumer until about the time I graduated college. I went all the way through school doing my own work and getting great praise from professors for what I wrote.
Alas, I bought a computer (An 8088 clone. I still have it!) as soon as I could and I’ve been a computer nerd ever since. One or another of the computers I’ve owned over the years gave me an easy way to write. None have written my stories for me. For a long time after I became a computer addict there was not even a program to check my spelling or grammar. When Word started doing that I was quite happy because sometimes I’m not too good at spelling. Even so, when I actually have an idea and feel the urge to write the writing comes out of my own head. If I ever get to the point where I can’t focus enough to write something I’m done writing. I will never hand my idea off to a smart-ass Chatbot.
I don’t fear or loath the existence of AI. Like I said before, I use AI myself to make advertising and story descriptions of my work and images and videos to accompany them. AI is a pretty handy as a helper. But it can never sound like me. I fear, though, that the younger generations (you?) just might surrender their own voice to some computer intelligence. I hope they (you) don’t do that. If all of life gets defined by what some computer thinks humanity is going to sink into oblivion.
Let me then encourage you to be original. Write your own stories, make your own music, draw your own pictures. Keep human talent and creativity alive. Use the tools AI gives you to make life easier but do not surrender yourself to a computer entirely. When you do then you become the bot and they become your master.