Writers vs. AI: Why the Pen Still Belongs in Human Hands

The emergence of AI, though frightful for some, led to a lot of excitement and speculation. Interestingly, the very things some people found exciting were the same things others found frightening—what can it do better than humans? Or in other words, what jobs will it replace?

After 10 years of leading a band, I could definitely relate to the excitement. Music videos are difficult to produce, and album covers can be expensive to design. The notion that AI could be my videomaker, editor, and designer in one (and all for a low cost) sounded more than appealing.

These aren’t the only professions put into question with the recent explosion of AI, and we’re no longer in the realm of speculation. Organizations now use AI to make predictions, manage sales funnels, summarize meetings, and write reports—all tasks that might turn junior workers redundant.

For writers, this has led to two polarities: those who embrace AI for its capabilities, utilizing it for idea generation, research, different levels of editing, and, in some cases, writing itself. The other camp opposes it completely and won’t even use the free ChatGPT version to spell-check.

But regardless of which camp you’re in, the question remains the same—can it write better than humans?

AI can generate text, that much is certain. It’s already widely used to create blog posts, video scripts, and even technical manuals based on existing documentation (I’ve seen this one implemented in multiple projects).

But can it write fiction? And more importantly, should it?

The more entrepreneurially inclined among us might already be grinning, thinking of all the books they could generate and sell online, growing their side hustle without spending the time and energy writing a book requires. And while that’s definitely possible, I think it’s not worthwhile. And I’m not just saying that as a writer, fearing AI will make my thoughts and ideas irrelevant. I’m saying it as a reader.

So why shouldn’t you use AI to write your books for you? After all, people have used ghostwriters for ages, never releasing an original thought of their own. So how is AI any different?

If It Walks Like AI and Talks Like AI

With the rise of AI, and the growing amount of people using it, some pins have popped the bubble of AI’s supposed infinite abilities. In other words, the output AI produces isn’t as perfect as you’d think.

We’ve heard about incorrect data, lack of cohesive structure, and just random ramblings. But even if the work AI produces is flawless in terms of grammar and cohesiveness, you still can’t prevent it from sounding like AI generated work.

There’s already technology designed to identify whether a text was written by AI or a human. But even without such tools, any reader searching for quality content will be able to tell that something’s off.

The Personal Touch

While AI has access to more information, perfect grammar, and can write faster than your fingers can type, it lacks one thing—originality.

For me, originality shows itself in literature in two ways. First, through the writer’s unique experiences, worldview, and beliefs. All of these feed into the writer’s worldbuilding, characters, and dialog. Second, through the writer’s distinctive tone—their choice of words, pacing, and turn of phrase—that makes them sound like them. 

Sometimes it’s that tone alone that makes you want to read a book (like any recent work of Stephen King—you know you’ll likely be disappointed with the ending, but you can’t resist the way he gets into people’s heads and draws out the worst in them).

And it’s something seasoned readers will notice and miss (maybe not the fans of Fifty Shades of Gray, but those with a slightly more refined taste).

Writers Just Want to Have Fun

The main point against letting AI generate a bestselling novel for you (regardless of whether it can) is simple—it’s just not fun.

Unless you’re looking for a “get rich quick” scheme, generating an entire book using AI takes all the joy out of the process. Most of us write knowing our work will likely never become the next Song of Ice and Fire or get its own Netflix series. We write because it’s our escape, our hobby, the thing we find joy, relief, or self-expression in.

And besides, if you want to get rich quick, books are not the way to go, especially if we’re talking fantasy.

Befriend Your Enemy

But what about the writers swearing never to touch AI? Is it truly the force of evil that indie writers on Threads claim it is? Not necessarily.

AI can be an amazing tool for writers, and can be used to enhance your work. You can turn to AI for:

1. Editing

2. Proofreading

3. Brainstorming ideas

And more things that I extensively described in detail here.

Conclusion

The world is changing fast, and we must adapt. But I believe that the love for the written word—both producing and consuming it—will never die.

Readers who want authentic, unique, experience-filled novels aren’t going anywhere, and that’s something AI just can’t replace.

Instead of fearing that AI will render your work irrelevant, think about how you can utilize it to become better. And if you’re looking for a “get rich fast” scheme—you’re on the wrong blog!