Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on April 13th 2024.
I have a rather different subject for this week, one that I write from the point of view of an author of travel books and memoirs. We all recognise that the world around us is changing incredibly quickly. Sometimes those changes seem remote, other times they are closer to home.
I read a newspaper article the other day, (although of course it was online and there was no paper involved), where an author recounted his experience of AI. As an experiment he had submitted his newly finished novel, some 340 pages long, into Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro, and requested feedback. When I tried to find out exactly what Gemini did, the text was astonishingly vague, with terms like ‘allowing people to create, discover and build’ – perhaps its remit is simply too vast to be able to describe it in simple terms. The example that follows gives an insight into one particular use.
Twenty seconds after uploading his novel, the feedback arrived. Twenty seconds. In that time Gemini had not only read his novel, but also provided a detailed and astute critique. Even more chillingly, many of the comments mirrored those of his editor, and not just any editor but one reputed to be one of the best in the business. And where Gemini’s comments differed, the suggested changes were ‘a tad better’.
Who needs an editor if a computer programme can do all that in 20 seconds?Who needs a writer, or an artist or a musician if AI can equal our skills or do it better? The logical progression in questions like this is who needs human beings but I fear that many of the people who work in the artificial intelligence industry are too caught up in the excitement of the moment to consider, or care, where they are taking us.
I think our ability to be creative, in whatever guise, is one of the best and most important aspects of being a human, and the satisfaction that comes both from creating our own art and from enjoying other people’s work is one of life’s great pleasures. Equally importantly, we don’t all have to be great artists, it is enough that some people stand out from the crowd and the rest of us just give it our best. From a personal point of view, I do not relish the thought of a future where a machine has written the books I read, or created the paintings in the art gallery I might visit. Where is humanity going? Food for thought indeed.
However, enough on such weighty matters. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and I am going out for a walk. And then I shall come back and carry on writing my next book – with no intervention from Gemini ! And this evening I shall read a book written by a human being…..
See you all soon.
MJ
The Olivia Rose Diaries 
I read that article and yes enjoying creativity in all human forms is a must for me too! Sitting in nature with mountains, birdsong and trees as I write this!
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Hang on, fasten your seat belt, we’re in for a bumpy ride!
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Food for thought indeed whilst I am writing my very lengthy autobiography. I am an appalling writer, but I will continue to use my wife rather than AI !
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Hi Antony. I’m sure you are a very good writer but much better to use Trish!
MJ
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I have been thinking about this since I read your blog. I think any form of art is about feeling – our expression of it, our reaction to it. It’s an outlet for emotion. Maybe the doing, the creating is more important than the finished thing, so I think people will always want to create as a release. AI can maybe provide a polished product, but it bypasses all that is important about the creative process.
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Hi Tracey .
Well said indeed! You’ve really hit the nail on the head. I think you can’t stop humans creating, it’s in our genes, and if it’s for pure personal pleasure that won’t change. But for people who also work full time at it, the publishing industry for example, things will change.
MJ
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This is a subject close to my heart, too. I agree with thewonderer86’s comment that artistic expression is grounded in emotion, something that a machine or a computer programme can’t feel. The advantages of AI are speed and comprehensiveness. As such it’s a tool, not a creative generator. Or at least that’s how I see it. Like you, though, I fear that the developers are running away with it, without considering the societal implications. Thought-provoking post.
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Hi Vanessa. I agree with you. A tool is what it should be. It makes me nervous when tools get to be so advanced though.
MJ
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There are so many facets to this, some alluring…but many concerning, chilling. For example, what becomes of humanity’s need for learning? If someone with an 8th grade education can drop an awkwardly worded, confusing jumble of pages into AI, and out comes “War & Peace,” who needs/wants to get a degree in English, creative writing, journalism? What about related fields like tutoring? If all you need to do is type a few key artsy words and out comes “Christine’s World”… probably even better than the original… who wants to spend years for get a MFA? Pretty soon, the same for medicine, engineering, business. And considering the astonishing rise in AI in just the past 5 years… is SkyNet really off the table? 😜
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Hi Daryl . I know, it’s scary.
MJ
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