The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Publishing
In today’s digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) is unavoidable. People use AI across fields and disciplines, as well in their everyday personal life. Some people use it every day, others have never touched it. There are different types of AI used for these different purposes. However, when it comes to creative endeavors, caution should be taken to make sure AI never replaces human creativity.
This article will highlight why AI should never replace human creativity and how publishers can lead this charge.
Generative vs. Non-Generative AI
As mentioned, there are different kinds of AI used for different purposes. The two general classifications can be boiled down to generative AI and traditional AI. Generative AI is when a computer program creates new text, images, videos, or other content traditionally reserved to human imagination. By creating new content, generative AI makes creative decisions based on its programming in response to a user-entered prompt.
Traditional AI (or non-generative, general AI) is typically used to analyze and contextualize pre-existing data. This is commonly used in more technical or complicated areas with a lot of data to process. This can save hours of extraneous work for people in these fields and is often not a replacement for creativity.
Within these categories, there are nuances. At the end of the day, the inherent role of AI is to replace human work and labors of all kinds. It is the type and amount of work that is most affected.
AI Cannot Replace Creativity
Despite the fact that people can use generative AI for writing, does that mean they should? The answer, of course, depends on individual writers. By and large, AI replaces the creative role of an author. However, nothing can replace an author’s thoughts.
If you use AI to write a book, at what point is the book truly yours? To use generative AI, one has to write a prompt for the computer to process and produce text. That prompt, of course, is written by a human, but the output is from a computer. That diminishes the author’s control and ownership of the material.
While AI software has become more refined over the past few years, many people can still tell when it’s used. For many, that is offputting. AI-generated illustrations, in particular, are often subjected to increased scrutiny. It could also yield information that is false, misleading, or nonexistent. The only way to make sure your book is yours is to write it yourself.
If you want to use AI to help your writing process, you should use it minimally to help guide you. You should never let it replace the actual writing of your book. It can be helpful to suggest a basic structure or outline, but not much more than that. If you choose to use AI, make sure you review it for accuracy, content, and format.
Publishers Should Not Use Substantial AI
No matter if or how much AI is used in a book, publishers must always monitor its use. AI is the easy way out of doing work in the publishing industry. It also often creates subpar material, or “AI slop.” Publishers do not want to be associated with that—it diminishes the brand’s reputation. This includes AI-produced text, illustrations, or marketing material. Non-generative AI can be a helpful tool for basic copyediting, but it needs to be reviewed and approved.
At Cloverly Publishing, we encourage human creativity among our authors and publishing team. When you submit your manuscript with Cloverly, we make sure it gets reviewed by a real human. Once it is approved for publication, you will always work with real people. All of our manuscripts are edited by professional copy editors. We also work with a team of illustrators to hand-craft your cover art and any in-book illustrations. Our team of press release writers handwrite a press release to share your artistic intent with the public. All of our books have a human touch from start to finish.
As an author, you have final say over every aspect of your book. You must approve everything our team produces and suggests. No one knows your work better than you, and you will always work with real people at Cloverly.
