Image created by Adobe Firefly.
It’s not Skynet. A better representative may be rosey the robotic maid from The Jetsons.
By Roy Harryman
When it comes to technology, I’m not an early adopter. Instead, I prefer to let other people work out all the bugs. Then I can read their how-to guides.
The same has been true of AI. I began using it by accident when looking for help writing a headline. I stumbled onto a helpful website that asked me to fill in a few blanks. The result: It provided 30 suggestions – about half of which were excellent or at least pretty good. I didn’t realize it was an AI service until I visited again and required payment. Since it had been of such practical value, I decided to begin a subscription.
“So far, AI hasn’t changed my world. But it has made it a little bit better at nominal expense.”
At this juncture, my view is that AI is a brainstorming partner. It’s like having an editorial assistant. The value to me as a writer is its ability to suggest content alternatives. Here’s an example. I began with this headline: “How to get your dog to stop eating socks.”
When I asked AI for ideas, these were the results:
10 Simple Steps to Prevent Your Dog from Eating Socks
Expert Guide: Training Your Dog to Stop Eating Socks
The Ultimate Solution for Stopping Your Dog's Sock-Eating Habit
Proven Methods for Keeping Your Dog Away from Socks
Step-by-Step Instructions for Breaking Your Dog's Sock Addiction
This is obviously not Pulitzer-worthy stuff, but is still helpful. What usually happens is that I create a hybrid comprised of these suggestions and my original thoughts. I still begin with my own brainstorming, but include AI as part of it.
AI and SEO
One way AI can assist is with mundane editorial activities. Google dislikes duplicate content. In other words, if it finds the exact same content in three locations, that content becomes suspect. Cut-and-paste does not lead to internet authority. This is a constant challenge for me because I may write a single post that resides on YouTube, Vimeo, a podcast platform and a website. That requires me to rewrite – or at least substantially revise – the post three times to avoid duplication.
Now I use AI to take my original article and rewrite it three times. This is surely a productivity improvement. With that said, AI’s revisions need revised. My experience is that AI writing is very “term-paper-ish” and entry level. As I writer, when I ask AI to improve my work, it fails. What it does, however, is change it up. And that’s all I’m looking for when trying to create four versions of the same article. So even though I’m revising the revisions, I’m still saving time (and sanity).
AI and research
My experience in using AI for research is a mixed bag. I only use tools that cite sources, such as perplexity.ai. Otherwise, you don’t know what garbage bin you may be drawing information from. Depending on the topic, I will sometimes visit the cited sources to verify their accuracy. Sometimes, the original source is questionable; if that’s the case the whole house of cards collapses. But sometimes it’s spot on. If I view AI as a fallible research assistant, and not a panacea, my expectations are met.
I can see how AI has great appeal for people who hate writing or struggle with it. If this is you, proceed with caution: Use it but don’t surrender to it. Why? Because you don’t know if the research work is being done by Jekyll or Hyde. You have a brain (which AI does not) and you need to evaluate the results. In addition, AI tends to write in an awkward cadence (“Therefore the final point of this treatise is …"). It won’t sound like you. AI is your writing assistant, but it needs a boss.
AI and images
My experience is that AI image creators sometimes work when the concept is simple. When I tried to execute “nonprofit financial management,” it was an utter and complete failure. However, when I asked for “egg on a rooftop” it was just what I was looking for.
And finally, just for fun, I’ve been experimenting with audio AI in terms of creating music. And I’ll close here with an AI song I created just for grins using Suno. Lyrics are below the video.
AI in Moderation
Lyrics
Artificial intelligence is a research tool. Don’t trust it too much or you’ll look like a fool. Bots can retrieve what humans make. That means some of it is only half baked. AI in moderation. Country
[Verse]
Out in the fields where the rivers run clean,
The answers we need ain't from no machine.
A tool for the takin', but don't get too lost,
Leanin' on code can come with a cost.
[Verse 2]
We dive in the data, we sift through the sand,
With circuits and wires, to lend us a hand.
But wisdom ain't somethin' that's built on a screen,
It's found in the whispers of places unseen.
[Chorus]
AI in moderation, keep your heart in the play,
It’s a guide, not salvation, to help find your way.
Don’t let it fool ya, don’t lean on it too much,
Trust in your own voice, your own human touch.
[Verse 3]
Bots can retrieve what our minds fabricate,
But half of it’s real, and half of it's fake.
Algorithms echo, but hearts never lie,
Some things can’t be learned through an electric eye.
[Chorus]
AI in moderation, keep your heart in the play,
It’s a guide, not salvation, to help find your way.
Don’t let it fool ya, don’t lean on it too much,
Trust in your own voice, your own human touch.
[Verse 4]
We build our own stories with calloused, worn hands,
Singin' our truths 'cross this beautiful land.
Machines can process, but they can't comprehend,
The depth of a moment, the love in the end.