A few weeks ago, I conducted a very unofficial survey about the use of text generative AI in an author’s creative process. I asked my newsletter subscribers several questions, and the results I received were very intriguing.
Keep in mind, my newsletter is rather small, and this is a very small sample size. However, the Google Form is still live. If you’d like to weigh-in, you can click here to offer your thoughts. I will update the answers below if/when I receive more responses.
I’m still forming my own opinions, and I will write a longer post when they are more fully formed.
(Full disclosure, the image on this blog post is AI generated. I call it “Writer with an AI Overlord.” Here was my prompt: “a writer using a text generative AI chatbot to write a poem.” The power of this technology is both frightening and inspiring. I definitely have mixed feelings. For this blog post, I would have pulled a free picture from Pixabay. I would not have paid an artist, so I don’t feel like anyone lost out, and bonus: you get to look at some pretty cool art.)
For now, here’s where the numbers stand:
How familiar are you with text generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, Sudowrite, and ProWritingAid?
66.7% were quite unfamiliar or not familiar at all with these technologies.
Would you read a story that was 100% AI-generated?
66.7% said they absolutely would not read a story that was AI generated.
Would you read a story that was AI-assisted, i.e. some of the prose was generated by AI while the rest was written by the author?
41.7% said, Nope!
16.7% said they would with the rest falling somewhere in between.
Would you be angry if an author did not disclose that their story contained unaltered, AI-generated prose?
58.3% said they would be very angry with the rest of respondents feeling some level of anger if AI assists were not disclosed.
Should an author disclose the text generative AI tools they used to help them write their story?
75% answered with a definitive yes.
Would you mind if an author generated their first draft using a tool like Sudowrite that can “write” full chapters based on outlines and other metadata?
41.7% said they would mind it very much.
The rest of the respondents were split with 8.3% saying they would not mind at all.
Would you mind if an author generated their zero draft using a tool like Sudowrite? (A zero draft is essentially a very rough “brain dump” of a story that occurs before the first draft. Most, if not all of the story will be reworded or rewritten.)
33.3% said they wouldn’t mind.
25% said they would mind it very much with the rest of the respondents falling in the middle.
Would you mind if an author used AI tools to assist their outlining process?
These numbers were mixed, with more respondents (74.7%) saying they wouldn’t mind.