I’m having trouble understanding the loathing authors seem to be lobbing at AI these days. I’ve read threads on social media sites that encourage others not to endorse novels written with help from artificial intelligence. I think it’s very much like “spitting into the wind,” to borrow a phrase from Jim Croce. 

Perhaps I need to set the stage so anyone reading this will understand. I am a Baby Boomer and old-time newspaper guy. I’m seventy-six years young and have written more than thirty novels in the last twenty years. I’ve never been on the New York Times bestsellers list, but, like you, would love to be one day.

I remember when linotypes and molten lead were used to create every line Americans read in their daily newspapers and monthly magazines. The men who operated the machinery were among the most respected and highest paid in the industry.

Then, some genius Boomer invented computers that put them out of work. Next came the Internet. By then I was an editor, working at a newspaper whose slogan was “Read It Here First.” I balked when I was told I had to put my stories on the Web before my newspaper was delivered to the doorstep of loyal readers’ homes. 

Guess what happened? 

The Internet won. 

Today, the print media is hanging on by a thread because everybody gets their news via the Internet. The Tampa Tribune, The Atlanta Constitution, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer no longer publish daily print products. My old nemesis, The Youngstown Vindicator, shut down completely. 

So, as I sit and create this rant (I might call it a warning, though) on an electronic device that magically knows what keys I intend to strike, tries to guess my next word, and underlines the ones I misspell, I say PSHAW. It was that word you missed the other day on Wordle, the New York Times’ popular word game. 

Let this thread serve as a harbinger for all who suggest authors who embrace AI are something less than rat dung. The march of technology is unstoppable; it opens doors to unimaginable possibilities. Don’t fight it. Grab on tightly because this is just the beginning. I cannot think of a future without it. 

As authors, we are in the entertainment business. Those of us who do a better job of entertaining our readers get a royalty check every month. Sure, we’d all like those deposits to have more zeroes, but that doesn’t happen for all. 

Over the years, I’ve learned that writing is an evolutionary process. The more you read and write, the better you get. Why sneer at those who seek to improve with a single click of the mouse? Artificial intelligence is a tool to make writing better, to help describe places never visited, to make thoughts clearer, to add dimension to senseless gobbledygook. 

Many of you say using AI is akin to cheating. I call it an attempt to attract readers to wonderful, creative ideas that sit undiscovered and read by only family and friends. 

There is no denying AI. It is part of YOUR everyday life. Opposing it is simple hypocrisy. 

Like me, you all love and use Grammarly and Google. They are AI. 

You right-click and search for synonyms because it is easier than reaching for a thesaurus. It’s instant AI but not as thorough as the bound volume that sits on my desk.

You never use a phone book. You use your cell phone’s AI. 

Need I go on?

Instead of lambasting struggling authors who are treading water vigorously in an effort to stay afloat, focus on the publishers who use artificial intelligence nefariously. I’m talking about the guys who feed the entire catalog of a deceased author into AI, develop new streams, and reap the profits. 

I’ll gladly stand with you in that fight, because novels, like newspapers, are a dying commodity. Sixty percent of the population no longer read the words we produce. Half of those can’t write in cursive or tell if the big hand or little hand tells what hour of the day it is. 

That’s scary. 

Call me Scrooge if you will. I stand by my creative brothers and sisters who strive to improve the written word and are willing to try new things to attract new readers. AI hypocrites can spit in the wind all they want. Take it from a former technology snob: you are bound to get wet.