Unpacking AI’s Role in Writing: Tools, Techniques, and Ethical Implications

 Are you ready to revolutionize your writing process with AI? In this episode of The Storytellers Mission, Zena Dell Lowe dives into the transformative power of artificial intelligence for writers, storytellers, and screenwriters. Discover how AI tools can tackle writer’s block, boost productivity, and enhance creativity.

But that's not all. As AI continues to change the game, it brings with it a host of ethical questions. Can we truly maintain our creative integrity while using AI? What are the implications of AI-generated content on originality and ownership? And how do we strike a balance between leveraging AI's potential and preserving our unique voice as creators?

Is it possible to use AI without compromising your artistic integrity? Tune in to find out how to navigate this exciting new landscape, and share your thoughts on whether AI will be your next creative partner—or your biggest challenge. Don't miss out—listen now to get the full story!



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Transcript

[00:00:00] Zena Dell Lowe: Ever wondered how AI can transform your writing process?Struggling with writer's block? Are you curious about the ethical implications of using AI in writing? We've got you covered. Discover how AI can be your ultimate brainstorming partner and ethical considerations for writers using AI. 

[00:00:18] Hello and welcome to the Storytellers Mission with Zena Del Lowe, a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story.

[00:00:29] Today we're diving into one of the most revolutionary changes in the writing world and that is artificial intelligence. The question is, how can AI assist us in our creative endeavors and what ethical implications does it bring? 

[00:00:43] But before we dive into this discussion, I want to remind you, please like, comment, and subscribe to this podcast.

[00:00:51] This is one of the best ways that you can support me and this podcast. When you like, share, comment, and subscribe, it boosts the algorithm, And that will of course help us to continue to bring you insights and helpful content each week.

[00:01:05] So like, share, and subscribe. And if you have any thoughts. or questions about this episode or anything else, leave a comment 

[00:01:12] okay, now let's dive into today's important topic. Artificial intelligence.

[00:01:19] It has become a game changer in many fields and writing is no exception. Tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and AI Dungeon are all helping writers with grammar checks, generating ideas, and even creating entire narratives. But how can we, as writers, make the best of these tools? Or, how can we do it with a clear conscience? 

[00:01:43] First, let's talk about three primary ways that I'm seeing writers using AI. 

[00:01:49] number one, idea generation and brainstorming. AI tools like ChatGPT can generate a multitude of ideas within seconds, whether you're stuck on a plot point or you need inspiration for a character's backstory, AI can provide fresh perspectives that you might not have even considered.

[00:02:11] It acts as a brainstorming partner that never runs out of energy or creativity. So, it can very much be useful in this particular category, but there's more. 

[00:02:21] Number two, enhancing productivity. Time management is one of the most crucial skills that writers can master, and AI can significantly enhance productivity.

[00:02:33] Tools like Grammarly can streamline the editing process by catching grammatical errors and suggesting stylistic improvements, which of course then allows the writer to focus on the more creative aspects of their work, rather than getting bogged down with the minutiae of grammar and syntax. Furthermore, tools like ChatGPT can simply help generate so many ideas so fast that you're cutting through all of the time that it would normally take to come up with a cohesive storyline. So it can drastically help you improve your productivity on an everyday basis. Okay, let's talk about number three. Overcoming writer's Now, writer's block can be a daunting obstacle, but AI can help you overcome it. AI Dungeon, for instance, uses interactive storytelling to prompt new ideas and directions for your story. Now, in all transparency, I've never used it, but I hear it's great for writers who get stuck.

[00:03:33] Now, this interactive approach can help break the monotony and inspire new pathways in your narrative. It's also just so helpful to have two brains trying to solve story holes or flaws. And these types of tools can often be that second brain. 

[00:03:50] For generating ideas Chat GPT is one of the best things out there.

[00:03:55] It can be an excellent brainstorming partner. Imagine having an assistant at the palm of your hand just waiting for you who can provide you with plot twist suggestions or even help you create authentic sounding dialogue for certain types of characters or scenes.

[00:04:11] example, I recently used ChatGPT to help me craft dialogue for a scene where one of my characters is a spy. I'm not in the intelligence biz,and all I know of dialogue like this is what I already see in film and television. So I wanted to come up with something that sounded genuine and authentic, but I wasn't exactly sure how to do that without just copying what's already out there.

[00:04:36] So what I did was I plugged it into ChatGPT. I told ChatGPT what the scenario was that I had created and it was fairly complex. So I entered the information I knew and the information that needed to be conveyed. I provided some basic scene information and I described the characters who would be in the scene, what they are like, giving some basic personality traits.

[00:05:02] And then I asked ChatGPT to write a scene between these characters where the information would be credibly conveyed. And voila, it spit out something pretty good. Now, it generated the dialogue that mostly fit the characters personalities, and it did make them sound credible and convincing, but it wasn't perfect.

[00:05:23] I had to then go back in and tweak it and reshape it, and it gave me ideas for some new things I could do that I hadn't even been thinking about. But it was a marvelous jumping off point that helped me refine and perfect my unique character voices and it saved me a ton of time. so I was able to take what it generated and then rework it and remold it into something that I think is truly usable.

[00:05:49] Wonderful tool. Now here's another way that I have often used it practically. Plot development. When I'm plotting a complex storyline, I use ChatGPT to explore what if scenarios. for instance, if I'm uncertain about a plot twist, I might describe the current plot situation to ChatGPT and then ask for possible next steps.

[00:06:11] Now this helps me visualize different directions that the story could take, but it allows me to be the one who ultimately chooses the most compelling direction. Now, sometimes I use ChatGPT because I'm unsure of the actual protocols that would need to be followed by certain characters who have certain professions or in certain situations.

[00:06:33] So, for example, I might ask ChatGPT, Hey, if a police officer stumbled into X sort of situation, what are the exact processes that they would be required to follow? And I see what ChatGPT says. And then that gives me ideas for how I might write the scene. But, maybe I want to do something different in that scene.

[00:06:53] I don't want to just follow the normal trajectory. Then I might even ask, okay, uh, this is great chat GPT, but let's say I want to disrupt this process. say such and such happened. What would happen then? What protocol would they follow now? Or what do you think this character would do in this situation?

[00:07:11] If I need help figuring that out each profession that a character has comes with rules and protocols that are specific to that profession. So that means that the character should know how to follow those sorts of protocols to make the story believable and credible.

[00:07:28] So I'm using it to help me to know those things because ChatGPT can pull those things in easy, whereas it might take me a long time to research some of those things. So it's short circuiting the research process And it's giving me a shorthand way of knowing what I need to have my characters do in terms of employment protocols, that sort of thing.

[00:07:50] And that, in turn, allows the scenes to come together much more quickly and, I hope, in a much more credible way. But notice, I'm the one that's feeding all that information to ChatGPT. I'm not just requiring ChatGPT to create from nothing. I'm feeding it stuff and then it's dishing it out to me and then I am reworking the material.

[00:08:14] Okay, so here's another way that I have and do use ChatGPT. I use it to help me write character descriptions or Synopses even of my story. Now, I've actually been blown away by some of the character descriptions that it has come up with, based on the information I have fed it about my characters. Now keep in mind, we have to give it information.

[00:08:40] But often times when I'm doing this, I'm just typing stream of consciousness into the tool. It's super raw, it's disorganized, it's all over the place. But somehow, ChatGPT has an ability to organize the material and then create a description for that character that is often time uncannily accurate. Now, has anything ever been perfect?

[00:09:05] No, I'm always tweaking. I'm always adding to or taking away or modifying as needed. but the basic description is so much better than what I would have come up with my first time. It would have taken me a long time to get to that point.

[00:09:20] So it's a great way to encapsulate what I'm already trying to do and all I had to do was sort of vomit on the page And it sort of organized those things into something that made sense. Now Oftentimes I'll have to add to the character description because there's things I forgot to feed chat GPT So I might go back and say hey, that's great GP but And yes, I call Chat GPT, GP.

[00:09:47] So I'll be like, Hey GP, that's great, but this character is actually secretly the bad guy. So I sort of need that hinted at in the character description without fully giving it away. Or I might say, you know, I need a compelling backstory that justifies the twist that I'm going to reveal in act three, 

[00:10:06] where we finally find out this is the bad guy. Uh, here's what I've got. What do you think? What are some other ideas you might come up with? And then I get to see if any of them are accurate or I might add more information or whatever, and it's a brainstorming device that I'm using, but it helps me get these sorts of things.

[00:10:23] Okay, so the point is, I'll get a bunch of ideas from ChatGPT, including complete character synopses or character descriptions, and then that enables me to fill in the story gaps much more quickly. It enables me to tweak and modify and come up with completed characters. Character descriptions more quickly which ultimately is going to help me prepare my pitch documents more quickly So that hopefully I can get people to come on board and want to be interested in my story Okay.

[00:10:53] Now there's a number of other ways that i've used chat gpt Now a lot of these include non narrative stuff In fact, the chances are that the title of this particular episode was piecemealed from several options that were provided by ChatGPT.

[00:11:09] Because what I always do is I take my transcript and I feed it into ChatGPT and I say, Hey, come up with 10 compelling title ideas based on this transcript. And voila, it will. Now I usually don't take the title straight.

[00:11:24] Once in a while I have, but most of the time I'm picking and choosing. I'm combining ideas or I'm getting new ideas based on what it comes up with. It's helping me sometimes solidify or encapsulate what the entire episode is even about if I haven't been able to quite articulate it myself.

[00:11:43] and that then helps me to come up with a better title idea. But a lot of times I will take exactly what is written, but in different piecemealed ways and it just saves me so much time.

[00:11:55] I've also found it helpful to take entire transcripts of a podcast episode and transform it into an outline for a blog or an article, or sometimes even a first draft of an article or blog. Now, when I do that, I have to be very careful about the language I use. I always tell ChatGPT to use my own words and ideas.

[00:12:19] Otherwise, it might try to answer the questions that I'm trying to answer in the episode, but in the stuff that's already available, which I'll get to in a minute. So, the point is, I'm using it to help take my ideas, my words, and to summarize it in a more condensed format, which then I do have to go back and rewrite.

[00:12:42] So I have to be careful about reworking it to make it my own. Which brings us to one of the most important questions in this episode. Is it even ethical to use AI in the first place? Is it ethical to use it in this way? Isn't it plagiarism of some sort? Well, before we continue our discussion on the ethical considerations of using AI in writing, let's take a moment to hear from our sponsor.

[00:13:10] Me! 

[00:13:11] So here's the thing. No matter how much or how little you choose to use AI in your writing, at the end of the day, you are the creative human mind behind the project. And that means that you have the responsibility to make it work. And one of the primary ways that you will make your story work is if you understand story structure.

[00:13:32] And, if you approach your story with the right story structure method that allows you to tap into the universal principles of storytelling that are out there, and then deliver a narrative that brings joy and pleasure To your audience if this is something that you want to be able to do time and time again Then you need to sign up for my course hollywood story structure made easy This course is designed to give you the tools you need to create compelling, really well structured narratives that capture your audience. sign up today using the link provided in the notes section below and take the first step towards becoming.

[00:14:09] A master storyteller. Okay, now back to our conversation. 

[00:14:14] What are the ethical considerations of using AI? Well, if you're familiar with Spider Man, then you know that with great power There are ethical implications to consider when it comes to the content created or aided and abetted by AI. For one, who should own that content?

[00:14:35] Is it yours? If you used AI to create it? Also, as creatives, how much should we even be relying on these tools without compromising our creative authenticity? These are important ethical considerations that we must address as we integrate AI into our writing processes. And by the way, I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I am going to share with you some of my thought processes and some of what I believe I'm okay doing and what I'm not and how I hope that that will inform you as you make these decisions for yourself.

[00:15:08] Alright, well let's start by talking about the ownership of AI generated content. This is a major concern for good reason, but it's one that I think can be alleviated depending on the type of content and project that we're talking about. For example, when it comes to creating non narrative materials, like articles for a blog, or book chapters for a non fiction educational book, that sort of thing, and it's based on my own ideas, I don't worry so much.

[00:15:38] I know that while AI may be supplying the condensed words, the ideas and the direction came from me. It's all my stuff. It's all my material. Plus, I always rewrite whatever I'm given to make it sound like me, so I don't keep it in the voice of AI. However, the lines can blur, especially when AI heavily influences the final product or when the voice of the writer is at stake.

[00:16:06] This is why I don't use AI to help me write chapters for my fiction novel. I'll use it to help me brainstorm plot ideas or elements. I'll even use it to help me solve holes or character issues or character relationships. Issues. But those are big idea issues. It's not the actual writing. I don't actually use a eyes writing or composition of words as part of my chapters.

[00:16:34] To me, A novel is meant to be about the writer's unique voice. And what that means is how the writer themselves puts the words and ideas together. In fiction, that is the point. If I supplied a bunch of words to A. I. and told A. I., Hey, write a poem, would it be my poem? No, it wouldn't because poetry is as much about the syntax and structure of the poem as it is about the word choices within it.

[00:17:03] Now, other writers may feel differently, but this is my strong opinion. For me, it's important that I myself write every single word of my novel. Now. Now, here's what's interesting. I don't have these same qualms when it comes to my screenwriting. Now, perhaps this is the case because I simply don't see screenwriting as being as sacred.

[00:17:25] Because screenwriting has always been collaborative. So, there are plenty of times when you get into the production process where you're writing last minute and you're taking ideas from everyone and it's changing the story so it's much more fluid. Whereas, to me, What's in a novel is much more sacred.

[00:17:42] However, even there, I will say this, no matter how good chat GPT might be in helping me even compose certain dialogue sequences or scenes, I'm the one that has to be thinking like a screenwriter. I'm the one that has to be thinking like a filmmaker. The artistry part of my screenplay is entirely me. ChatGPT can't do that. ChatGPT can help me, again, with big picture elements. It can help me come up with some ideas. It can help me even come up with pictures. convincing and believable dialogue that I may or may not use exactly as is, but it can't help me with the actual artistry of my screenplay.

[00:18:25] That's entirely up to me. So, I don't hold on to the words so tightly in the actual dialogue scene. I don't feel like it is something that's sacred. I'm willing to use chat GPT if it's my ideas that are being used to generate that content. But I also know that at the end of the day, if it's going to be an excellent screenplay, it's going to be because I know how to write and I am a true screenwriterbecause all of that comes from me.

[00:18:54] At the end of the day, fiction is literature, which means that the human writer should be the one generating the material, but I believe you can use chat GPT in all sorts of ways to enhance And improve the material that you yourself are originating.

[00:19:12] And no matter which way you lean, make no mistake about this, it still requires a human mind to help shape, tweak, and hone the material. You have to be involved to make it work. No matter where you come out on the issue, 

[00:19:26] it's essential to establish clear guidelines on ownership and credit and to follow your own conscience and approach the work with ethical intentions. Which leads me to the next point. The ethical use of AI in writing also involves ensuring that the content generated is actually original and not inadvertently plagiarized.

[00:19:50] AI tools learn from the vast amounts of data that are already out there in the universe. And so there is always a risk of producing content that too closely resembles existing works or works that were originated by other writers. So you need to be vigilant in reviewing and modifying AI generated content to make sure that it is actually original to your ideas.

[00:20:19] This is why I always ask ChatGPT to use my ideas when I'm addressing a particular topic. Some people don't like to have ChatGPT. Remember, I do. Because I am constantly inputting my podcast transcripts. so I tell my ChatGPT, remember this. For me, remember this for me.

[00:20:41] I don't want this to be part of the general knowledge database. I want you to hold on to these ideas for me so we can continue using them. And then, I ask ChatGPT to use my ideas.Otherwise, I'd just be regurgitating the ideas that someone else has spouted or come up with.

[00:21:00] But this means that, at the end of the day, There's actually no real way for artists to be regulated in this except to regulate him or herself. I mean, yes, there's always a chance and it should deter you this possibility that you'll get caught if you use AI generated content as is, and it happens to be something that somebody else created.

[00:21:24] But given how much content is being created, Literally every single day, the plethora of content, it's getting harder and harder. This risk is getting lower and lower. It's harder and harder to catch someone who's using your ideas. So this means you could probably get away with it. If you type something in for AI and they give you an answer and you pass that off as your own, you'll probably get away with it.

[00:21:51] But I want to encourage you to not do that because it's unethical. In most cases. No one else would be the wiser, but I hope either A, the fear of being caught would be a deterrent, but more importantly that your integrity would be such that you just wouldn't do that. Our greatest hope on this front is simply the integrity of the artist.

[00:22:14] you wouldn't want someone to take your ideas and pass them off as their own. So it's back to the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. So if you're an artist, I hope you will do everything in your power to ensure that whatever content you create is truly your own at the core.

[00:22:34] At the essence, even if AI helped shape the words or come up with the structure or even the entire outliner script, make sure the ideas within came from you and your mind and that you're not inadvertently stealing from others. 

[00:22:51] Okay, the last issue I want to consider today is the potential dependency of artists on AI tools.

[00:22:59] What a travesty it would be for artists to lose the ability to independently be able to create art. or hack repetitive storylines in film and novels would be catastrophic. And it would be a horrible day for viewers as well if creators actually forgot how to create. We count on the creative imaginations of writers to come up with things that are original and that are simply beyond the capacity of what even the most advanced AI could create.

[00:23:32] While AI can be a powerful assistant, over reliance might stifle a writer's own creativity and critical thinking skills. So it's important to use AI as a supplement rather than a crutch. You need to ensure that the core of the creative process remains.

[00:23:50] human driven How you do this is up to you. And again, there's so much freedom here for you as a creative. So you have to decide how much you're going to use it, what is okay, and what ultimately is inhibiting or actually stifling your own ability to be creative. 

[00:24:09] Alright, so in conclusion, here's my question. What do you think?

[00:24:14] Will you be incorporating AI into your writing toolkit? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to me in a DM or better yet, leave a note in the comments section below. Tell me what you think about this. Tell me what other ethical considerations I have not mentioned. Thank you, Lulu. Can you hold on? I'm almost done.

[00:24:34] Tell me what other ethical considerations I might have missed. I want to hear what your thoughts are on this very important issue. Okay, in the meantime,

[00:24:44] 

[00:25:02] Zena Dell Lowe: