Entry 09 | Let the Artist Use Her Tools: In Defense of Writers Who Use AI
- Gabrielle Marie Kelley
- May 6
- 3 min read
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Artificial Intelligence, also known by its abbreviation, AI, has a bad reputation, and in the literary world, I find that it has grown into fear, finger-pointing, and an elitist gatekeeping. Writers are increasingly weary of being labeled as "AI-assisted" and of being accused of a new-age plagiarism, as though using a tool, any tool, somehow invalidates the heart and authenticity of their created work. I think it odd that editors, publishers, and contest judges, industries that are supposed to be pro-artist, are scrutinizing creativity with the goal of sniffing out AI influence instead of just focusing on the art itself. Some of the individuals in these industries are demanding abstinence from AI as the price of admission and I think this is a dangerous and discriminatory overreach.
I come from a tech background. Before deciding to be a full-time writer, I created a secular resume in tech, working at big name and small tech companies in the city of Dallas, TX. I have seen various models at work, and I have trained AI to become a better writer. I know what technology is and, more importantly, what it is not. AI is not a replacement for true creativity; it's an extension of the creative process. It's a sounding board, a brainstorming partner, a mirror held up to your ideas. A true writer could never use AI to write, because this is what a writer loves to do, besides writers, using any tool, still have to think and feel. We choose every sentence, every metaphor, every break in the line. For writing to have soul, there needs to be human influence, AI will never be able to replicate this. To pretend otherwise is to cling to an outdated romanticism about how art gets made and to do so at the expense of real, hardworking writers.
When a writer uses AI to spark an idea, develop structure, or work through a block, they are not “cheating.” They are doing what artists have always done: using the tools available to them to get closer to truth, to beauty, to clarity. The problem is not that writers are using technology, rather, the problem is that the industry doesn’t yet know how to respect that reality without letting fear take over, therefore, it punishes the very people who are engaging with the present moment; writers who are brave enough to experiment, adapt, and evolve.
I am old enough to remember a time when the internet did not exist and when it came on the scene, the objections to it were very similar to those of AI. Certain people were under the impression that the internet was somehow cheating, it was a sign of laziness, others believed it was going to ruin business and the authenticity of creative industries, but look now; the internet has enhanced our lives and has made production more accessible to creatives, cutting out the middle man and making creative business so much more attainable to the average person.
Are there real concerns regarding the use of AI? Yes, of course, just like any tool, AI could be abused in a way that circumvents the artistry of a craft. There is also a legitimate fear of writers who do not want to actually write. However, a true writer will write, and the heart and soul will be discovered in their work. AI does not have a soul, because it is a bot, and I believe that if you have a hard time discerning between what a bot writes and what a human being writes then you have no business editing, publishing, or judging art that requires you to empathize with, or feel, the artist. I'll say it again: If you cannot resonate with the heartbeat of art, then you are not in a position to scrutinize it.
I am a writer with an extensive tech background. I work with AI to decide details such as what cocktail my character will order at a rooftop bar in Dallas, to obtain synonyms for overused words, and to curate a list of books that would inform me on late 19th century coaches in Paris, France. AI is not the boogieman; it is a tool that can help authors and writers focus on doing just that: writing.
So, please, stop judging and discrediting writer's work based on the tools you believe that they should or should not use. If you're an editor, well, focus on editing the book. If you're a publisher, ask yourself, "Is this body of work worth reading/publishing?", and if you're a writing contest judge, don't be so quick to accuse hardworking writers of plagiarism just because you didn't resonate with their work.
Discussion: How do you feel about writers or artists who use AI?
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