The current rage “du jour” for writing is the emergence of AI (“artificial intelligence”) as a tool for writers and automated systems to create written content that blurs the line between what is human and what is not. That may not be the intent, but we’re headed toward a future where what you read and what you see (in the media – news, movies, etc.) is created by automated agents.
The basic premise is that systems are now to the point where they can “understand” input queries in a “human-like” manner and, using a locus of embedded (or fed-in) information, produce a response that is also “human-like” in terms of language usage and syntax. This has implications far beyond the initial intentions of the effort (to facilitate helpful automated responses) toward school-age kids hopping into a browser and, in 30 seconds, getting a relatively decent essay about the Declaration of Independence.
Beyond a world where no one (school-age or not) needs to put any real thought into creating crappy first drafts, the implications for writers are only beginning to reveal themselves. To that end, I will be doing my own experiment with AI technology, specifically a resource called Sudowrite.com, which you can try for free on the aforementioned website (https://www.sudowrite.com/ ). In particular, I’m curious to try out its “wormhole” capability, wherein it takes the gist of what you have written and “extends” it through the dynamic generation of content. The basic idea is that you’re puttering along with a story (apparently not plotted out, it seems), then you hit the wall of (mythical) “writer’s block,” so all you have to do is tell the AI to continue the story, and voila, your story’s plotline is extended over and beyond your mental pothole. More on that later.
If you want to follow up in detail on what I’m talking about, I suggest checking out some websites on the subject. They go farther into depth than I could, a lowly writer and IT specialist.
Look at OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, to get an overview of effort:
This Washington Post article (warning: paywall) is an excellent starting point, discussing Chatgpt and dialog systems.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/06/what-is-chatgpt-ai/
If you’re not fond of paywalled content, or you have used up your free articles, check out CNET – Why Everyone’s Obsessed with ChatGPT, a Mind-Blowing AI Chatbot
https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/why-everyones-obsessed-with-chatgpt-a-mind-blowing-ai-chatbot/
Lastly, look at this article from the Guardian, and implications for academia. It boggles the mind:
Greg C. Miller, Author 
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