6 Reasons why, as an author, I refuse to worry about AI

Do I worry about AI? It's a question that comes up quite frequently these days in interviews. And I always answer 'no.'

That's not to say I don't have occasional concerns about the future of AI, and it's not to say that I don't worry about its impact on humanity as a whole... but when it comes to writing, for the most part I'm pretty relaxed about its potential impact on my life.

As someone whose life was blighted by anxiety in the past, I also know that worrying doesn't actually change anything. I'll cross any bridges in my way as and when they appear.

Here are six reasons why I refuse to worry:

Nothing new

For a start, there are already around 4 million books published in the English language every year. And even the most prolific readers probably only get through a book or two a week. When it comes to books, we are already spoilt for choice. The market is already flooded. Having more books on sale may make it more challenging, but let's face it it's hardly a walk in the park to get noticed!

Heart and soul

Maybe I'm old-fashioned but one thing that makes a book special for me is the direct line you get to another human being, someone else living the human experience. We humans are cleverer than we think at recognising something that's not 'quite right.' And I like to think that I wouldn't have the same connection with an artificial writer. Perhaps one day I'll be proved wrong in this, but I truly believe that I can sense the beating heart of an author through their work, and I pour my heart and soul into my own writing. Two things that ChatGPT doesn't have.

Human relationship

I also think readers often connect with certain authors. They have a relationship with them. I enjoy reading a variety of authors, but certain writers have become auto-buy for me (I'm talking about you, Catherine Newman, Emily Austin, Maggie O'Farrell, Tony Parsons, Nick Hornby - and I could go on). A reader-author relationship is often for life. And I hope that's the way with at least a few of my own readers.

Not worth it

The next one's a bit depressing. But let's face it. If people are looking to make money out of selling books, then cutting out the author is probably not going to make much difference to profits. I can't imagine you could put out a good book that will do well without at least having a human reader cast their eye over it - so you'll need to pay an editor; if the book's to be produced in paperback, then it will still incur the same printing and distribution costs. There are cover designers (and if someone used AI for this too, there would still need to be some market knowledge there to steer the ship). And for books to fly, they often need marketing, targeted ads, author endorsement, press. Take out the author? Well, done, you've saved yourself 10%. I'm pretty sure tech-savvy people will find much more lucrative industries to exploit.

Out of date

Trends in literature come and go, and writers continue to evolve. I like to think that I'm constantly learning, constantly improving. If AI has been fed my old novels (and apparently it has!), well, so what. They're in the past. Can AI pick my brain now? I'm no tech-whizz but I'm pretty sure the answer's no. So let computers recycle and regurgitate. I'm already on to the next thing.

You'll never take my words

What sustains me the most though is knowing that no matter what, nobody will stop me writing. I wrote for 30 years without anyone really reading my work. And although that was sometimes frustrating, it was still fulfilling enough for me to want to keep doing it. For me, writing is not only what I do, it's who I am. If AI takes my audience, I'll still be able to immerse myself in words. And truly, that is the best part of all.