I’ve come to understand something about my writing process: I’m what you might call an “AI-first” writer. But not in the way you might think. I don’t use artificial intelligence to replace my creativity—I use it as a sophisticated tool to accelerate my work.
When it comes to my novels, I maintain clear boundaries. I would never allow AI to write my entire manuscript, especially not the second draft where the real craftsmanship happens. The first draft, however, is different territory entirely. Since first drafts are inherently private—rough sketches that no one else will ever see—I’m more comfortable experimenting with AI assistance there.
This approach does create some anxiety. I worry that an AI-enhanced first draft might turn out surprisingly polished, making my subsequent human-written version feel like a step backward. When I review the scene summaries that AI helps me generate, I’m genuinely impressed by their quality. This creates a psychological challenge: will I feel discouraged when I have to rebuild these scenes entirely in my own voice?
The broader implications of AI in creative writing concern me. Human laziness is a powerful force, and I fear we’re approaching a tipping point. We might see fewer people willing to undertake the demanding work of actually writing novels. Perhaps more troubling is an alternative scenario: the same number of dedicated writers continue their craft, but their carefully created work becomes a tiny fraction of the total literary output, drowned in an ocean of AI-generated content.
I’ll be honest about my own compromises. I do use AI to polish my blog posts sometimes. I rationalize this by telling myself it’s harmless—after all, my blog readership is practically nonexistent. But even as I make this justification, I recognize it as part of the larger pattern I’m concerned about.
The question isn’t whether AI will change how we write—it already has. The question is whether we can harness its capabilities while preserving the irreplaceable human elements that make writing meaningful.
