NO AI!

by Jesu Estrada

Please welcome Jesu to the Writer's Journey Blog this week with her opinion of Artificial Intelligence. (This really is the final article, my mistake last week!)

NO A.I.!

My long-standing policy has been ABSOLUTELY NO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, NO A.I.

My main concern has been with labor-replacing technology, but it has especially concerned me as a small book owner. I grow outraged when writers use ChatGPT or A.I. to create their books. The market is being flooded by these works, and there is no warning label on Amazon indicating whether someone has used A.I. to create their books.

I own a small charity press, Barrio Blues Press, where I design my own books, have a human copy editor, and hire a cover creator. NO A.I.

But, it’s hard not to use A.I. The invasion is prolific, and you can’t turn the tide. It’s everywhere on Zoom, in your search engines and now, Amazon Audible. You can’t turn the tide, and the temptations to use A.I. are deep.

In fact, about a month ago, committee members and I used Zoom’s A.I. companion to summarize key points that were covered at a two-hour meeting. The companion captured what was said and highlighted points that I would have missed had I gone from memory.

The report was robust and probably better than what I could have produced alone, but I think there’s a difference in using A.I. to assist you as opposed to create something. 

What is worse is that a few weeks ago, I broke my own resolve. I have always wanted Audible books, but have not been able to afford hiring a voice actor. Amazon now has a new feature on K.D.P. (Kindle Direct Publishing) where you can create Audible books.

So, like an idiot, I went for it.

Amazon created the books almost instantly, and the voice? It sounds very close to a human narrator. It is eerie, but SO good. The rapidity of book creation was frightening, if I’m being honest, and it was so easy to craft the Audio book with the push of a button.

However, the guilt of having produced these books still remains. Recently, I had a close friend of mine caution me that the press might get boycotted. It happened to a friend of mine who had an Audible book created this way without his consent. He got boycotted and one-star reviewed for his romance novels. I’m not saying I’m experiencing any of this backlash, but the guilt is there.

So, much as it pains me, I’ve decided to delete the Audible books, as I replace them with actual Audible books created by human beings. I’m now crowd funding to hire a voice actor and am planning on creating them myself. I need to take a principled stance on this matter because you can’t be concerned about labor replacing technology and allow one facet of it to continue. Surely, this new feature will replace voice actors.

Plus, I have a studio at my college where I work, and I now have the software to do it, Muse Hub and Audacity. The problem is, of course, time, and I don’t particularly like the sound of my voice. I’m not a trained actress, but maybe with time, I will get good at it.

A.I. is with us and here to stay, but something needs to be done to curb how it hurts writers and artists. It’s not enough to have lawsuits against ChatGPT by writers like Paul Tremblay. There need to be laws in place to protect workers from Labor Replacement Technology.

There need to be laws that have companies put warning labels on their products that use A.I. The Audio books on Amazon indicate that, so why can’t the books they produce?

My point isn’t to be anti-A.I., but I am against the abuse that I see in the publishing and other industries. Something needs to change this tide, so it doesn’t hurt creators and consumers.

But, until these laws are enacted to protect consumers, artists, writers, and content creators, I say, NO A.I.!

BIO: MARIA J. ESTRADA (they/them/elle) is an English college professor of Composition, Literature, and their favorite, Creative Writing. Estrada grew up in the desert outside of Yuma, Arizona in the real Barrio de Los Locos, a barrio comprised of new Mexican immigrants and first-generation Chicanos. Drawing from this setting and experiences, Estrada writes like a locx every minute they can—all while magically balancing their work and family obligations. Estrada lives in Chicago’s south side with their wonderfully supportive husband, two remarkable children, and a menagerie of animals.