A.I. is a hotly debated topic these days, but like the invention of computers or the internet, AI is not going away. It’s only going to become more prevalent. Yet it’s also an extremely useful tool. So, how does an artist like me decide what is ethical and what is not? It’s tricky, for sure. I’ve written this post to share where I’ve landed on some of these topics, for now. That doesn’t mean I’ll stay here forever. It’s just where I’m at currently.
You can read my official A.I. policy here.
1. BOOKS USED TO TRAIN A.I. WITHOUT AUTHOR PERMISSION
I found out via the Author’s Guild that several of my novels were used to train AI without my permission. This upset me on several levels. First, it felt like someone had stolen from me. I spent two decades of my life learning to write fiction well. And the books listed were some of the most difficult I’ve ever written. That someone would take them without permission hurt my heart. However, people steal my books all the time. I’ve grown lax about chasing down pirated copies of my ebooks from all over the globe. The traditional publishers I’ve worked with have a department that deals with piracy, but my indie books only have me. And I’m far too busy to go on piracy crusades. There will always be thieves in the world. And those people likely never would have paid for my books anyway.
Still, training AI with my books and some 180,000+ other authors’ books without our permission feels different to me that straight out piracy. I admit that I don’t understand how all the AI uses these books. Yet at the very least, I strongly believe the people who chose to use copyrighted material without permission should have gotten permission first. They have every right to use public domain works, but no one should be able to use copyrighted text without permission or compensation.
2. USING CANVA AND MIDJOURNEY AND OTHER A.I. IMAGE GENERATORS
I’m not a professional cover designer, but I’ve designed a handful of my own covers over the years. One in particular used a public domain drawing from a famous artist. I’ve learned some tricks from professional cover designer friends, as well. Most cover artists subscribe to a host of stock image websites, then they use those images creatively to make covers. Good artists rarely use one stock image or the author might discover other books with the exact same cover art. A good artist will use this face and that body and this background. Many also use their own photos, models, and illustrations. Then they might also use with their creations stock photos for backgrounds or explosions or police cars or whatever else is needed.
All that to say, the creation of most book covers is a mishmash of many different images that not all were created by the same person. The concern with AI image generators is whether or not they’ve stolen from artists or have compensate them. Or similar to the books uploaded to train AI, was copyrighted art uploaded to train these AI generators without the artist’s permission or consent? Several AI sites claim that they have begun paying the artists they’ve used to train AI. But can we believe them? Who knows?
For years I have used Pixabay and other stock photo sites to find free images to use for my needs as an author. This could be for making book trailers or reels or mood boards. I’ve spent hours and hours looking for just the right thing for one Instagram post. Or an image to give my cover designer for inspiration. I’ve downloaded from the internet countless images of celebrities and scenes from TV and movies and printed them out for mood boards to hang around my desk while I write. I have not used such images to create products to sell. Nor have I used images in ways that I would profit from them. So, I’ve never felt like I’ve crossed an ethical boundary in this area.
This is why I don’t feel like I’m crossing an ethical boundary to use Canva to create images of my characters or mood boards with castles and creatures. Now, if I wanted to put those images on cards or posters and print them to use as giveaways or to sell—that would be wrong. But to use these AI image generation sites like a sandbox to play in and spark my imagination and the imagination of others… I am comfortable doing that.
3. USING CHAT GPT AS A WRITER
I’m a fifth grade teacher, and a few weeks back, I received my first assignment from a student that was AI generated. We have AI detectors at our school, so I was able to run it through there to prove AI was used to write the story. But because I’d been playing with Chat GPT for several months, I didn’t need the AI detector because I recognized Chat GPT’s voice. Yes, it has a distinct voice, especially for fiction. And I would never paste straight from Chat GPT into my stories. First, I find it unethical. I want my readers to read the words I write. Second, as I mentioned, Chat GPT has a very distinct voice that is not my voice. It’s not even a very good voice, imo.
But I have found Chat GPT a useful tool. It’s a fantastic research assistant. It can tell me instantly exactly what I want to know and save me hours of time that I might have spent trying to Google the right search terms to find articles on the topics I need help with. Chat GPT is also great at helping me write outlines. It’s a good writing partner. I can tell it where I’m stuck, and it can help me brainstorm plot twists and character backstories. Do I use any of what it spits out verbatim? No. Never. But its ideas spark my creativity in new ways. When I prompt it well, it’s a valuable tool in my author’s toolbox, and I’m excited to find new ways to use it well.
4. A.I. IN TV AND MOVIES
Hollywood has been using AI for years, but it’s at a new level now. I supported both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year as they fought for rights in regard to the use of AI. I’m proud of both organizations for being quick to fight to establish procedures to protect writers and actors from being taken advantage of in the TV and film industry. Read the regulations that SAG-AFTRA fought for here, and read article 5 on Artificial Intelligence to see what the WGA fought for here).
IN CONCLUSION
I realize many might disagree with the stances I’ve taken for and against AI. Each of us must choose for ourselves where we land on these issues. One thing is certain, I refuse to live in fear of AI. Roseanna White said in an article she wrote on this topic: “…it isn’t ever the technology that we need to fear. It is, as it has always been, the people. People will cheat. People will steal. People will lie. But that’s no reason not to use something right.”
I want to understand AI well so that I know how it can help me and how I can use it the right way. If you want to learn more about AI from a publishing industry professional, I highly recommend you read Roseanna White’s article on the subject of AI, writers, and artists. And if you’re a novelist and want to learn more about the books used to train AI, read the Author’s Guild article on the subject here.