Should You Use AI to Write Your Book?
Maybe you’re beginning to think all this writing and editing and rewriting is too much work. Perhaps there’s a shortcut…
Can AI (artificial intelligence) write an entire book?
Yes… it can.
Should you use AI to write your book?
Please don’t!
Sure, AI can help. But no matter what technology you use, writing a good book that readers will value still needs your authentic voice, unique take on life, and ideas that are readable and flow. That takes time and effort.
I liken it to a Cathy comic strip I saw once (if I remember it correctly). Cathy was surrounded by all the modern kitchen gadgets and technology we have now, compared to the old-fashioned cook who only had a bowl and a spoon. Yet the old-timey cook made huge Thanksgiving feasts while all we can muster today is a microwave pizza.
Do you want to serve your readers a Thanksgiving feast or a microwave pizza?
The Problem
One author was shocked when I made so many corrections after a very popular AI tool had edited her manuscript. I don’t know what that tool did, but it didn’t do much and it didn’t do it right.
Now AI has moved beyond just editing. Fellow ghostwriter Megan Okonsky told me this:
I’ve been approached by multiple clients who anticipate their AI-generated manuscript will just need a few, quick edits. While the manuscript looks polished at first glance, a deeper look always reveals inconsistencies, vague references to generic historic figures, and absolutely no soul. These clients have fascinating stories, unique perspectives, and a lot to teach their readers—but all of their knowledge evaporates when it’s placed into AI tools. As we discuss this, my clients and I always come to the same conclusion: we need to rewrite the whole thing. Their manuscript will only help them achieve their goals for their business or legacy if their unique stories are woven throughout it. So we use the AI-generated manuscript as an outline and schedule interviews, just as I do with all of my ghostwriting clients.
Basically, the authors who thought they were almost done with the help of AI had to start all over with the help of a real human.
I’ve had authors give me a few AI-generated paragraphs (luckily not an entire manuscript), and I will second what Megan said: AI has no soul.
I already hear the naysayers who say AI is a gamechanger. Maybe it is. Or it might just feel like a gamechanger.
A recent study on software developers who used AI for coding revealed stunning results. Experts predicted AI would speed coding by 40%. The developers who used AI thought they had been 20% faster. The results? They were 20% slower! Just like with books, the “developers ended up spending a lot of time checking and redoing the code that AI systems had produced—often more time than it would have taken to simply write it themselves,” said Rogé Karma in The Atlantic. Karma added that, so far, AI has failed to produce any of the results—or revenue—everyone is anticipating… any time now.
AI Legalities
Big-name authors are noticing AI versions of their books for sale on Amazon without their knowledge or consent. Comedian Rhys James found his own memoir being sold with a completely different person on the cover!
Unfortunately, you don’t need to be a big-name author or even have published yet for your book to be stolen. If you used AI in your book’s creation in any way, for example to edit your work, AI has probably already stolen what you wrote, and it doesn’t ask you for permission. Because that’s the only way AI works—by copying and “learning” from everything we do.
Author David Baldacci addressed Congress announcing that AI has resulted in “no more copyright protection for anyone.” Now that AI has taken over and copied so many works (with and without permission), AI doesn’t even know what’s real and what’s not, making AI checkers highly inaccurate.
I hope Congress and other governments around the world continue to take notice. But policing AI will be difficult.
Robots or Humans?
Most importantly: AI will never be able to replace our humanity.
Sometimes we don’t want to be grammatically perfect or concise because that diminishes our unique voice and desired expression.
AI is fine for brainstorming ideas, correcting your emails, and maybe giving you a draft outline. But using AI to write and edit an entire book? There are no shortcuts. It’s better to do the work yourself and pay the right (human) professionals along the way so you get it right the first time.
AI might not know the difference, but your readers will.
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