Greetings from an Endangered Species

Will writers cease to exist because of AI? Let's not find out.

I’m an endangered species

I bumped into Craig yesterday, an acquaintance of mine. During our conversation, he asked how my job search was going. Thanks to Facebook, Craig knows I was laid off from my corporate content marketing job back in February, and I’ve been struggling to find work since.

I’ve sent over 1,000 applications. So far, I’ve had a whopping four interviews, all of which ended up going nowhere.

“I keep telling myself companies are being cautious because it’s an election year,” I said. “I’ve seen lots of evidence to prove that I’m not the only writer out of work.”

“And then there’s AI,” he said.

I nodded. AI has infiltrated writing in a big way. I don’t write about career stuff, so I’ll leave out the nuts and bolts, but you can trust me that the internet and Amazon are now populated with tons of content written almost exclusively by machines, not people.

Creative activities like writing, making art, dancing, or making music relieve stress and anxiety. And yet, we’re outsourcing creativity to the almighty algorithm.

Craig explained that his job as a physician’s assistant would probably be handed over to AI soon, too. “It’ll be able to scan, diagnose, prescribe medication, make referrals ….” He sighed and shrugged. “P.A.’s will be obsolete.”

We’re an endangered species, I thought as I drove home.

Yes, it’s made with AI. And yes, I know that’s ironic af. I’ll explain …

First they came for the writers and artists …

I promise not to turn this, my first public newsletter, into an anti-AI manifesto. Because I actually don’t totally hate AI.

I use AI daily, in fact. I don’t let it do my writing (because honestly, I’m a much better writer than ChatGPT or Claude), but I get a lot done faster when I make AI my bitch … er, personal assistant.

But beyond being a helpful assistant, I want AI to leave writers and artists alone. And I want it to stop hoovering up our hard work to feed its voracious hunger for training data.

I want AI to help me, not replace me.

So, given that I’m a champion of human creativity, I suppose you’re going to want me to explain why I use AI images in my newsletter. And that’s totally fair.

It's not because I undervalue artists.

I believe artists, like writers, deserve fair compensation for their work. But as an independent writer working without a budget, I’ve got a choice between using no images at all or using AI-generated ones. I can't in good conscience hire artists while being unable to pay them what their time and talent is worth.

And for that reason, if you were building yourself a website on a tight budget and you used AI to write your website copy, well … how can I argue with that? (You might hire someone like me to make your AI-written website copy better while staying within your budget, but I digress.)

I will absolutely use your art (and give you all the credit and links you deserve) if you choose to share it with me. Just reply to this newsletter or drop me a note.

It’s not people with small budgets using AI to improve their lives that I’m at odds with. It’s corporations with deep pockets (and filthy rich CEOs) using AI to erase jobs. Especially before we have a system in place to help displaced people land on their feet — something like, say, universal basic income.

I’d be fine if I never had to write another corporate white paper again. Just give me the means to survive so I can turn the skills I’ve taken a lifetime to develop toward more creative ways to pay my bills and thrive.

And that’s why I’m here

I’m here because I’m human, and I’m going to connect with you in a human way by sharing stories I hope you’ll relate to and ideas I hope you’ll find valuable.

There will also be no shortage of snark. That’s something I’m good at while AI is decidedly … not. (AI makes the lamest of dad jokes. Which is fine, I suppose, if you’re into that sort of thing.)

I want to be real. I want to share my life and experiences, and I hope you’ll share yours. I’d love to hear from you if something I’ve written sparked a thought. I also welcome your questions. Talk to me! I promise I’ll answer.

And I solemnly swear you won’t be talking to a bot.

---