{"id":1423,"date":"2024-12-31T11:20:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T11:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nononyathi.co.zw\/?p=1423"},"modified":"2024-12-31T11:23:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T11:23:55","slug":"ai-from-a-writers-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nononyathi.co.zw\/index.php\/ai-from-a-writers-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"AI: From a writer’s perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 36 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

AI-enabled digital assistants like Chat GPT, Copilot, and Meta AI are definitely changing the creative process – at least for me. At first, I thought this AI stuff would turn me into a lazy thinker. But after getting deep into using it, I realised it’s a great companion. The saying, “garbage in, garbage out,” also applies to the use of AI. If you want to make your life easier, then your prompts have to be well thought through. Also, the fact that these AI-enabled digital assistants hallucinate (give false\/incorrect information), you need to review your output and the sources. This is essentially the same process you would follow when doing your normal research: verify the information and sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m still learning to draft the best prompts for my personal research, but here are some tips from Microsoft | Five quick prompting tips to get more from your AI assistant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The \u201cElements of a Good Prompt\u201d PDF highlights tips and aspects for writing prompts effectively. (Source: microsoft.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For this article, I used the basic version of Copilot. It doesn’t offer much compared to the commercial version for Microsoft 365 (M365) – what a beauty! At work, we also have an in-house AI platform powered by ChatGPT. Since I started using AI assistants and learning how to get the best out of them, they have proved to be effective assistants. Let’s jump into my prompt for this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prompt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You’ve been approached by a writer who’s been blogging for more than a decade. Their biggest worry is that AI-assisted writing will diminish their creative value and they won’t feel as though the output is their own work. Share 5 tips, with explanations, to help them embrace AI as a companion in the creative writing process.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does my prompt meet the elements of a good prompt shared above? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s break it down a little. By the way, I actually asked Copilot to compare the elements in the image to my prompt and give me results in table format. Below is a screenshot of the results (obviously unedited). It seems I can’t export results to Word or Excel or PowerPoint directly from Copilot – but I can ask Copilot to generate a table while working in Word, etc., when using Copilot for M365. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see from the sentence above the table, I asked Copilot to reorder my columns in my preferred order which I specified as follows: Please reorder your columns as follows: element, image guidelines and assessment<\/em>. The initial response did not have sources so I asked Copilot to cite sources. I have copied and pasted the result below, verbatim, for demonstration purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Response (red text)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Embracing AI as a companion in the creative writing process can be transformative rather than diminishing. Here are five tips to help the writer see AI as a valuable ally rather than a threat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. View AI as a Writing Assistant<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Explanation:<\/strong> AI can be a powerful tool to assist with mundane tasks such as grammar checks, spelling corrections, and formatting. This allows writers to focus on the creative aspects of their work, knowing that the technical details are taken care of. Source:<\/strong> Grammarly Blog<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Use AI for Idea Generation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Explanation:<\/strong> AI can help brainstorm topics, plot points, or character names. By generating a wide array of ideas, AI can act as a sounding board, helping writers to explore new directions and overcome writer\u2019s block. Source:<\/strong> OpenAI – GPT-3 for Creatives<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Embrace AI for Research<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Explanation:<\/strong> AI can quickly gather information on a variety of topics, providing writers with the background knowledge they need without spending hours on manual research. This ensures that their writing is both accurate and informed. Source:<\/strong> Microsoft Research<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Collaborate with AI to Refine Writing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Explanation:<\/strong> AI can offer suggestions for improving sentence structure, word choice, and overall flow. Writers can accept or reject these suggestions, maintaining full control over their work while benefiting from AI\u2019s analytical capabilities. Source:<\/strong> ProWritingAid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Experiment with AI-Generated Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Explanation:<\/strong> AI can generate text in various styles and genres. Writers can experiment with this content to find inspiration and new approaches to their writing. This can lead to unique and innovative pieces that blend human creativity with AI’s diverse output. Source:<\/strong> OpenAI – Creative Use Cases<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By viewing AI as a companion rather than a replacement, writers can enhance their creativity and efficiency while ensuring that their unique voice remains at the forefront of their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel free to ask more questions or explore further! \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nothing is new under the sun, the stories we tell have been told by others before us but that doesn’t mean we stop telling them. If my post title read, ‘5 tips…’, then I would have added my personal touch to the response generated by the AI assistant. My changes would have included renaming the tips, adding personal examples, images, embedded content, more sources, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all this in mind, I am definitely going to explore using an AI assistant to generate content. I feel as though my creativity can be channelled into the prompt and get the best content that reflects me as a writer. Efficient much? I suppose! And AI plugins are also great – I am yet to test the capabilities of the ones I have added to my WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will definitely use AI in my creative writing process and encourage you to experiment with it first before writing it off completely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New year, new writing tools! <\/p>\n

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What impact has AI had on your creative process? In this blog, i briefly share my experiences and thoughts on using AI in the creative writing process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[199,202,203,204,200,205,201],"class_list":["post-1423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-growth","tag-ai","tag-blogger","tag-chatgpt","tag-copilot","tag-creative-writing","tag-metaai","tag-writer"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nononyathi.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/desk-1869579_1280.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":405,"url":"https:\/\/www.nononyathi.co.zw\/index.php\/entrepreneurs-tax-guide-announces-major-rebranding\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":0},"title":"Entrepreneur’s Tax Guide Announces Major Rebranding","author":"Nono Nyathi","date":"7 March 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Harare, Zimbabwe. 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