Do You Employ Any AI Robot Friends to Help With Your Writing? I Do.
I Use AI WHEN Writing, But Not FOR Writing. Here are some amazing AI tools for writers.
I honestly don’t want to write, edit, illustrate, and publish without my robot friends anymore.
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. I’m honestly not sure I’ve seen anything take over this quickly. As a writer who publishes on the internet, it has become an indispensable tool.
Don’t worry. Everything I write here is written by me, for better and worse. However, I do utilize AI for other tasks that would otherwise take a lot of time or money.
I’ll show you what and how I use it in today's article.
Artificial Intelligence, as limited as its usability is at the moment, is here to stay. You might as well adapt and make your life easier in the process.
AI is my spell-checker and editor.
I use the Grammarly app as my go-to editor.
Ideas and writing come easily to me. Editing is hell! English is not my native language, and I need all the help I can get with hunting for my grammatical mistakes. I am also chronically superficial and can’t edit after myself. I don’t see anything and keep skipping over errors.
My girlfriend was supposed to take care of my flaws here, but she doesn’t have the time or energy to read even half of what I write. I need help, and Grammarly is the new side chick I needed so badly (wife number two - Edith, the editor)! If you catch any errors in my stories, blame Edith.
You can use a free version for basic grammar checks, but I pay for the whole shebang! I need it, and I know it.
I have Grammarly installed on all my browsers, on all my computers, and on my smartphone.
If you prefer to use their browser interface, you don’t need to install anything. You can just write or copy-paste into their online app.
Grammarly will spot your usual grammatical mistakes, inconsistencies, and then some. You can ask it for suggestions. It can repair or rewrite your sentences and measure your tone.
I highly recommend using this service as I have noticed how much it has elevated the quality of my writing. It sometimes kills the vibe when I want to write more in “my style,” but I’m sure it’s a net positive overall.
I am now more confident writing in English (a foreign language) than in my native tongue—all thanks to my silicon wife number two, Edith Grammarly.
AI is my illustrator and designer.
I have years of experience with marketing and graphic design, have Photoshop in my pocket, and could do all of this myself, but the amount of time it would take is monumental!
I don’t design every day. It’s been a while since I’ve done any serious work myself. It would take me ages to get even near the results I get using Artificial Intelligence as an illustrator. Not to mention, Photoshop isn’t cheap.
Yes, the results aren’t perfect. I’m looking at you, Mr. Six-Finger-Humans AI, Sir! Since I’m not here to show off my designer skills but wish to share stories and lessons by writing, the illustrations must take a back seat. Perfecting them is just not worth the time. I’m sorry.
What would take me days, if not more, AI does is seconds. Maybe minutes if it’s acting stubborn on me and pretends it doesn’t know what I need. It’s incomparable!
I primarily use Microsoft BING’s Image Creator, powered by DALL·E.
I like its simplicity, and it produces excellent results without going overboard. I don’t need perfection or awe in my illustrations. They are the supporting cast for my writing. Still, most of the time, I love its creations!
All you need is a Microsoft account.
You create right in the browser, and no, you don’t need to use Microsoft’s browser for that.
You get roughly 100 credits to play with daily, which is more than enough.
I haven’t even scratched the surface of what it is capable of. It’s a bottomless pit.
Did I mention it’s free?
I create most of my illustrations using this tool.
It takes some getting used to in terms of knowing how to craft the right prompt to get what you want and a few attempts. Honestly, though, I try to leave AI’s hands as free as possible and hope to be surprised positively. It often does. I only micromanage when I have to.
I use it simply because it’s free, and I don’t have to make another damn account somewhere else. 47512 accounts are enough. Thank you very much!
The thing that bothers me the most is the written-in limitations.
I get an alert almost daily saying I’m trying to create something against guidelines. I’m sorry, but “imagine an image of a young girl and an older bearded man enjoying watching TV together on a sofa, eating popcorn” is not a sexual thing, dammit! Father and daughter time is all.
Perverts have ruined everything for us. I then have to use some serious mental gymnastics to get around the gatekeepers of virtue, blocking my prompts. It's annoying, but the other AI imaging processors have the same problems. At least the ones I’ve played with.
The second problem is that it often takes some creative liberties.
For instance, how many fingers or limbs people should have. Sometimes, it does a weird blend of different illustration techniques and styles that end up looking all wrong.
I don’t know about that super intelligence thingy until the damn thing can count to five!
Five fingers, Bing, five. No, not four, seven. Five! More isn’t better in this case. I hate it when an amazing image is ruined by such silly mistakes. It usually takes about three takes to get what I want, so twelve images in total. Not bad.
I sometimes use Microsoft's Designer to create business cards, front pages, logos, and similar.
I use it simply because it’s free, and I don’t have to make another damn account somewhere else. 47512 accounts are enough. Thank you very much!
Browser-based, it’s a relatively simple little AI designer. It’ll get some general things done, but keep your expectations low. You’ll also have to do a lot of tweaking if you have a specific theme and design in mind. Still, it’s a place to start, and again, it’s free.
Then there’s the first Artificial Intelligence Image generator I ever used, DreamStudio, powered by Stabiliti.ai.
The downside is that it’s not free. It’s not terribly expensive either. I bought enough credits to create a few hundred images. I mostly save it for a rainy day (lol).
I like that I can upload an image, such as my selfie, and then use it to approximate some theme based on the original image. A digital version of myself, for example.
This is one of myself and my daughter. I have less hair and a shorter beard, but I promise I’m just as handsome (I wish). I don’t know who the third guy in the image is, though! It still haunts me. What did the AI see that I didn’t?
There are many options to play with, but results may vary. My avatar is also made using this technique. It’s me, but also not me, for the facial recognition database of our future overlords.
So, if you want to make yourself into an anime character, a Vincent van Gogh creation, a troll, or a new Mona Lisa, this is all you need!
All in all, I prefer Bing’s AI. It consistently gives me better results with less tweaking.
AI is my researcher and office intern.
I’m still waiting for the mind-blowing part, though.
Sometimes, I need to research a topic I’m not overly knowledgeable about, for personal or professional reasons (writing here being a wishful thinking professional thing).
I loved libraries back in the day, but when the internet became useful, I hardly ever stepped foot inside one. I find myself choosing AI tools instead of using internet browsers in a similar manner.
It’s great for gathering data but limited in reliability and data access.
When in doubt, double-check everything. Where it excels, though, is the way it can present that data and in speed.
For example, last week, I was writing a story involving quantum computing, and while I have a vague idea of what it is, it’s like saying I understand the “Warp Drive” of the Enterprise (Star Trek). Yeah, I get it - ish, but it’s lightyears over my head. Sure, let’s bend space and time and jump through a wormhole. You push a button, and away you go. Right?
I primarily use Open AI’s CHAT-GPT, like most of you, I assume.
When in doubt, I ask the AI to explain Warp Drive to me like we’re ten years old. Okay, maybe sixteen, if it gets too toyish in its explanations.
See, now you get it, and all it took was a few seconds. Imagine the possibilities once we have real-life data attached to Artificial Intelligence models in a few iterations in the future.
That got the old juices flowing, didn’t it? So, now you want to build your own Warp Drive and sail into the stars. Let’s ask old Chaty Boy what it thinks. Is Warp Drive possible in real life?
What a bummer.
Maybe it’s a 2021 limitation problem? Right? Right? Let’s find out using an AI that has access to the internet in real-time! I can’t just take its word for it. I want links for a second opinion.
For this, I use Perplexity.ai.
I know, so July 2023 of me. There are a million new, better options out there. I don’t care. It does the job, and we’re on speaking terms. I’m faithful that way!
Still no luck. I guess we’re stuck on Earth. Oh well. Onward.
There are almost limitless options and ideas of what you can use CHAT-GPS for, especially with its new coming integrations. Perhaps it will become the ultimate one-stop for all things AI—an iPhone of Artificial Intelligence. We’ll see.
Truth be told, though, I haven’t found the thing to be overly helpful in the “real world.” It serves great as a tool for research, testing ideas, learning, calculating, and sifting through large data pools, but other than that, I don’t know. We’re not quite there yet.
When in doubt, double-check everything.
Have I tried using it for writing?
Sure. If nothing else, to stay in touch with progress and see what all the fuss is about. The “OMG, CHAT-GPT can write whole books for you - a game changer” thing. Meh. Technically it could, although with the current limitations, it would be a pain in the ass with some lackluster, ultra-predictable results. I know there are ways around it, but I don’t think books written by AI will be all that good and marketable.
I see people use AI to write for them. That is especially visible on Medium. Dear God, there’s a flood of AI content out there. Even half the comments are AI-generated. “Imagine, crucial, and learn” all over the place. If you know, you know.
When you play with AI as a writer, you quickly encounter severe limitations.
Yes, it can emulate great writers and, theoretically, even you (but not really). I have played with this option and got questionable results. You can use various “voices and personas,” altering the way AI writes. The process is simple enough. Tell AI to learn from your writing and then use it to rewrite something.
I once told AI to rewrite my article as the greatest philosopher that ever lived, a combination of all the greats. I was gobsmacked by the dribble that came out of that prompt. You really should try it yourself. It’s completely unreadable!
“Hypocrite!” you scream at the monitor. “You have a whole substack written with Artificial Intelligence! “
Oh, thanks for noticing. Yes, I do. It’s called AI Meditations. Allow me to elaborate.
I wanted a separate place to play with AI writing research. I had the not-so-brilliant idea of backlinking to my original Substack (this one), intending to build up my reputation on Google. It turns out it’s not that easy. Who would have known, right? Oh, you did. I’m sorry. We can’t all be that smart. I bow to your infinite intelligence. I hope someday it rubs off on me. It definitely wouldn’t hurt.
Still, AI Meditations was born, and I have decided not to abandon the project. When doing research for my writing or personal reasons, I often use AI to do some research for me and explain things to me. Like quantum computing and time as a fourth dimension, for example.
I have done the work, and I figure someone could be interested in learning the same things, so why not post it somewhere? That’s where AI Meditations come into play.
I’ve built quite an interesting information repertoire and played with different AI writing styles. It may not be poetic, but it is informative. That was the point. It would appear I’m right in how much people love reading AI content. They don’t. It got minimal traction, and views are abysmal. I don’t think we have anything to worry about on that front.
I do use CHAT-GPT for smaller writing tasks, like:
Editing. It has some advanced editing capabilities and can save you a lot of time when you need repetitive changes done to your text. For example, rewrite this story from “our, plural” point of view to “your, singular.” Maybe even, change the name of the character “Fido” to “Almir,” and it should do a good enough job of it.
Extrapolating keywords and forming questions interested readers might be googling for SEO purposes. It doesn't have access to actual data, so it's only an approximation.
Tweeting. Well, I tried anyway. I hate and suck at short-form writing, but so does my silicon friend. We shall suck together then, and our account will be baren.
To create summaries of my articles, post them on another blog, and link back. I don’t think it’s worth the hassle, to be honest. (SEO things)
Speculating on the future, philosophy, and perspectives. I see AI as a representation of the human condition. A summary of all knowledge, thoughts, and opinions rolled up into one invisible ball. It's biased and flawed, but sometimes it does produce intriguing results. I’m still waiting for the mind-blowing part, though.
I use AI to help me create headlines for my articles.
I have been forced to concede that “normal, rational, sane” headlines just don’t do the trick anymore. In a sea of hyper-intense and jumpy titles, mine got lost entirely. I hate it, but I have begun adapting to the realities of Internet publishing. The title has to jump out at the reader for them to click. Dammit it, the cruelty of having to submit to the internet click-baiting practices.
Anyway, I use HeadlineStudio to check how boring my titles are and try to improve them.
The paid version, although way too expensive, is really good. I use the free one just to understand where I’m at. It has taught me to think differently about the titles of my articles, and I now pay more attention to them. Is that a good thing or not? I don’t know. We must all adapt to the medium we are striving to create on, right?
You start with a title you feel best represents what you have written:
But then you try to improve the score in the app by adding power, emotional, and rare words, making it a question and shorter, for example. Before you know it, you end up with:
Yes, that’ll do the trick. That will make my writing stand out!
I have to mention the Hemingway app since it helps simplify the structure and sentences of your articles.
Lord knows I need a reminder to shorten my sentences and simplify things in my writing. (stop nodding!) I can’t help it. I love long, complicated sentences. It’s how I think with my inner voice and how I write.
I don’t use it much, but there is value there. It’s free for the basic stuff. The general consensus is people are goldfish with limited attention spans, and the average internet user is at the reading level of a sixth grader (no joke). I guess there is no point in writing things no one will understand. We, writers, want to be read and understood by everyone.
I love my robot helpers (AI apps).
How could you not? Just look how adorable they are. They’re waiving at you. Wave back!
I have tested, played around with, and used many more of these AI tools. Some were great, most expensive, and underutilized, but these have remained in my “robot team.”
I honestly don’t want to write, edit, illustrate, and publish without them anymore. Once you go AI, there is no going back. I do not need to find better ones regarding their specific operational field.
I do, however, crave assistance where I can’t seem to find it:
I would love to have an effective AI app covering all social media accounts. Set it up and let it rip. No input from me. Not just the crafting and posting but also the networking. I suck at it, and I don’t want to spend any more time on social media networks than I absolutely have to. It’s poison for my mind.
I crave an AI assistant who would handle all the sales pitches, apply to publications (including making lists and doing the work), and essentially, be my “sales robot.” Yes, I suck at sales too, and I hate marketing myself. “Sir - do you suck at everything?” Quite possibly, but there’s no need to be rude.
I would gladly build a few shadow blogs and have my AI in charge of SEO take care of the rest. Create and execute an SEO strategy like a pro: so much work, tricks, traps, and so little time. But so far, it’s bleak help at best.
I want to write. Everything else I would delegate if I could afford it. I can’t, so please don’t send me your CVs.
There is an overwhelming amount of new tools coming out every day and keeping up with them is borderline impossible (or necessary) unless it’s your core business.
I’m far more interested in the grand questions, the philosophy, science, and the not-yet-discovered part of Artificial Intelligence. I like thinking about the big ideas, perspectives, and possible futures.
Don’t worry. I won’t leave you empty-handed with your pants down, lusting for more, more, more AI content!
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This was super interesting. While I don’t use AI to help me with my writing I respect that you do. And I must say you article made me think I’m over here trying to churn butter likes it’s the seventeen hundreds haha.
Like you, I use Grammarly for spell check and grammar check. I use Nightcafe and the sxdl 1.0 for my pictures. I also use Chat-got to help me describe things I've never seen. I asked it to describe the inside of a sorcerer's mansion, and it gave me several great ideas.
I use it for research, but when I write, I take those descriptions as a starting point for what I want to describe.
There's nothing wrong with AI, as long as it's just an assistant.