Ethical AI uses machine-learning for data analysis and research—rather than using generative artificial intelligence to replace the human artist, writer, or creative. While generative AI “creates” content from sometimes plagiarised input, general artificial intelligence can ease the burdens of research.
Here’s how artificial intelligence can be put to (good) use. 
Visualization
I’ve heard from many authors who visualized their characters using games like The Sims Character Creation tools. Artificial intelligence can create a simple visual or “mock-up” as a way to personally visualize an idea.
As someone visually inclined, if I wanted to see my lead character—balding, 50s, comfortable wear—I could use OpenAI or Pixlr to ease my writing process. AI could also create a mock-up image of the character’s workplace.
As long as you don’t push towards commercial use (or claim something created with artificial intelligence is yours), AI can help authors see their creations easier.
Generative AI versus Artificial Intelligence
Dall-E, Adobe Firefly, and ChatGPT can produce audio, images, text, and video using machine learning—however artists like Scott Sava discourage artificial intelligence replacing human artistic effort.
Artists and writers risk being replaced when clients choose generative AI over actual creativity. Machine-learning data—like a song that sounds exactly like Michael Jackson, or a poem that could have been Sylvia Plath, are tempting to use.
However, nongenerative, or traditional AI can be used for tasks that would be tedious, time-consuming, or impossible for one person. Nongenerative AI doesn’t generate: it analyzes input.
Journalist’s Toolbox features AI-driven fact-checking tools, including text and audio-visual checkers.
For example, does Iron Man’s AI lieutenant JARVIS replace Iron Man—or does Tony Stark use his personal AI as a tool to augment specific skills?
Research and Fact-Checking
Nongenerative AI is useful for research or fact-checking. Bing’s Copilot and ChatGPT provide research beyond simply Googling your topic—though, remember, AI should augment research, not replace it.
As a tip, ask your chatbot to always cite its sources. This way, authors can manually check the details (because sometimes, quite notoriously, AI can make mistakes).
Research with AI sometimes turns up extra, interesting information that would have taken hours to find manually, but make sure its sources are sound.
Teaching or Improving Grammar
Artificial intelligence can be a teaching tool for spelling and grammar.
Basic tools might catch the odd spelling mistake but let through grammar gremlins. AI-powered checkers like Grammarly are a second look at your first spell-checker’s efficiency.
Using your word processor’s spell-checker isn’t considered cheating. The computer simply augments what the human is doing. Nongenerative AI spell-checkers are just the next step.
Data Analysis
Journalists and authors can AI tools for large sets of data analysis—for example, checking for patterns or anomalies through what could be hundreds of thousands of text lines.
Julius.ai provides AI-generated graphs and data analysis. Tell the system what you’re looking for and results will appear faster than humans could have read through the first page.
Let’s imagine you needed to search 5,000 pages for the word “exemplary.” Would you rather do it page for page, or press CTRL+F for the Find-function?
Identifying AI Use
Artificial intelligence can recognize itself, too, which is useful when checking whether something could have been created with or faked by AI.
Deepfakes (falsified AI audio-visual content) are difficult to spot with the human eye, but with artificial intelligence you might even be able to find out which tool was used to create the AI content.
Deepfake Detector, GPTZero, and Deepware can be used to identify whether text, images, or audio/video content have been created or augmented using artificial intelligence.
Writers and AI
Writers love or hate AI, but newsrooms accept it’s here to stay.
Responsible, nongenerative use is equivalent to the calculator’s invention over the abacus. Computers ease tasks without “cheating” or replacing people. However, many people fear artificial intelligence.
Don’t fear all of it, though. Learn what general AI can do. It might come in handy.
About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird. Sometimes, he co-writes with others.
Leave a Reply