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- š¦ Issue #13: Owl gear, writers gone wild, and text-to-website coming.
š¦ Issue #13: Owl gear, writers gone wild, and text-to-website coming.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/a99bcb85-b1e1-42c5-993b-5d8864d2edb3/CAID__13.png?t=1689866629)
š¦ Creative AI Digest - Issue #13
This is your favorite weekly newsletter about the intersection of AI and creativity. Only Creative AI Digest brings you a humorous and wise perspective from an author who isn't suing OpenAI.
This issue brought to you byā¦
ā Join 20,000+ writers who outline faster and organize smarter with the #1 visual book planning and story bible software ā my subscribers can save 15% off all Plottr plans through Friday, August 4th! š
Looking to create a personal style guide with ChatGPT? Check out the guest blog post I did for beehiiv. š
The first merch! Oh, Artie the Owl is so well-positioned for puns and dad jokes. The very first design is an unlisted t-shirt on Amazon. If you buy it, Iāll make more.
ā¤ļø Sharing is Caring
Donāt forget to get access to a single spreadsheet containing ALL links from EVERY issue of Creative AI Digest!
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āØ Personal Update
Iāve just published a new book for discovery writers! And plotters will find it fascinating as well. In this new book, I document my process of āperformingā a story with ChatGPT. I had SO much fun writing this way.
Want a gift link from Amazon to get it for free? The first 10 people to share a link to this post on Twitter (tag me @JThorn_) will get a free copy! Sorry, only folks with a U.S. Amazon account who are currently in the United States are eligible. Amazonās rules, not mine.
š PENding Litigation: Authors Write Their Resistance Against AI Overlords
Summary
Nora Roberts, Michael Chabon, Margaret Atwood, and about 8,000 other authors are wielding their mighty pens against the encroaching AI armies of OpenAI and Meta.
Spearheading class action lawsuits and contract amendments, they are striving for a new world order where their intellectual property is protected.
The literary crusaders are demanding AI companies get permission or offer compensation for using their books to train Large Language Models.
My Take
Authors want AI companies to pay for āreadingā their books, but doesn't that muddy the waters of what constitutes learning? If we follow that logic, every individual who's ever turned a page and gleaned insight from a book should be receiving a monthly invoice for ālicensingā fees.
The world of AI certainly needs a sheriff and some laws, no doubt about it. But this particular approach feels like trying to lasso a tornado with a spaghetti strand. Groan. That last line was ChatGPTās joke, not mine.
š» The AI Gold Rush: Unearth a Mother Lode of Opportunities in the Cloud
Summary
Generative AI and cloud computing is reshaping the tech landscape and opening up a slew of juicy new roles. From AI Cloud Architects to AI Ethicists, the forecast calls for a chance of opportunity with a high probability of high pay.
The ground beneath our digital feet is shifting, and those who adapt will find themselves at the forefront of the tech revolution. Consider this your invite to the party of the future.
Here's a role you wouldn't have seen a decade ago: AI Ethicist. In the brave new world of AI, we need wise souls to navigate the ethical mazes and mitigate biases, privacy issues, and societal impacts. Just when you thought tech was all algorithms and no philosophy!
My Take
Given so many pessimistic headlines, itās refreshing to see a more balanced perspective emerging. Too often we hear the ominous toll of AI as the job slayer, but let's not forget the other side of the coin. Just as the churn of the ocean births new waves, so too does the growth of AI herald the creation of a raft of exciting, and crucial, new roles.
That's not to say everyone will ride the crest of this wave; there will inevitably be those who wipe out, a stark reality we must not shy away from.
As we delve deeper into the vast potential, and indeed the pitfalls, of AI, having dedicated ethical compasses to navigate these uncharted waters becomes not just desirable, but a dire necessity, in both the realms of business and government.
šÆ Prompt of the Week
Check out this amazing Midjourney prompt on
@prompthero by Xaber - Big Foot Lives! #AIā J. Thorn š¦ Creative AI Digest (@JThorn_)
1:49 PM ā¢ Jul 20, 2023
Sponsored
Want to learn how to master ChatGPT? Check out this great course from PromptHero! š
š No Fear of AI Here: One Writer's Guide to Keeping It Real (and Keeping His Job)
Summary
The thought of AI taking over jobs can be a spine-chilling prospect for some, particularly those involved in content creation.
The fear factor, according to Levin, stems from three reasons: questionable writing skills, misconceptions about ChatGPT's capabilities (spoiler alert: itās not exactly Hemingway), and future AI advancements.
His words of wisdom? Write more, learn to distinguish the flavorless AI prose, and embrace the fact that AI can't pen an Oscar-winning screenplay or a gut-wrenching novel. Not yet, at least.
My Take
The more I use ChatGPT, the less intimidating it becomes. Itās like dancing with a robot ā yes, it can follow the steps, but it lacks the verve and improvisation of a human partner.
AI, at its core, is an obedient scribe, carrying out the directives we set, missing the nuances that come with human knowledge or life experience.
šļø Writing Wrong: The Introvert's Guide to ChatGPT Collaboration
Summary
For the introverted among us, ChatGPT is a game-changer. They're finding joy in this quiet collaboration, using the bot to overcome writer's block and get their creative juices flowing again.
The introverted writer gets a non-judgmental partner in crime to finesse their work and broaden their creative horizon. And, while it's still early days, and ChatGPT can't exactly be trusted to get everything right or not to buckle under pressure, its presence offers an exciting prospect for future creativity.
The caveat: one must stay in control, continue to ask the hard questions, and never let a bot have the last word.
My Take
I donāt use my INTJ label as a crutch anymore. But Iām still a member of the introvertās club, which means I know the challenges faced by introverted authors.
With the right prompt, an AI tool can be a non-judgmental critique partner that offers unbiased feedback and fresh perspectives, helping writers refine their work and flex their creativity muscles.
But, it's no magical oracle. It will become increasingly crucial for individuals to learn how to direct or teach AI effectively, to coax out the desired results. After all, it's not just about what AI can do for us, it's about what we can do with AI.
āļø Balancing the Scales: AI Boosts Underdog Scribes
Summary
Tools like ChatGPT are swooping in, levelling up the less proficient scribes, and injecting a speedy productivity serum into the process of text creation.
White-collar warriors who've painstakingly honed their writing and analytical prowess may find their abilities less prized in an era of AI language models.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, remember, AI isnāt quite ready to run the whole show. Humans still hold the reins, and the need for diverse skills isn't about to evaporate.
My Take
Some may moan that AI cranks out vanilla-flavored content, but here's the rub: it's lifting that bar of mediocrity a few notches higher.
No longer do weaker writers have to languish in the doldrums of poor prose. Instead, they're hitching a ride on the AI express, producing better content, and let's face it, making the digital landscape a less cringe-inducing place.
However, with expectations raised on the quality of content, the seasoned scribes will need to sharpen their quills and up their game.
š· Text-to-Website? Yes, we can!
Enjoy that Bob the Builder earworm I just planted.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/a8585bae-98b6-4131-8fd2-32355736182e/animated-bob-the-builder-image-0043.gif)
Weāre going to see a LOT more of this coming.
From the article: āTemplate-based website builder Wix has announced that soon itāll let you create entire websites by typing a description into a box and answering a few follow-up questions. Everything, from the design to text and images, will then be automatically generated for you, and from the looks of things, itāll be pretty fast.ā
Check it out! š
ā AI Superstar - Angela Yuriko Smith
Two-time Bram Stoker winner, editor of āSpace & Timeā magazine, and Horror Writers Association board member, Angela Yuriko Smith is keeping an open and positive mind when it comes to AI.
Check out her writings on Substack, and watch the panel she hosted with myself and Jason Franks, talking all things authorly and AI.
Space & Time magazine ToC ā how to get vintage digital back issues for FREE ā the usual 2 free weeks of chonky authortunity š§”š§”š§” GO FORTH & BE PUBLISHED!
https://authortunities.substack.com/p/authortunitiā¦/ā Angela Yuriko Smith (@AngelaYSmith)
4:57 AM ā¢ Jul 14, 2023
Apparently we're suffering an #AI writing apocalypse.
ā J. Thorn š¦ Creative AI Digest (@JThorn_)
1:40 PM ā¢ Jul 20, 2023
š Rando Disco
Random images from the Midjourney Discord server, #newbies channel.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/e2f8e154-bc1f-4f1c-b242-1a949e03be13/wolfpup.png)
/imagine wolf pup, standing , water reflection , nature , trees , realism, black and white
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DISCLAIMERS:
I use AI tools to create this newsletter, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALLE-2. My wife thinks my I is A, but thatās another story.
This issue contains affiliate links. If you click on one and buy something, I get a small % from the seller. Thereās no cost to you, and often, using an affiliate link gets you a discount.
Nothing in this newsletter should be considered financial advice, medical advice, marital advice, or advice of any kind. But we can still be friends.