Can I say bullshit here? Yeah, it’s my newsletter. I can say whatever I want to say.

Is bullshit a sign that generative AI is entering the “Trough of Disillusionment?”

Maybe…

✏️ Live online learning session!

Ever felt lost about what to send to your email list or post on your blog? Pondered the perfect frequency or timing?

I've crafted a specialized Zoom session to unveil the secrets of leveraging ChatGPT to create authentic content that truly resonates with your voice.

👉👉👉 Click here to register!

Be among the first 100 to register and you'll receive a complimentary Zoom Q & A follow-up after the session. This bonus is likely to get snapped up in no time!

5:00-6:30PM Eastern on Thursday, November 16, 2023. A replay will be available for those who can't attend live. Only $49!

✨ Personal Update

Shout out to Helen Todd and Kendra Ramirez for hosting Cincinnati’s first AI Meetup for humans. Although I’m in Cleveland and somewhat of a machine, I drove to the other end of the state for this, and was glad I did.

We get so siloed in our online communities that we forget talking to people IRL is fun. Even for introverts!

The photographer wandering the UC Digital Futures room snapped this pic of me. I’ll let you caption it.

The next CincyAI Meetup (free event) hosted by Helen and Kendra will be on Tuesday, November 14, from 3-5pm at the UC Digital Futures building — sign up here:

🛑 Locktober: AO3 Authors Bolt the Door Against AI Intruders

Summary

Amid the October festivities of fan fiction, a sense of paranoia is sweeping through the community of Archive of Our Own (AO3) as AI's prying eyes threaten the creative sanctum. To shield their work from AI's grasp, many authors have locked their stories, accessible only to the registered few.

My Take

Alright, let's chew on this hypocrisy—a bunch of authors who've built a following on the words of other authors’ work are now preventing AI from scraping their words on fanfic sites. Seriously?

This whole ruckus boils down to a misunderstanding of how AI interacts with content—it's not plagiarizing your work, it’s learning the patterns of natural language. How many times do we have to say that?

📚 AI’s Cheap Thrills: Unlimited eBook Garbage for Just $35!

Summary

My AI eBook Creation Pro promises a whole book with just three clicks, no literary or tech chops required.

My Take

Shame on ZDNet for publishing the “article” on their site. I almost didn’t link to it because I don’t want to inadvertently promote this, but you should look at it so you know what to avoid.

A tool that whips up eBooks with the ease of three clicks, running on the brainpower of ChatGPT. Who’s the customer? Is it authors? Hardly. They crave the grind, the sweet ache of birthing ideas onto a page. Is it the average person? They're more about flipping pages than filling them.

What’s being accomplished if you can generate unlimited books, for life, with just 3 clicks?

Services like this feel more legit, but I’m still wondering who’s interested in “writing” a book by telling AI to write a book. And even more importantly, who’s going to read that stuff?

🎯 Prompt of the Week

💸 Do you know what costs more than $5.00?

• A banana milkshake

• A pack of 10 envelopes

• 50 ounces of laundry detergent

• A roll of paper towels

Do you know what costs less than these things but is worth 10x as much?

The premium membership! It’s called Creative AI Insider, and you can get it for less than five bucks a month. Check out the August 2023 Creative AI Insider report for free!

🤖 Generative AI: The New Brushstroke or a Stain on Artistry?

Summary

Generative AI art is reshaping the canvas of creativity, sparking a blend of skepticism and embrace among artists. The tech, while a shortcut to creativity, nudges art into uncharted yet potentially enriching terrains.

Paul Dowling, a technologist-artist, views this as a pivotal blend of tradition and innovation, akin to the advent of paint. However, the surge in AI-generated art throws authenticity into the whirlpool of debate. The fusion invites a reimagining of creativity's bounds, yet with a footnote of caution as copyright laws scuffle to keep pace with AI's artistic stride.

My Take

I loved Paul Dowling's analogy of AI art's emergence to the discovery of paint. Yet, the authenticity concern looms like a dark cloud over this digital art renaissance.

Blockchain could be the answer, ensuring art's authenticity amidst the AI-generated art flurry. The explosion of AI-created images—15 billion in a year and a half, no less—certainly sends ripples through the essence of originality.

True value in art, it seems, will hinge on the unique brand an artist carves amidst this digital deluge. While AI flings open doors to a realm where creativity and code entwine, it's the human touch, the unique brand, that'll steal the spotlight.

🖥️ Riding the AI Wave: Designers Share the Ups and Downs

Summary

Leading graphic designers share how AI is impacting graphic design, highlighting its usefulness in repetitive tasks and rapid concept generation, while also expressing concerns over potential loss of originality, ownership issues, and an over-reliance that might lead to a "sea of sameness" in design outputs.

Despite these challenges, there's an optimistic tone regarding the blend of AI and human creativity, as AI can handle mundane tasks, leaving room for more human-centric creative exploration.

My Take

We're at a juncture where AI is both a marvel and a concern for graphic design. Its ability to hasten mundane tasks is a boon, but the looming “sameness” of design is a real worry.

While AI expedites, the essence of originality, insight, and human touch in design is irreplaceable. AI is a tool, not the artist.

👩‍💻 Does AI have a sense of humor? Elle Cordova does.

Virtual Assistants: PART 3

The latest installment of the saga! You’re now caught up. Will they get to ask Jeeves?

You can support Elle Cordova on Patreon.

Check it out! 👇

ellecordova

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📝 Using ChatGPT to Write and Optimize Your Amazon Sales Page

If you hate writing or paying someone to write your Amazon sales page description, check out the presentation I gave recently at the Fiction Marketing Academy summit.

You can watch the video on YouTube. And I provide a transcript and prompts (linked below the YouTube embed).

Summary:

• J. Thorn presents how to use ChatGPT to write a compelling sales description for Amazon book listings, emphasizing the use of AI for sales and marketing rather than actual book writing.

• He recommends using the premium version, ChatGPT Plus, costing $20/month for its superior output compared to the free version.

• J. Thorn does not believe using AI for creative writing in the voice of famous authors like JK Rowling or Stephen King is ethical, but sees no issue with using comps (comparisons) in marketing to draw parallels for readers.

• A template is provided where users fill in specific book details, which can then be input into ChatGPT to generate descriptions and a list of 50 SEO optimized keywords for Amazon.

• The AI can generate multiple descriptions based on variations and tweaks, allowing authors to choose the best or blend multiple outputs for the final version.

Get the summary, transcript, and prompts 👉👉👉 here.

Transcript and summary generated by Glasp and ChatGPT.

⭐ AI Superstar - Teach2AI by Sophie Theodorou

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DISCLAIMERS:

This issue may contain affiliate links that might get you a discount. If you buy something, I get a small % from the seller at no cost to you.

Nothing in this newsletter should be considered financial, medical, marital, or advice of any kind. But we can still be friends.I can feel it coming in the air tonight.