At the annual Gathering of the Ghosts event in NY, AI was a hot topic as sessions focused on the business of writing and the future of the profession. I was lucky to join the conversation to offer my thoughts as both a writer and as a publisher. Here are some of my takeaways from the two-day conference:
- Writers Should Be Using AI (But Not for Writing) – This may seem obvious, but the widely held opinion among most was that AI is a great tool for organizing content, doing preliminary research, offering a sounding board or helping with small details like mapping a timeline of events or assisting with ideas for character names. In a room full of elite level writers, unsurprisingly the conclusion was that AI was nowhere near as good at actual writing as anyone in the room.
- Data About How Writers Use AI Is Revealing – As part of the event, my friend Josh Bernoff explored some of the interesting insights from his survey of AI and the Writing Profession that collected responses from 1,481 writers. The survey offered plenty of statistics about how writers use AI, what tools they generally use and how they feel about it.
- Demand For Writers Is Still Strong, But It Is Uneven – Among the writers at the conference, they reported feeling like the demand for their services was still at a premium and people needed their skills to write books. As you approach newer writers who are starting in the industry or those who specialize in more online content, they were feeling the impact of AI tools far more on their roles and opportunities.
- The Need for Camaraderie & Bonding Is Real – Writers can be a solitary bunch so the event also offered a much-needed chance for them to get to know one another, and it was clear the connections are real and will last.