Should I Let AI Write The Rest of My Book?

I’ve been hearing a lot about the value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) lately. Apparently, there are some concerns by educators that students might use AI to complete their assignments. I’ve also read some comments about the use of AI by authors. So, I checked it out. I created a free account on chat.openai.com and input: Describe a character who was reprimanded by husband

Here’s the generated response:

I’m sorry, but without any further context or details about the character and their situation, it’s difficult for me to give a specific answer to your question. Can you please provide more information or context about the character, such as their personality, background, or the reason why their husband reprimanded them? This will help me provide a more accurate and helpful response.

Wow! What a very detailed response. I tried again:

Describe conversation between subservient wife and overbearing husband regarding giving away part of family business to adult son who is getting married

If you’ve been following my writing progress, you’ll recognize that the characters I’m referring to are my great-grandparents, Sigmund and Rosa Lichtenthal, two of the main characters in my novel. I have to admit I’m pretty impressed with the dialogue generated below.

Here’s a possible conversation between a subservient wife and an overbearing husband regarding giving away part of the family business to their adult son who is getting married:

Wife: “Excuse me dear, may I ask you something?”

Husband: “What is it now? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Wife: “I know dear, but I was thinking about our son’s upcoming wedding. Do you think it’s a good idea to give him a share of our family business as a wedding gift?”

Husband: “Absolutely not! Our business is our legacy, and we can’t just give it away to him. He needs to earn it like we did.”

Wife: “But dear, he has been working with us for years, and he has shown great potential. And besides, he’s getting married and will need some financial support.”

Husband: “I don’t care about that. He needs to learn the value of hard work and sacrifice. Giving him a share of the business will only make him lazy and entitled.”

Wife: “I understand your concerns dear, but our son is not like that. He’s a responsible and hardworking young man, and I believe he deserves this opportunity.”

Husband: “I’m sorry, but my decision is final. We can’t afford to risk our business and our legacy on a whim. Our son needs to prove himself first before we can even consider giving him a share of the business.”

Wife: “I see dear, but can we at least discuss this further and explore other options? Maybe we can give him a smaller share or set some conditions for him to meet.”

Husband: “I suppose we can discuss it more, but my answer is still no. Our son needs to earn his place in the business, not have it handed to him on a silver platter.”

I was most impressed by the use of the word “legacy”, a concept that figures prominently in my story.

What really amazed me is the tone of the husband’s words. They could easily have been spoken by Sigmund, (at least the way I’ve portrayed him!) especially the part about the son becoming lazy and entitled. My great-grandfather actually had a poem tucked into his wallet that basically had the same sentiment.

Of course, the dialogue is rather stilted, but I could see how using AI might jumpstart a scene I might be struggling with. In fact, just this morning, I received some great dialogue ideas from my writing group. Unfortunately, I was brain-dead and just couldn’t get a grip on the conversation. I turned to AI again: Create a conversation between father and 17-year-old son where father is overbearing hat maker and wants son to go into family business

Within seconds, I had the bones of a great scene.

Father: Son, I’ve been thinking about your future and I have a proposition for you. I want you to come work with me in the family business as a hat maker.

Son: Dad, I appreciate your offer, but I don’t think I want to become a hat maker. I have other plans for my future.

Father: What other plans? The hat-making business has been in our family for generations. It’s a stable and profitable career.

Son: I know, but I want to explore my own passions and interests. I want to pursue a career in music.

Father: Music? That’s not a stable career. You need to have a stable job that can support you for the rest of your life. Hat-making can provide you with that stability.

Son: I understand that, but I want to take a chance on myself and see if I can make it in the music industry. Plus, I have other skills and interests that I want to explore.

Father: Son, you don’t understand the value of hard work and the importance of family. The hat-making business is not just a career, it’s a legacy. You need to carry on the family tradition.

There was more, but you get the idea. From the suggested dialogue, I wrote an entire scene. Is that cheating? Maybe. But it also helped me unlock my frozen brain. At least I finished a scene rather than staring at the screen, accomplishing nothing. I probably would have come up with something similar on my own. Eventually. But, geez… I’m 68 years old and have a looooong way to go on this rewrite. I’ll take any help I can get!