AI Authors vs. Human Authors

AI generated stories lack creative elements quality fiction requires

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

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Artificial intelligence forms a popular cornerstone for many science fiction stories. Some stories offer cautionary tales where AI conquers the world and slaughters any human who opposes those plans. Others will use AI as a central character in explorations of what it means to be human. All of these stories are told through the lens of a human author, of course, who uses robots and other forms of AI to explore universal questions.

Real world advances in artificial intelligence have opened a door for AI to assume a role of author and storyteller. If you do a google search for terms like “AI novel writing” you’ll turn up several new apps and websites devoted to providing AI assistance in producing your novel. You simply enter a few basic story elements, press a button, and let an AI fill in the blanks in bringing your novel to life.

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Does this mean flesh-and-blood authors will soon be rendered obsolete in a strange new world dominated by artificial intelligence?

Not by a long shot.

Examples of AI-produced fiction

I conducted an experiment this weekend to see how AI-produced fiction compared to human-produced fiction. I selected a writing prompt from a master list of writing prompts which I use from time to time to get my creative juices flowing. I chose an off-the-wall prompt to truly test the extent of the AI’s creative writing abilities.

Here’s the prompt I used:

• Write a scene where refrigerator condiments in the door shelves plot to take over prime real estate on the top shelf, front and center. Will milk be spilled?

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Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

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Using the prompt above, here is the first unedited scene the AI composed:

The refrigerator condiments were fed up with the daily abuse they faced. Being shoved to the back, squished into the small door shelves, and nearly forgotten—they knew they deserved better. The top shelf, front and center, was their ultimate goal. 

The mustard and ketchup had been plotting for years, but could not figure out a way to make it happen. Until one day – a light bulb moment – they figured out that if everyone worked together, it would be possible.

The first step of their plan was to slowly create chaos in the refrigerator: jams sliding off shelves, pickles spilling onto yogurt containers, and sauces leaking onto lettuce leaves—all while remaining unseen by human eyes.

Next, they strategically arranged themselves on the door shelves so that when the human entered for food items like milk or eggs, their prime real estate plan would become abundantly clear.

The human opened the door and was shocked to see what had happened inside.

I tried this process out a second time with a different AI. Once again, I had it compose a scene using the same writing prompt the first AI used.

Here’s the unedited result:

The milk was fuming. They had been planning for weeks, and now the day was finally here. The refrigerator condiments had been discussing their plot to take over prime real estate on the top shelf, front and center. It was a daring mission, but they were determined to succeed.

The mustard was the mastermind, the ketchup was the muscle, and the mayo was the diplomat. Together, they had come up with a plan. They would sneak out of their containers, one by one, and make their way up to the coveted top shelf.

They were almost there, but then something unexpected happened. The milk noticed their plot and began to stir. Suddenly, the refrigerator door opened and a hand reached in.

Both versions offer a rudimentary framework for building a short story. Neither one stands on its own as a compelling narrative.

Each version of AI-produced prose lacks a soul and is quite ordinary in setting the scene. Tons of telling instead of showing. No details are present involving the basic five senses. Thus the scenes lack a tangible visual element surrounding the refrigerator itself or individual condiments occupying the shelves. Most importantly, no identifiable individual characters drive the brief narrative.

You can bet a skilled human author would be much more creative using the same prompt than an AI. Why? Because the same scene in their hands would blend all key elements needed to bring a story to life into the narrative. Such a story would feature distinct characters relatable to the average reader — even if those characters take the form of bottles filled with condiments.

Photo by Super Snapper on Unsplash

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Human authors are irreplaceable

Some industries will be completely transformed by the continued emergence and evolution of artificial intelligence. We’ve already seen it in manufacturing on a wide scale where robots have spent a generation or longer manning assembly lines in place of human factory workers.

No doubt artificial intelligence will influence the process of writing and publishing a novel in specific areas. It may be successfully employed to compose marketing copy or identify relevant keywords for metadata. Still, an AI will never replace a human author in the act of creating the story itself.

Creative writing requires a soul to live. Authors are shaped by a lifetime of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Those elements bleed through into the prose they craft. Artificial intelligence has not advanced to a point where it can replicate those elements without a discernible difference in quality. Bestselling novels written exclusively by robot authors is a concept still reserved for the realm of science fiction.

In other words, AI authors will not render human authors obsolete any time within the near future.

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