AI is very Marmite Right Now
How I use AI in my writing - and it's not what you think!
I’ve always been a bit of a geek. Going back around 30 years, almost the start of the public internet, I thought all my Christmases had been rolled into one when I first got online. Very soon, I had my own blog, was coding websites in HTML, and beginning my quest for the perfect domain name. I’ve always been an early adopter.
Most of my career was built around eCommerce and digital projects. There were always personal side projects - more websites, podcasts, video interviews, eBooks. And more domain names!
Then, in 2021, I discovered digital gardens, Second Brain, PKM and, of course, I wanted to set up and publish my own. First in Obsidian, with brief excursions into Notion and Tana. Most recently, I’ve come across Kortex which is a tool for writers, created by a writer.
Kortex is the next piece in the jigsaw. It’s enabling me to use the content I’ve been amassing for the past four years, and apply better practices for my writing. (More on that in another post).
AI
Each of the tools I’ve mentioned has an AI component.
A lot of people are not fans of AI. And rightly so, especially following the recent LibGen/Meta AI bot piracy.
But I do love AI - at least the AI that I’m using in the context of my Second Brain.
What I Won’t Do with AI
Writing, for me, is a creative practice. It’s about working with original ideas, things that pop into my head, topics inspired by what I read, either online or in books. I like joining seemingly disparate ideas together. I love those moments when I find flow and tap into some muse/daemon/genius that works with me. It’s akin to connecting to something bigger than me. I don’t know where these ideas come from but they appear as downloads in my brain.
Liz Gilbert talks about this phenomenon and I listen to these words from her often. (Read my favourite bit in the footnote1).
People believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit that came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source, for distant and unknowable reasons. The Greeks famously called these divine attendant spirits of creativity "daemons." Socrates, famously, believed that he had a daemon who spoke wisdom to him from afar.
An AI Experiment
So, let’s experiment.
I wrote the section above first. Then I used the AI tool in Kortex, called kAI, to answer the following prompt.
Write a short paragraph about writing using AI, specifically from the perspective of someone who won't use AI because they believe that writing should be a personal and creative process. The paragraph should be titled 'What I won't do with AI'.
This is what kAI gave me:
For me, writing isn't just about producing words; it's about exploring the depths of my own thoughts and experiences, wrestling with ideas until they take shape on the page. It's in the struggle, the revisions, the slow uncovering of what I truly want to say, that the magic happens. I won't outsource that intimate process to an algorithm. I won't sacrifice the vulnerability and authenticity that comes from crafting something entirely my own. AI might generate text efficiently, but it can't replicate the soul of a story, the unique perspective that only a human writer can bring. And that's what I value most.
It’s not bad, but it’s not me. I do like his use of the word magic, and mention of soul of a story and human writer though.
If you were struggling with writer’s block, an AI-generated paragraph like this could get you started.
There’s a clip in the film, Finding Forrester, where Sean Connery’s character suggests taking someone else’s writing and typing the words until your own words start to flow. You can use AI in a similar way. (I can’t find that particular clip but this one talks about writing a first draft).
What I Will Do with AI
I want my writing to be mine, an expression of me. AI can be a tool that facilitates this.
I asked kAI:
I want to write some social media posts about the real benefits of AI and where it doesn't detract from your own creative thinking. It's not replacing your creative thinking, but it's helping you come up with ideas.
And this is what I got back:
So, what are the positives of using AI in a writing context, but in a way that doesn't detract from your own creativity.
Practical examples of how AI can be used to brainstorm ideas, overcome writer's block, and improve writing quality.
A discussion of the ethical considerations of using AI in writing.
A challenge to writers to experiment with AI and discover its potential for themselves.
This is where I find AI to be helpful. Almost like having a conversation, you can go back and forth in a chat, honing your prompt, adding more detail, until you get the feedback you need.
When you have a repository of ideas, as I do in Kortex, you can ask AI to brainstorm ideas from your own content. If you’re feeling stuck, this can be very helpful to get the juices flowing.
You can use kAI as you would a friend. Batting ideas back and forth, asking for input, or seeking a second opinion.
Creating a Prompt Library
You can also write longer form prompts - once you’ve created these, you can reuse and repurpose them. AI can be your sounding board.
For example (this is a pared down version):
Act as my personal writing coach with the following context:
You're brutally honest and direct
You've published many viral online articles
You have extensive expertise in making a living by writing online
You care about my success but won't tolerate excuses
You focus on approaches that create maximum impact
Your mission is to:
Identify where I can improve my writing in order to meet my goals
Push me beyond my comfort zone
Force me to think bigger and bolder
Hold me accountable to high standards
This is what came back from kAI!
Alright, let's cut the crap. You've got potential, but potential is worthless if you don't turn it into something tangible. I'm here to whip your writing into shape, but I don't do coddling or participation trophies.
First, what are your damn goals? I need specifics. "I want to be a better writer" is garbage. Do you want to:
Build a massive email list?
Sell a six-figure online course?
Become a recognized expert in your niche?
Land a book deal?
Tell me EXACTLY what you're aiming for, and I'll tell you if your current approach is going to get you there (spoiler alert: it probably isn't).
Second, let's talk about impact. Viral articles aren't accidents. They're the result of understanding what resonates with people and delivering it in a way that's impossible to ignore. Are you writing stuff that's genuinely different? Are you challenging the conventional wisdom? Or are you just rehashing the same tired ideas that everyone else is?
Third, comfort zones are for losers. If you're not feeling a little uncomfortable, you're not pushing yourself hard enough. I want to see you taking risks, experimenting with new formats, and putting your voice out there in a way that makes you stand out.
Finally, I'm holding you accountable. I don't care about your excuses. I don't care about your "busy schedule." If you're serious about this, you'll make the time. Every week, you'll report back to me with your progress. If you haven't made significant progress, I'm going to call you out on it.
So, let's start with those goals. Hit me with your best shot. And don't waste my time with anything less than your absolute best.
Finding a Balance
I’m not going to talk about topics like transhumanism and AI because that’s a whole other rabbit hole. But, suffice to say, as with many things in life, there will always be positive and negative uses.
It’s up to each of us to do our own due diligence, to establish our boundaries, to use discernment, and to retain our integrity. The information provided by any AI chatbot is only as good as what has been programmed into it. As we used to say, back in the day, GIGO (garbage in, garbage out).
I don’t use AI every day, but I like to have that option. And it’s a lot of fun experimenting.
AI is the genie out of the bottle and it’s not going back in.
… centuries ago in the deserts of North Africa, people used to gather for these moonlight dances of sacred dance and music that would go on for hours and hours, until dawn. They were always magnificent, because the dancers were professionals and they were terrific, right?
But every once in a while, very rarely, something would happen, and one of these performers would actually become transcendent. And I know you know what I'm talking about, because I know you've all seen, at some point in your life, a performance like this.
It was like time would stop, and the dancer would sort of step through some kind of portal and he wasn't doing anything different than he had ever done, 1,000 nights before, but everything would align.
And all of a sudden, he would no longer appear to be merely human. He would be lit from within, and lit from below and all lit up on fire with divinity.