"The trouble, at least for me, is that this kind of speech is mostly fiction; the path is only a path in retrospect. Telling the story this way elides, smooths over, and underestimates the role of circumstance and dumb luck. Most of what a writer experiences is failure. Developing a voice takes years."
"AI obviates the need to enter the woods in the first place. Why face the blank page and the blinking cursor? Why struggle to understand what you mean and how to articulate it? Why listen to your own croaky, warbly voice when you can push the button for fluid, facile, polished language, available anytime, on any subject?"
"When I speak to high-school and college students (including my own children), I worry that at the time when they should be developing their own voices, they're being told they don't need to bother. AI writes for us, reads for us, thinks for us. It replaces our voice with its own."
Developing as a writer requires navigating uncertainty, failure, and years of struggle to discover an authentic voice. The conventional narrative of literary formation smooths over the role of circumstance and luck, presenting a false sense of linear progress. AI now threatens this essential process by offering immediate, polished language without effort. Rather than facing the blank page and wrestling with meaning, writers can outsource their voice to AI systems. This undermines the fundamental work of self-discovery and articulation that defines authentic writing. Young writers especially risk losing the opportunity to develop genuine voices when AI provides frictionless alternatives.
#ai-and-writing #authentic-voice-development #literary-education #creative-struggle #technology-and-artistry
Read at The Atlantic
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