The Potential Use of AI in Post-Production

...it could be an invaluable tool for authors

*This started as a discussion topic on my very small Discord where people aren’t unhinged about AI like 90 percent of Twitter.

Let me preface this by saying that if you have a problem with AI, I don’t care. I’ve had several lengthy discussions on the topic on Twitter over the last several months. I’ve said my peace there, which falls on deaf ears anyway, because people lose their minds when they are overcome with great, albeit irrational, fear. “But… but… Rob… AI has no soul!” Well buddy, I don’t think humans have souls either, and we don’t have to have the same belief system. Also, maybe you overvalue that shitty ass Tumblr art, just sayin’. “But… but… it’s stealing from the artist!” Um, didn’t you just tell me to “sail the high seas” for that shitty company’s movie in your last stream?

Anyway, if anything in the preceding paragraph triggers you, that’s a you problem.

Moving on!

At my real job, I’ve experimented with ChatGPT with marketing copy, press releases, and other things that need to be pumped out relatively fast. Also, it’s basically free (but my company is now paying for premium).

The results have been mixed but having AI pump out something that can then be proofed and edited by a human saves a lot of time and money. If you are a copywriter, as I sometimes am, make use of the new tools at your disposal and master them to conquer more work and earn yourself more money. It’s better to stay ahead of the curve than to be yeeted by it.

Anyway, after I finished my most recent short story, I wondered how helpful ChatGPT-4 would be. Not as a proofreader or editor, but as a method of reviewing the story and giving feedback.

Frankly, I thought the experiment was pretty helpful and badass.

As the chatbot and I talked, it went into pretty uncanny details about the plot structure, pacing, action, characters, relationships, and dialogue. It also suggested what may or may not work, as some things weren't crafted in a more traditional manner. Additionally, it understood what I was doing as far as my use of present tense and how it helps the story flow in real time and makes it read like a movie scene playing out in one's mind. These are conclusions it came to on its own, which match what my intentions with my current writing style have been.

It also brought up things that could be omitted, things that should be emphasized more, and also corrected itself when it saw how things came together by the final chapter. It realized that some of its assumptions were wrong once it could view the entire puzzle after it was assembled.

Because of the size of the story, I fed it to ChatGPT chapter-by-chapter and we discussed each one before moving on to the next. I had no intention of altering my story, and I was analyzing how the chatbot was handling this task, as it was providing rapid fire feedback. Ultimately, it was just kind of fun to fuck around with this way, and it allowed me to see the potential in it, as it learns and adapts.

Now I wouldn't use AI to write my stories, because it has some real problems when it comes to that sort of task (from what I've seen) and because those AI stories wouldn't be my stories. Also, the process of writing is my actual therapy. Still, it's really neat seeing it compare and contrast my work with more famous work it’s absorbed, pointing out the stylistic differences, but also coming to understand why I do things the way I do.

While I don't know if this is something I would do on a regular basis, it was a fun experiment to see how AI could be helpful to writers. Especially, those without a group of beta readers at their disposal or those who question if they’ve really got the skills needed to try and become a published writer.

Another aspect that I haven’t deliberately messed around with but the chatbot started doing on its own, was predicting what would happen next. This could be an interesting way to see if your story is doing a good job of keeping your mystery or plot twist a secret until the big reveal. Are you planting too much evidence? The chatbot might catch it and formulate its theory.

In the end, I think that it’s impossible to tell how this technology will continue to evolve but it will, whether that upsets you or not. The cat is out of the bag, man. Most of this tech is open source now. Will it take jobs? Most assuredly. But new tech has been doing that since the beginning of time.

So, pour out a little liquor for those stone carriers that had their careers utterly eradicated by the cart.