AI Use Statement
There are two broad categories of AI: assistive (non-generative) and generative.
Assistive tools support tasks like proofreading, organisation, and analysis, and mean the work is still human-created.
Generative tools produce original content, or at least help to.
My fiction is human-created, with some use of assistive AI tools.
Use of Assistive AI
- spelling and grammar checks (e.g. the non-generative elements within programs like Grammarly or ProwritingAid)
- Late-draft consistency scans (e.g. names, tense, repeated words)
- Research and fact checking (for example, ‘how long would a body take to decompose at ‘this’ temperature, in ‘these’ conditions?’)
(That means I haven’t used generative AI for my novel plots, writing, book covers, and print and ebook file formatting)
Use of Generative AI (Non-Manuscript Contexts)
I have used generative AI in specific ways which do not form part of my manuscripts.
1. I create promotional images for social media (or my website) based on my novel’s characters. Where used, these visuals are intended as supplementary material and I mark them as AI-generated.
2. I have experimented with producing songs based on my own written lyrics using AI tools. The voice and music are AI-generated; the lyrics and creative direction are mine. I have created a pretend singer — named for fun but also to keep it separate from me as an author of novels. I label all elements except the lyrics as AI-generated wherever possible (not all platforms currently support AI-generation labelling).
Sarina from the North Queensland Vampire Series. An example of an AI generated image used for promotion.
A Note on Ethical Considerations
I recognise the serious ethical concerns surrounding AI, particularly the use of writers', musicians', and visual artists' work in training models without consent. It's an uncomfortable co-existence. These tools are now widely used despite the unresolved ethical questions around their origins. I use them pragmatically while still investing in human creators, for example requesting particular novels for my library, and buying vinyl albums and audiobooks to listen to.
You may also be interested in a blog I wrote (primarily for writers and others in the publishing industry) called AI Is Already Changing How You Write — Even If You Don't Use It. The title is fairly explanatory. I consider this yet another uncomfortable development and, at present, I am not aware of a clear solution for it.
Morgan x