How A.I. is Redefining Creative Writing | Stephen Marche with Eben Pagan

How A.I. is Redefining Creative Writing | Stephen Marche with Eben Pagan

Introduction

Today Eben Pagan is interviewing Steven Marche, an award-winning novelist known for his fiction and regular columns for publications like Esquire, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. Marche is also a former professor at the City College of New York and the host of the popular Audible podcast, "How Not to Up Your Kids Too Bad."

Since 2017, Marche has been working with artificial intelligence (AI), and he made headlines with his first AI-assisted novella, "Death of an Author." This pioneering work has sparked significant discussions on how AI can be a collaborative storytelling tool. Today, we’ll delve into how AI is revolutionizing creative writing and Marche’s approach to leveraging this technology to enhance human creativity.

The Origin of Marche's Involvement with AI

Marche's journey into AI started somewhat reluctantly. In 2012, he wrote a critique against digital humanities, which employs technology to read and analyze texts. Despite his initial skepticism, notably because the digital humanities often provided obvious insights masked as tech innovations, genuine scholars encouraged Marche to explore the field further. By 2017, he had begun using AI to write fiction, pioneering experiments in AI-assisted storytelling even before the technology gained mainstream attention.

Living in Toronto, Marche also had the serendipitous advantage of connecting with key figures in AI, further deepening his interest and experimental undertakings.

Generative Intelligence in Fiction Writing

Marche approached AI as a potentially generative tool rather than solely analytical. He imagined AI could assist in the creative process, much like how a writer studies and applies narrative techniques. His experiments bore fruit, illustrating the generative potential of AI in fiction.

However, Marche emphasized that while AI excels in mimicking complex styles, it struggles with simpler, foundational storytelling tasks like creating compelling plots. This paradox underscores AI’s strengths in elaborating on intricate stylistic details rather than generating original narrative structures.

Collaborative Process with AI

Marche’s collaborative work with AI has evolved over the years. For his novella "Death of an Author," he combined several AI tools: ChatGPT for generating text based on specific prompts, Pseudo Write for lengthening or shortening text and applying stylistic nuances, and Coherent for creating highly refined sentences trained on specific authors.

Marche described the process as labor-intensive yet remarkably fruitful. The best lines from his works were a result of this meticulously crafted collaboration between human creativity and machine learning.

Artistic Creativity and AI: A Symbiotic Relationship

Marche likens the creative process involving AI to the evolution of hip-hop, where technical innovation and an extensive archive of knowledge coalesce to create something original. He argues that the art of using AI lies in understanding both the technology and the historical sweep of the creative forms being manipulated.

He stresses that AI should be seen not as a replacement for human creativity but as a tool to augment it, much like how the advent of photography did not destroy painting but offered new avenues for artistic expression.

Advice to Artists and Writers

For those fearful of AI's impact on creative fields, Marche advises engagement rather than avoidance. He encourages artists and writers to experiment with different AI systems, understanding that while AI can offer exciting possibilities, foundational skills in writing and storytelling remain indispensable.

Moreover, he highlights the importance of recognizing AI as a tool for enhancing creativity rather than a threat to it. As artists navigate this new landscape, they should view AI as a source of fascination and potential, rather than fear.

Conclusion

Marche envisions the future of AI in creative writing as a magical frontier filled with yet-to-be-discovered potential. He urges the creative community to embrace AI as a means to explore new realms of joy and beauty. As this technology continues to evolve, so too will our creative practices, paving the way for unprecedented artistic possibilities.

Keywords

• AI-assisted storytelling
• Generative Intelligence
• Creative Collaboration
• Fiction Writing
• Artistic Innovation
• Digital Humanities
• Prompt Engineering

FAQ

What initially attracted Steven Marche to AI for creative writing? Marche began exploring AI in 2017, influenced by scholarly encouragement and fortuitous encounters with key AI figures in Toronto. His experiments with AI-assisted storytelling sought to see if technology could be applied creatively, not just analytically.

How does Marche use AI in his creative process? Marche employs a combination of AI tools, including ChatGPT, Pseudo Write, and Coherent, to generate, refine, and style text. This multi-faceted approach allows him to craft highly specific and stylistically rich content.

What tasks are AI particularly good at in creative writing? AI excels at mimicking complex styles and creating elaborate stylistic details. However, it struggles with simpler tasks like generating compelling plots, often producing banal and uninspired results.

What advice does Marche offer to artists and writers afraid of AI? Marche advises artists to engage with AI, experiment with different systems, and view the technology as an enhancement to their creativity. Foundational skills in writing and storytelling remain crucial, and AI should be seen as a source of fascination rather than fear.

Does Marche believe AI will replace human creativity? No, Marche views AI as a tool that augments human creativity rather than replaces it. He compares it to the advent of photography, which offered new avenues for artistic expression without rendering traditional forms obsolete.