…AI Made Me the Writer I Am Today.

“Hold on. Get a grip. Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Summer 2022

In a twist of fate, I landed myself in the same southeastern Saskatchewan border town as a childhood friend from Thompson.

Back when we were pre-teens, she was a free spirit—fearless, bold, and defiantly unyielding. Authority and rules were just something to push against. I have one vivid memory of her gently tapping on my bedroom window in the middle of the night, slipping past my sleeping sister, to crawl into my closet to sleep after another fight with her parents. A decade later, our friendship picked up right where it had left off in our youth—minus, of course, the late-night escapes from authority. As luck would have it, I planted roots just outside the very city she would come to dedicate her life to.

That spit-fired spirited girl I once knew had grown into a strong-willed woman, pouring her time and energy into the community we both now called home. Her fun-loving, infectious personality easily secured the votes needed for a seat on city council. She dove in headfirst—joining every committee, showing up at every city function, and lending her fearless voice to every issue that came her way.

I won’t pretend I wasn’t mildly annoyed when spending time with her after her landslide victory. No matter where we went—grabbing lunch or just strolling through the mall—we were constantly stopped by constituents eager to share their views on the most current city issues.

One unexpected perk of her city council seat was the access it gave me to community events. She often invited me along to seminars and guest speaker sessions whenever someone came to town to discuss hot-button issues—especially the ones she knew would spark my interest as a writer. One event I jumped at the chance to attend in particular was a community meeting hosted by a tech company, which opened its doors for a public discussion on artificial intelligence—more commonly known as AI.

Another two dirty words to add to my growing literary list.

The first time the topic of AI turned up was during a Zoom webinar led by a literary agent from Toronto, Ontario. The session geared towards yet to be published writers, offering up insight on the publishing industry in Canada, but the conversation quickly veered toward the subject of AI tools like ChatGPT and ProWritingAid. With one impassioned participant declaring that “AI would destroy the publishing industry as we knew it!”

This declaration not only made my ears perk up, but my curiosity sit up and pay attention. Seriously?

I’m all too familiar with the kind of power that change can have over people. During my time working for a corporation that constantly chased “excellence,” change became a routine disruption. Safety rules were rewritten, corporate policies restructured, standards and regulations overhauled, and departments shuffled as if excellence depended on constant reinvention. But more often than not, these changes coincided with the arrival of a new vice president or a shift in the provincial government—less about progress, more about posturing. I grew tired of the carefully crafted change-management strategies that rarely considered the voices of the workforce—especially the ones who clung to the comfort of the familiar. Weren’t we excellent enough already?

Why is it that with every new technological advancement, human nature seems wired to expect the worst instead of daring to hope for the best?

Thanks to my city council friend, after attending an eye-opening seminar on AI programs, curiosity got the better of me. When I got home, I signed into ChatGPT.

Can ChatGPT write a book? I typed.

Absolutely — I can help you write a book from scratch or collaborate on one you’ve already started, the program replied instantly.

Holy shit, I thought, my fingertips hovering uncertainly over the keyboard.

Use your powers for good, my heart whispered, interrupting my intrusive thoughts.

So, I dared to ask: How does humanity achieve world peace? And yes—I hit enter with my middle finger.

The response was nearly immediate. In seconds, it listed seven principles—things humankind has been trying (and failing) to figure out for centuries:

Justice and Equity—absolutely.

Education—for sure.

Strong, fair institutions—yes, please.

Cross-cultural understanding—makes perfect sense.

Disarmament and conflict resolution—yeah think?

Psychological evolution—of course!

And finally, Environmental Stewardship—nailed it.

That is it! That’s all mankind has to do to achieve world peace? If only a certain powerful world leader—hell-bent on making his own country “great again”—would dare to aim higher. Imagine if he followed that basic to-do checklist, not just for his nation, but to make the entire world great again—for all of humanity. Just think of the possibilities a leader like that could unlock for the entire human race.

So yes, I do agree—AI programs can absolutely be misused, just like every other man-made invention throughout history. But if this new technology’s use is guided by ethics and a strong moral compass, it holds the potential to teach, to educate, and—dare I say—even enhance our writing.

And maybe, just maybe… spark entirely new creative ideas. Or help turn seven basic principles into a world-changing reality.

In the realm of artificial intelligence, the Wannabe Writer’s challenge ultimately comes down to a matter of choice. For me, that choice is simple. Every book, short story, and poem I have ever written has always relied on my active imagination—my AI made me the writer I am today.

It’s that inner imaginary force, alive and untamed, that made me a writer in the first place. My brain fuels my original thoughts. My heart shapes the stories. And the words I choose—those are mine alone to just write.

Coming up next: “Wait! Is it me or them?”  (spoiler alert: “It’s gotta be me. Right?!”)