AI4 Authors: Build Your Publishing Empire While Saving Time and Money With The Power of AI: AI4

PART I

INTRODUCTION

From Melle

Whether you are eight, fifty-eight, or one-hundred-and-eight, you’ve seen incredible changes in technology throughout your lifetime. It seems like every few years there’s a new innovation that transforms the way we live and work. Forget cars, planes, and computers. Those are ancient history. In the last thirty years alone we have witnessed unique and major transformations in technology that have impacted our daily lives.

Let’s start with the internet. I remember sitting in the Sydney Conference Center one afternoon listening to a talk being given by none other than Bill Gates. As an employee at the Sydney Opera House I’d been given a free ticket to hear him speak about this thing he called The Information SuperHighway. I still cringe when I think about the garish Powerpoint of a highway he showed to emphasize his point. (Oh, wait, Powerpoint is still a part of the fabric of the corporate world…some things don’t change quickly.) I remember the confusion I felt about this new thing that was coming. Already a marketer, I imagined it like colorful marketing brochures on a computer screen. Little did I imagine how over the past few decades, the internet would revolutionize the way we manage our lives, connect globally, and acquire our goods. Years later I used eBay to buy an Aston Martin on the other side of the country for my own little Thelma and Louise adventure. Thank you, Internet.

Just when we all started to get used to the internet, though, along came…not just the mobile phone… but smartphones, which can be used for everything from making calls to taking photos to accessing the internet. While I often think of my phone as my camera, it also provides me with all the tools I need, at my fingertips, to manage my business, my finances, and my optics.

The next transformation hit me hard. I completed my Master in Fine Arts in film, and made an expensive effort to shoot my thesis on actual film because, well, film was still cool. In order to save money we’d spent most of our time shooting our college projects on digital video. Do you remember those mini-dv-tapes we used to slot in video cameras? Not many people do. Now, I watch my eleven year old use her phone to film, edit, and share a short video in minutes that would have taken us a week to produce. However, no one can complain about Netflix and Spotify, digital-first providers of media, which many of us can’t get enough of.

Then, of course, we come to the subject of this book and perhaps one of the most prevalent changes in technology is the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Today, AI is used in many applications such as image recognition, natural language processing, and self-driving cars. It’s pervasive in the very fabric of our daily lives with voice assistants, personalized recommendations and email spam filters. AI is everywhere and it is only growing larger.

And now, we have GPT-4, a revolutionary tool that is already changing the face of publishing. With its ability to generate human-like text, it has the potential to completely transform the way we write and publish books.

As an indie author, I’m excited and consciously cautious about the possibilities that GPT-4 brings to the table. With this tool, I can run my publishing business with greater insight, faster execution, and more in depth and personalized support. I can also write whole novels with it. (Much more on this later.) And therein lies a fountain of questions. What does this mean for the future of publishing? Will it lead to a world where books are written entirely by machines, with no human input whatsoever? Or will it simply free up our time and resources, allowing us to focus on the parts of the writing process that truly require human creativity and insight?

Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the publishing industry is on the cusp of a major revolution. In two years, we may not even recognize it. It's exciting to think about the possibilities that lie ahead, and it's up to us to embrace this new technology and use it to our advantage. So, let's get ready for the future of publishing, and see where GPT-4 takes us…

AI the Global Revolution

AI is transforming the world as we know it. The growth in the AI industry is projected to reach $390.9 billion by 2025*, which is a testament to its potential. However, with any technological advancement comes concerns about ethics and bias. It's crucial to keep these concerns in mind as we move forward into an AI-powered future.

* Reference: Zion Market Research - Artificial Intelligence Market by Technology (Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Image Processing, and Speech Recognition), By Application (Automotive, Healthcare, BFSI, Retail, and Others) - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2018-2025.

Despite these concerns, there's no denying the potential benefits of AI. It's being used in amazing ways such as detecting fraud, personalizing medicine, and predicting maintenance needs. As much as we could stand here and share that it's valuable to continue to explore the limitless possibilities of AI while also being mindful of its impact on society (which is something GPT-4 suggested we write) the reality in our opinion is much more like Thanos, or as our kids like to call him The Big Purple Grape, inevitable.

Adoption rates for AI technologies are also on the rise across a wide range of industries. According to a survey by Gartner, 37% of organizations have now implemented AI in some form, up from just 10% in 2015. This growth has been fueled in part by significant investment and funding in the AI space, with venture capital funding for AI startups reaching $40.1 billion in 2020.

The potential of AI is not limited to a select few. There are now over 2,000 AI-related courses available on platforms like Coursera and edX. This provides an opportunity for anyone with a passion for AI to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to be part of the AI revolution.

Why AI Matters to Authors

As an author, you are familiar with the endless possibilities that language can offer in your storytelling. The very fabric of the publishing industry relies on the ability of writers to convey emotions, ideas, and stories through language. But now there’s AI-powered tools such as GPT-4 that can write complete (if not completely convincing) books.

And, yes, we understand why writers feel threatened.

But, before we get to that, let's take a moment to seriously, look at what is this thing? I mean, we all saw the movie, A.I., but it's not that…yet. Simply put, AI refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as speech recognition, decision-making, and language processing. These key capabilities give it the potential to significantly streamline and automate various aspects of the writing and publishing process, saving authors time and effort while also improving the quality of their work.

One of the most significant applications of AI in writing is the creative process. AI-powered tools such as GPT-4 and Jarvis can generate ideas, outlines, and even entire paragraphs based on specific prompts or keywords. This AI-powered brainstorming can help authors overcome writer's block and even push the boundaries of their creative expression. By feeding the AI with specific parameters or prompts, authors can generate ideas and inspiration they may never have considered on their own.

Moreover, AI-powered tools can assist with editing and proofreading. Tools such as Grammarly and Hemingway use AI algorithms to identify and suggest corrections for grammar, syntax, and spelling errors. This can help authors improve the readability and clarity of their work, making it more accessible and enjoyable for readers.

In addition, AI-powered tools can assist with data analysis and insights. Tools like Bookstat and Amazon KDP reports can help authors track and analyze book sales, reader behavior, and market trends, providing valuable insights to inform marketing and promotional strategies. This AI-powered data analysis can give authors an edge in the highly competitive publishing industry.

Okay, that’s great, but what about the ethical considerations? Why are people HATING IN ALL CAPS on each other all over Facebook over this thing?

Well, there are ethical considerations and potential risks associated with AI. There are concerns about the potential for AI-generated content to undermine the originality and authenticity of creative work, as well as the potential for AI algorithms to perpetuate biases and discrimination. This is where the philosophy behind AI comes into play.

What you will hear us say over and over again is this:

AI is a tool.

In our opinion and experience, AI is not a replacement for human creativity. From what we’ve seen, AI cannot replicate the nuances of human emotion and experience that form the core of creative writing. As an author, it's important to be confident in the knowledge that the human touch is the hallmark of great storytelling.

Furthermore, when using AI, it’s important to remain hyper vigilant about potential biases and ethical considerations. Since AI algorithms are only as objective as the data they are trained on, the ideal is that the data used to train AI is diverse and inclusive. Today efforts are being made to encourage diversity and inclusivity in the development and use of AI, including initiatives to address bias and increase representation of underrepresented groups. Authors must also be aware of the potential impact of AI-generated content on copyright laws and the publishing industry.

AI is a powerful tool that can help authors enhance their writing and publishing career. It can streamline the creative process, improve the quality of writing, and provide valuable insights into book sales and reader behavior. However, our perspective is that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. By approaching AI with caution and using it responsibly, authors can leverage its power to enhance their work while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of their creative vision. From a publishing point of view authors who engage with AI enabled tools can save time by auto-generating