The Dark Side of GenAI: Introduction

As both a fiction writer and a communications professional, it is impossible to avoid conversations about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology. Many writers, myself included, are skeptical of this latest tech intrusion into the writing community.

Tech companies claim that their GenAI tools—products like ChatGPT—will make writing faster and easier. They make lofty statements about “democratizing” the act of writing, stating that their tools will allow anyone to go from zero words to fully-written product with a few simple keystrokes. I find it both hilarious and insulting that they portray writers as greedy gatekeepers holding esoteric secrets to writing. Becoming wealthy and powerful as a writer is about as likely as winning the lottery. Most of us make very little money at our craft, if we make any at all. We certainly don’t have the power to tell other people they can’t write in their free time. It’s not as though we’re standing next to folks’ laptops or journals, slapping their hands the second they sit down to write. (That’s a job for my cats, thank you very much.)

But I also can’t tell you how many times a stranger has found out I write, told me that they have a great idea for a novel, and they’ll split the profits with me if I write it for them (profits! the optimism!). A surprising number of people think that the idea is what is most valuable in creative work, as if ideas are hard to find (they aren’t). They think the writing is the easy part (it absolutely isn’t). I can imagine these types of people saying, ah, if only I knew those pesky writers’ secrets, I too could finally write the next great American novel. It’s clearly their fault I’m not a rich and powerful bestselling author!

The reality?

There is no hidden secret. Writing is work. It is a process that takes time and dedication. Think of it like homework that no one will force you to do and no one will pay you for (at least upfront). You have to love it (or at least like it) enough to choose to make writing a priority in your schedule in between work, family, friends, and all your other responsibilities. You have to practice your craft on a regular basis if you want to finish a poem, story, essay, or novel.

To people who write, whether for work or pleasure, this is all fairly obvious.

We aren’t gatekeepers. We hold no keys you can’t forge yourself.

But we also understand, by virtue of our craft, that telling software like ChatGPT to generate a story or a novel for you is not a neat writing hack. There are no shortcuts. All you’re going to end up with is a collection of words that you didn’t write. The piece won’t be in your voice or reflect your (or anyone’s) perspective. It won’t belong to you.

Yet tech companies keep pushing GenAI technology into every corner of our lives with vague platitudes that these tools will make everything, including writing, “better.” Unfortunately, not everyone is evaluating these tools (or tech’s vague promises) with a critical eye.

The GenAI Gold Rush

My day job is in science communications, and my institution was an early adopter of GenAI, promptly pushing tools built on software like Chat-GPT and Dall-E into classrooms, academic departments, and university offices. They announced frequent GenAI demos, trainings, and products with the kind of fervent awe and reverence usually reserved for the spiritual. There is now unceasing pressure to utilize GenAI across all work areas, even in roles that don’t have need to—or really shouldn’t—utilize the technology. GenAI is evangelized and anyone who questions using the technology risks being labeled a Luddite. (Fine by me—they were a badass labor movement; we’ll get into it later.)

It's all a bit much.

As unlimited GenAI use is encouraged by institutions around the country, there are many far-reaching, negative consequences that come with utilizing the technology in this way, especially at large scale. It bothers me that not enough people are talking about this. If any of the downsides are acknowledged in a training session or a presentation, they are quickly glossed over and treated as minor talking points not worthy of further discussion.

This year, when I attended yet another marketing communications conference where half the presentations centered GenAI and all the ways it was going to miraculously transform our field, I got fired up.

And I got to work.

If no one else was going to talk about this, I reasoned, then I would have to be the one to start the conversation. I created a presentation based on my research around the most salient GenAI concerns. I called it The Dark Side of GenAI, and I highlighted the issues that I didn’t see anyone else talking about at my institution. When I presented it to colleagues, I was surprised to learn that many of them were unaware of the problems associated with GenAI use. A few heard rumblings of some concerns, like the environmental impact, but they didn’t know how significant those issues were.

I don’t exactly blame them. Given the breathless praise that everyone uses when talking about GenAI, it’s hard to glimpse the underbelly of this behemoth corner of the tech industry. If everyone is adopting and using a tool—if my boss says I should use it—it can’t be all that bad, can it?

But GenAI is not a miracle tool that magically fixes everyone’s problems. It is not a singularity. It’s not sentient.

It’s just software.

And if it does live up to the tech industry’s promise of revolutionizing every work field, it will not be because it is good. It will only be because the technology was forced upon us, and we were given no choice in the matter.

I want us all to have a choice. You get to decide what kind of relationship you want to have with this technology, and your decision should be an informed one. You should know the costs—to our environment, to our labor force, to vulnerable populations, to data security, to academic integrity, and to you personally. You should know how these tools were developed (spoiler alert: unethically), as well as who benefits from their use and who suffers for it.

If you want to better understand the most pressing issues we face in the current GenAI push, continue reading this blog series, The Dark Side of GenAI. Each post will focus on a specific issue arising from the widespread proliferation of GenAI technology. I will also share resources and suggestions for further reading if you want to dive deeper.

I hope you’ll stick around for the full series. Happy reading!