Are You Using AI Like This?

Rebecca Franks recently shared a funny detail about AI.

“I call mine ‘Anna,'” said the editor and content developer. 

“Anna is a former colleague who was our social media manager, photographer, and stand-in for everything. A true Girl Friday who can and will do anything and everything. ChatGPT is far less bubbly and fun to be with, but she’s as close to the real Anna as I’ve ever found.”

We were meeting over coffee to discuss AI – our challenges, ideas, and the future outlook of our work.

I laughed at her nickname, then realized Rebecca was on to something. One of my challenges is simply remembering that AI can handle a particular task.

“Maybe I should name mine,” I mused. “I might leverage it more often if I think of it as a person.”

Our conversation got me wondering. How are others using AI?

I talked with five people across the publishing industry to get a pulse on what they’re doing with the emerging technology.

Here’s what they said.

Fauzia Burke, Thought Leader in AI, Founder of FSB Associates, Digital Book Publicist

fauziaburke.substack.com

Are you using AI in your work? How?

“Yes, in book marketing! Some ways authors are using AI include auditing their website copy, analyzing Amazon reviews for patterns, and developing a content calendar.

You can set custom instructions in ChatGPT. That provides context, and context makes the feedback you receive much more on point. This is huge for getting better results.

For example, if you’re an author, you can say: ‘I’m a nonfiction writer who speaks to professionals in healthcare.’ 

That one sentence will shape how ChatGPT replies to all your requests. It’s like giving your AI context through which to filter all its answers. More relevance. Less generic.”

What’s one challenge you see when it comes to AI? 

Fauzia addressed the perception that using AI outsources the heart of an author’s work:

“The thing is, most book marketing tasks are not about outsourcing your voice or vision. They’re about getting a little help with the parts that bog you down. The parts that keep you from writing—or worse, keep your book from reaching the people who need it.”

Rebecca Franks, Editor and Content Developer

Are you using AI in your work? How?

“Yes, I use AI consistently in all my work. And yes, I’ve named it Anna.

At the moment, my favorite tool is Gemini. The free version of ChatGPT maxes out a lot, so it downgrades itself to less powerful models, and then ultimately it all can time out for 6-8 hours until it resets, bringing work to a standstill. If it weren’t for that, GPT would win. 

When I discussed this problem with ChatGPT (“Anna”), it convinced me that Gemini does the same thing but in less noticeable (to me) ways. So now Gemini is on my hit list. But hey, I’m still using free models for all, so I’m way more grateful than truly begrudged.

One thing I’ve found very useful in my work is asking it to help me figure out what I haven’t yet considered or what’s wrong with something I’ve created. AI will almost always agree with you and try to make you feel good about what you’ve done, but if you ask it to be critical and help you identify gaps and point out what you’ve missed, it works really well.”

What’s one challenge you face when it comes to AI?  

“One challenge is getting the correct information. 

If you approach AI without a general understanding of what you’re asking, you could be in for a world of hurt, because it can lead you down the wrong path and be flat-out wrong. If you don’t know better, you’ll take the AI’s advice and go along your merry way, not realizing you’re sitting in a pool of misinformation. 

I have a couple of tactics for overcoming misinformation. First, I argue with it, tell it when I think it’s wrong, and make it defend its position by naming its sources. Since AI has no feelings, it has no problem apologizing and working harder to get it right the next time. If you don’t know it’s wrong, though, it can hurt your credibility because it will convincingly tell you what it thinks is right. Don’t be afraid to argue. 

Next, I cross-reference by using a couple of different applications. In other words, I’ll give the same prompt to ChatGPT and Gemini and maybe even a third AI platform to compare information. It depends on how ‘right’ I need the information to be. Just like getting a second opinion from a doctor, sometimes you should feed a few different AI models the same prompt and compare information. It’s much safer to shop for answers like that than it is to put all your proverbial eggs into one basket.”

 

Michael Dowling, President, Wool Street Writers

woolstreetwriters.com

Are you using AI in your work? How?

“I have not used it for any type of creative work with my writing. If it does a good job with that, I would be interested to learn, but it’s not a big need. 

However, for other things, I use Perplexity. I read somewhere that it has a slightly less liberal bias than ChatGPT. I have used it much as I would use Google or Siri, but I find that it’s better.

For example, I was trying to learn a new accounting program the other day, something similar to QuickBooks, and I couldn’t figure out how to do a task. It gave me a very detailed answer.

Another example was when I was writing to someone about how Adam’s sin in the Garden has affected the universe. I asked Perplexity to provide me with Bible references, and it gave me a wonderfully comprehensive answer, which I passed along.

And when I had a tax question, it gave me a precise answer.”

What’s one challenge you’re facing when it comes to AI? 

“My challenge is learning to use it beyond just answering questions. It’s been very helpful with that!”

Brenda Savanhu, Writer & Author, Memorial Stones: A Guided Journal for Foundational Miracles in Your Life

brendasavanhu.com/book-2

Are you using AI in your work? How? 

“Yes, I have used AI in different ways, and am continuing to explore how to use it ethically, safely, and effectively. 

I use Perplexity AI because I can choose from various models depending on my task. The following are the ways I’ve used AI so far:

• Images: I have used AI to create specific images that are not available in photo databases, such as Unsplash. 
• Video editing: I use a platform called Riverside for recording podcast episodes, editing videos of myself speaking on other platforms, and creating shorts, reels, and captions for social media. 
• Video titles and descriptions: Creating titles and descriptions is more difficult than you would expect. They have to meet certain specifications to be picked up by the algorithm.
• Keywords: For good SEO, descriptions, website copy keywords are king. 
• Proofreading: I use ProWritingAid to proofread my work, but I am very cautious with it.
• Social media – I use it to generate captions and posts, then I edit them to sound more like me.”

 What’s one challenge you’re facing when it comes to AI? 

“My biggest challenge is using it without exposing my proprietary information. 

For example, I had not given it access to my book manuscript because it’s open source. As a writer, I am also very cautious when using ProWritingAid for proofreading and editing, and I avoid accepting big swaths of rewrites. When it flags a section, I will rethink it myself and do my own rewrite.”

Andrew Savage, Writer and Ghostwriter

linkedin.com/in/andrew-savage-writer

Are you using AI in your work? How? 

“I have an arm’s length relationship with AI. 

I believe that it is a tremendous tool, but no more and no less. I use it to conduct basic research (such as finding and citing Scripture passages), compile information quickly, or ponder an idea. 

I refuse to use AI for any significant amount of writing. It is not my replacement. It cannot be my crutch. The more I rely on a robot and neglect my creative muscles, the more my writing will atrophy. In other words, I treat AI like sugar: Once in a while is okay, but the more you treat yourself, the more you’ll crave it – and those cravings get strong.”

What’s one challenge you’re facing when it comes to AI? 

“My loftiest challenge with AI is making sure that I honor God with it. Scripture doesn’t address AI directly, so we must trust the Holy Spirit for discernment. That being said, my goal is to use AI to build His Kingdom on earth, not distract from it. If that means AI is a powerful tool in that endeavor, awesome. But if that also means AI cannot be trusted for whatever reason, then we must follow His lead and deny ourselves.”

Two Ways I’m Using AI

Whether you’re using AI a little or a lot, you’re in good company. I hope this post inspires you to try something new! If you’re using AI, I’d love to hear how. 

Want to know how we are using AI?

One way is with Google NotebookLM. It’s a tool that can transform your work into videos for both visual and auditory learners. Check out the video it made in minutes about this blog post! 

Another way I’m using AI is to sharpen our upcoming book. 

Judy Lane Boyer of Audience Granted Ghostwriters approached me earlier this year with an idea to collaborate on a manuscript for authors. We’re on chapter 10 of our manuscript about writing, publishing, and marketing books.

When Judy presents a new chapter, she runs it through ProWritingAid. ProWritingAid is a tool for writers that, among other tasks, offers immediate chapter critiques. The chapter critiques have helped us build on strengths and address areas of concern. 

It’s a valuable addition to the people involved in our project – alpha readers, beta readers, and launch team – all of whom are helping us produce the best product!

(Want to be part of our launch team and access a free early digital copy of the book? Hit reply and let me know! We’ll send it to you when it’s ready.)

Ella Ritchie (bottom right) is the founder of Stellar Communications Houston, the “missing piece” in premium, end-to-end nonfiction publishing, marketing, and PR team for self-publishing memoirists, business leaders, nonprofits, families, and corporations. Subscribe to the blog at https://stellarwriter.com/blog.