Does it matter if an AI wrote The Lord of the Rings, instead of JRR Tolkien? If every character, punctuation, indentation, line break is identical to what Tolkien would have written, does the fact an AI wrote it make it worse (or better)? If the product itself is identical, does it lose any entertainment or literary value, simply because someone (or something) else penned it?
My answer is that there will be nothing different, in the eyes of the readers at least. This view naturally assumes that the product is independent of its author. Which it should be. As you sit in your chair reading the novel, Tolkien isn’t there; it’s just you and the words.
But everything will be different for the author. I would boldly assume that Tolkien would somewhat agree with me here, that writing, particularly creative ones, is as much a process of self-expression and self-exploration as it is a process of putting pen to paper. Much of the process comes from the world building, setting the scenes, deliberating character motivations. To the author, this is a process of inner monologues, writing and scrapping. But only through this process does the author understand a little bit more about what they write, the world around them, and themselves.
The same is true for other forms of writing, such as the essays that I write (like this one), where the focus is the expression of ideas and process of writing, rather than purely the output. In my published writings in general, and on this website in particular, I set out strict rules about how and when I use AI in my writing. It is as much a public service as it is a service to myself. So easy it is to open Claude and tell it to write a piece about AI and writing, that I must stay level-headed to not slip down that hill too easily. For if I do, I lose the whole point of writing these pieces anyway.
- Tier 1 — Full AI authorship: The AI wrote the piece entirely and is credited as author.
- Tier 2 — Human idea, AI execution: I provided the concept and direction; the AI drafted the prose. Disclosed after the opening paragraph.
- Tier 3 — Human authored, AI assisted: I wrote it; the AI proofread or lightly edited. Disclosed at the end only if it rewrote anything substantial.
This essay is Tier 3.
There are times when I want AI to take part or full ownership of a piece. Purely to satisfy my curiosity and for my amusement, I have asked GitHub Copilot to author a complete piece and published on my website. Though fully AI-owned pieces are still scarce, for it would miss the point of this website entirely. That point being to synthesize and share my thoughts.
As such, when I want to get some slack and ask AI for help, I strive to still make it a collaborative effort. I contribute ideas, conduct research of my own (yes, using Google to search for credible sources like a caveman), draft a few bullet points or short paragraphs, and ask AI to comment, suggest, disagree, and put everything together. This is our primary mode of operation for the AI Weekender series, and is to ensure that the idea and thoughts are ultimately my contributions, and the AI acts more like a compiler of information than an independent mind.
Core question: What is this issue about, in one sentence?
Reader takeaway: The one thing they walk away understanding — not a list.
Research notes: My bullets, rough draft sections, or directional thinking.
Analogies to use: Specific framings or examples I want applied.
Further reading: Vetted links I’ve personally reviewed. The AI does not add its own.
The AI drafts from this material. Its job is synthesis and expression, not independent research.
The fact that people will use AI to write entire essays, dissertations, news reports, or novels is irrelevant to me. Of course people will. When there is a tool to make the life easier, at least someone will try to use it. Using AI to write part or entire pieces is not an issue. It would only be problematic if a person uses AI to write but misrepresents it as their own works. However, that is just plain old plagiarism. Whether the plagiarised is another human or a machine is irrelevant.
To my readers, this essay serves both as a reflection and a guide to my writings. Yes, I will be writing using AI’s help to varying degrees. Sometimes I will let it write entire pieces, often it will compose my thoughts into prose. I will almost always run my pieces through an AI application for suggestions and catch my run-on sentences. I will try my best to make clear the degree of its involvement.
AI is a powerful tool; it made me a better writer. I’m a messy thinker, as in my thoughts quickly jump to different places. These days, I organize myself by typing my thoughts into Claude and using the LLM as a thinking and note taking partner, helping me to pull my ideas together into something concrete. It is also an excellent editor and teacher. In fact, I’m re-writing this closing paragraph with personal examples because the AI tool reviewed my draft and suggested that I need a stronger closing. It was right to point it out, and dragged me back to the writing table.
The balance is in leveraging AI’s thinking and editorial capabilities without giving in to laziness and letting it do all the work. I’ll try my best not to.