This week, the clock is on for whining. Everybody has breakdowns—well, authors have them too. But do not abandon me yet… there is light at the end of every tunnel.

Last week, after Tertulia Voces Hispanas, the literary open mic that I organize in North Carolina, the sensation of joy made me feel like a rocket circumnavigating the moon. Honestly, it is because of moments like those that I keep writing. However, the rise of AI-generated books and art is affecting what I do, which is precisely why I’m whining today.

Present Times

Ever since AI became a subject, I have been obsessed with it. But not in a good way. While people are raving about the latest AI tool, I’m reading about how this is impacting our lives and the environment. Although I’m biased about AI, I want to give you some pros and cons of using it as a work tool. Remember, these are based on my personal opinions and concerns.

Pros of using AI tools for human well-being:

• Time management: Using AI to summarize emails, translate, and proofread helps optimize time.
• Economics: It can generate images and edit videos to help content creators save money on media. It saves writers money on covers and illustrations for their books, and more.
• Efficiency: With automation tools, content creators can post to social media from a single app, minimizing distraction and repetitive, tedious work.

Cons of using AI tools for human well-being:

• Excess of time: Personally, nowadays when I find myself with extra time, I look at my Facebook feeds, which throws me into a cycle of depression and lack of confidence.
• Deterioration of the workforce: Since AI will replace code writers, illustrators, editors, translators, therapists, and much more, a lot of these trades could potentially disappear, along with the motivation to study and work. We are already seeing this in our society.
• Potential increase in mental illness: What propelled our brains to develop was the need to survive. AI usage will substitute our ability to ponder over problems in search of solutions. The feeling of fulfillment that comes with accomplishing something is also something AI will take away.
• Impact on human relationships: There are already people falling in love with AI tools. Why? Simple: these tools are trained to be cordial and pleasing. AI makes users feel special, respected, and honored—something we, as humans, sometimes struggle to do for one another. But it is through human interaction that we are designed to forge a personality and improve our manners.
• Premature cognitive decline: Lastly, if we don’t have mental stimulation through learning, communicating with others, and challenging our neurons, our brain plasticity goes away. Our cognition may decline until we develop dementia.
• Trust: Will humans lose trust in each other because of generative AI tools? We might already be there. Right now, it’s hard to know whether something is true or not. In the near future, it will be impossible.
• Energy: Although we save time by using AI, these tools don’t exist in thin air. They are servers that require significant energy to operate. Have you noticed the increase in your electric bill lately? We are paying for the data center’s energy supply. In the long run, this means more gas emissions into our atmosphere, which causes global warming.

My Concerns and Transparency

Last fall, I took an introductory AI class.

“I wouldn’t allow myself to fight a battle without learning my enemy.” – Anechy Padron

I went to a book presentation by Duke professor James Boyle, who wrote The Line: AI & the Future of Personhood. Not too long ago, I started using Gemini to edit my posts and generate images exclusively for my blog. My skepticism was challenged by the need to be part of the evolution.

“If we don’t change with the world, we are left behind by the pack.” – Anechy Padron

But I also ran into another challenge: my core beliefs. There is an increasing discontent among audiences who dislike AI-generated art. Personally, I would not call it art. Why should an audience buy AI-generated content when, in reality, it doesn’t belong to the people selling it? Furthermore, independent bookstores will not carry AI-generated books, or they ask authors for full transparency. Fair enough.

My Advice Regarding AI

Learn the thing. That is my advice. Don’t let people fool you. Decide how AI can benefit your life; you might even decide not to use it at all.

On my side, I signed up for art classes and quit generating images and videos with AI. If saving money is going to kill the business for designers and artists, then I need to think more carefully about how I use these tools. Since I want to continue creating books, I have to shift, change, and reinvent myself. For instance, I’m learning drawing, color theory, and Procreate. Secondly, I’ve partnered with a graphic designer who helps me with covers and my website, and steers me toward great tools. This shift has redirected my energy. I’ve learned to recognize my limits, and now, I delegate some tasks.

Lastly, I’m learning to let go. There are so many people promising success with books if you pay them a lot of money—it’s scary. Historically, becoming a successful artist took years of persistent improvement of the craft, traveling shows, and investment in education and workshops. Somehow, with AI and social media, some people want to make artists believe that gratification comes quickly and easily.

In truth, nothing comes without hard work. But if one loves a craft enough to shift one’s life 360 degrees, then I would not call it work; I would call it the artist’s journey.

Au Revoir

Thanks for reading this week’s whining post. I hope my experience throws some light into your journey.

Anechy Padron