The launch of ChatGPT — a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) – has shaken up many working sectors with concerns of the software replacing jobs. For example, a study found that 30% of jobs in Britain are at risk of being replaced by AI and is predicted to displace 20 million manufacturing jobs by 2030. With many publishing houses now experimenting with AI-generated voices for audiobooks, conversations of what the future may look like in the publishing sphere are beginning to happen. Able to augment professional skills increasing the productivity and efficiency of certain jobs, the advanced technology is reshaping the notion of work as we know it. With writing being amongst the most affected, Rutger Bruining, CEO and founder of StoryTerrace, the nation’s leading memoir-writing service, as well as some of their senior ghostwriters comment on what the integration of AI means for their jobs.
Many companies are now relying on ChatGPT for writing, such as emails and customer support, yet one area of writing that may prove to favour humans is memoirs. Writing a memoir means recalling and possibly reliving the emotions tied to a given experience. Relying heavily on feeling, subjective memory and the handling of intimate and personal details – the skill required to truly convey the subject’s experience through the written word requires a degree of emotional intelligence that a computer may not possess.
Though, where AI is powered by scientific precision, what it may fail to encapsulate is input that cannot solely be derived from words. Yet unable to discern body language – which is believed to make up 93% of human communication – ChatGPT has been argued to overlook how a writer chooses to express, through imagery, analogies and tone of voice, as opposed to what they are expressing. Devoid of human emotion, nuanced humour, biological senses and perception – the art of ghostwriting and literary works, the kind that pulls a reader in and echoes the voice of its subject with precision, is perhaps the one sub-branch of writing that digitalisation might not take over.
Rutger Bruining, founder and CEO of StoryTerrace, argues that though the computerised machine comes with an abundance of benefits, the human-based nuances and sentimental attachment required to write a memoir is one that cannot be displaced by AI:
“When it comes to writing memoirs, human writers can have a significant impact on making the best book and experience for the subject. On the input side, most people are more comfortable being interviewed by a person rather than an app asking them deeply personal questions. Grabbing a cup of tea together or talking about the paintings in someone’s house can break the ice and allow someone to open up.
“The nuances involved in memoir writing require a deep understanding of the important themes in a person’s life and what they mean to that individual. This may be reflected by a throw-away comment or someone’s non-verbal body language when a question was asked. Where AI can help is making the process more efficient: scheduling meetings, proofreading, making editing suggestions, adding context about historic events and locations, etc.”
Shelley Frost, a professional ghostwriter from StoryTerrace, says:
“From what I understand AI is on track to improve upon itself, becoming better and better over time. This is terrifying and I feel the angst of my writer friends. However, thankfully for a writer such as myself who primarily writes memoirs, I have tried and failed to envision a way for AI/ChatGPT to take over my job.
“The very nature of ghostwriting a person’s memoir is human interaction. My job is to build a friendship with my client through age-old and very human behaviours of social interactions. During our conversations, I take note of my client’s vernacular, accents, laughter, and facial expressions. I can suss out what triggers my client’s joy, anger, and delight. I cannot tell you how many times I have cried with my clients and all the times we have laughed until we cried! From what I know, a computer is incapable of such experiences.”
Jaron Camp, a senior ghostwriter at StoryTerrace, says:
“On the surface, ChatGPT is brilliant, but I fear people would miss out on connection and variety. The great thing about what we do as writers are taking the time to learn a client’s voice to help deliver authenticity to the pages. We interview clients to understand the story behind the story. We break their memories apart so we can creatively put them back together. It’s a human element missed if technology fails to keep everyone as an individual.”
