A Matter of Perspective

I feel like Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes me smarter. I don’t know if that is true, but I feel like it is. I can ask my trusty AI companions questions, and they can explain things to me in terms that I understand. It isn’t that human beings can’t do the same thing. They can. But what I have found is that most human beings I know don’t have the time or the patience to sit with me through the process!

Sure, I have to pay for the advanced stuff I use with ChatGPT, but lately I have been using the free version of Claude, and it has been enhancing what I can do with ChatGPT alone and making me work more efficiently (at least when I don’t go down rabbit holes, which AI is good at leading me down).

I find that using more than one AI application is more effective because I am discovering that ChatGPT, in my personal experience, seems more focused on making me “feel good,” while Claude, at least in the free version, has been more willing to push back instead of making me “feel good” about my thoughts or what I am working on.

I’ve been working on a book, and it was kind of interesting because one line that I wrote, and ChatGPT said to change it and tone it down so it would be easier for readers to take. Conversely, Claude said I had “earned” the line and should leave it in and keep it raw and emotional.

I will be having some human readers go through the book as well, and I will get a real human reaction to leaving the line in. It could be interesting to see what real readers think versus what a machine reader thinks.

Still, I do think that AI makes me smarter in a lot of ways, and I intend to keep using it, whether through the free versions or the paid versions.

I use the paid versions mostly because I rely on them so much during the day, and I need them to remember details so I don’t have to repeat myself over and over again.

Still, when I am writing a book with multiple characters, no matter how much I think I will remember, I use several different methods to keep track of details like ages, hair and eye color, whether someone is single or married, kids, and the like. Trust me, when you are creating a whole world of people and places, you have to have a way to keep track of it.

In writing, it is called a “bible.” In the simplest terms, it is my master reference document for the story world. It’s where I keep everything so my books stay consistent and feel real. I have been working on a book series for the past few months now. There are a lot of characters and a whole town that I created from my mind, so I need a reliable way to keep track of everyone. I use Claude AI to help me keep track of my characters and other details about my town.

I do use AI extensively to keep track of things because there are just too many details to try to remember. Of course, I could write it all down, but it is much faster for me to pull up a file that I have saved that tells me what I need to know.

When it comes to writing, I am usually what they call a “pantser.” I write by the seat of my pants! I don’t usually have an outline or a bible. I just write whatever comes to mind.

But I do think AI makes me smarter, and I think it helps me do more with the limited time I have by helping me stay organized.

When you are creating a whole town full of people, AI can help you keep excellent track of everybody!

So maybe the question isn’t whether AI makes us smarter.

Maybe the better question is what we are willing to do with the tools we have. Because AI doesn’t replace creativity, discipline or thought. It amplifies them.

In the hands of someone willing to use it well, that can make all the difference.