Ai-ai-ai! It’s AI!

I subscribe to a weekly newsletter from a woman in Sweden whose work I first encountered through a children’s book-writing summit last year. Last week she mentioned the infiltration of artificial intelligence into the world of wordsmithery. Admittedly, I didn’t pay much attention to it then. Then this week, her newsletter revisited AI. And then (as if that weren’t creepy enough) last night, my husband brought up the cheery little notion that eventually AI would replace me professionally. Gee, thanks, honey. I wonder if AI will cook and do laundry, too. Not to mention clean the litter box.

But seriously, it’s something to consider, given the recent proliferation of AI within the online marketplace. Who hasn’t used predictive text when doing a Google search, or the “chat” feature on a company’s customer-service page?

That said, it wouldn’t be implausible to consider employing the same technology to help with the generation of blog posts. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy writing these posts; but it’d be nice to have the option to delegate writing duties from time to time.

And so, I decided to put OpenAI’s Chat GPT to the test. First, I asked it to explain why the Oxford comma is unnecessary. This is what it generated:

The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is the comma used before the coordinating conjunction (usually “and” or “or”) in a list of three or more items. Its use is a matter of style, and there are arguments for and against its use. Here are some reasons why some people believe the Oxford comma is unnecessary:

1. Clarity: Some argue that the Oxford comma is not necessary for clarity because the meaning of a sentence can still be easily understood without it. The items in a list are separated by commas, making it clear that they are separate items, regardless of whether there is an additional comma before the coordinating conjunction.
2. Conciseness: Omitting the Oxford comma can make a sentence shorter and less cluttered. In situations where space is limited, such as in headlines or tweets, omitting the Oxford comma can help save valuable characters.
3. Consistency: Some style guides, such as The Chicago Manual of Style and The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, do not require the use of the Oxford comma. Adopting a consistent style within a publication or organization can make editing and proofreading easier.
4. Tradition: The use of the Oxford comma is a relatively recent development in the history of punctuation. The Oxford comma is not used in the King James Version of the Bible, for example, and it has been argued that it is not necessary in order for a sentence to be clear and grammatically correct.

It is worth noting that opinions on the use of Oxford comma vary and some people might prefer to use it for clarity, consistency or tradition. Ultimately, whether to use the Oxford comma or not is a matter of personal style and choice.

Next, I asked it to produce a paragraph of text without the letter “e” in it. This one proved more difficult:

“It is a tricky task to compltly avoid a lttr in our writing. It is vn impossibl to do so in a long txt as “e” is a vry common lttr in th English lnguag”

When pressed further, it came up with this:

“It can b a bit difficult to writ a paragraph without using a common lttr lik “e”. W’ll try to do so, but it might b tough. It’s a bit lik a gam, trying to avoid th commonst lttr in th alphabet. You might think that it’s not that important, but it can b a fun way to practice thinking outsid th box. You’ll b surprised at how many words you can think of that don’t hav “e” in thm. It’s also a good way to practice concision and word choice.”

It seems AI would have been smart enough to use “totally” instead of “compltly” and “most common” instead of “commonst” – but that’s just plain ol’ HI – you know… human intelligence.

While the technology is still in its infancy (and that absolutely terrifies me!), what Chat GPT already can do is remarkable. Take, for instance, this gem, in response to user Thomas H. Ptacek’s directive, “Write a biblical verse in the style of the King James Bible explaining how to remove a peanut butter sandwich from a VCR.”

Perhaps in the coming weeks, I’ll toy with incorporating some AI-generated content in my blog posts. But when I do, I’ll be sure to let you know I had an assist.

One point in my favor regarding AI is it won’t replace my novel writing… at least not anytime soon. When directed, “Write a scene between Gary Sheldon and Michael Conwaye, characters from the Sheldon Family Saga,” it responded thus:

“I am sorry but I don’t have any information about a Sheldon Family Saga. Could you please provide more context or specify what you want the scene to be about?”

Hmm… do you suppose that means I need to heighten my marketing tactics with an AI audience in mind?

About the Author:
Rita M. Reali is a two-time international award-winning author and longtime editor who most enjoys editing memoir, general fiction and romance, along with inspirational writing. She’s self-published five novels: Glimpse of Emerald, Diagnosis: Love, The Unintended Hero, Second Chances and Tender Mercies – the first five in the seven-volume Sheldon Family Saga. The sixth novel in the series, Brothers by Betrayal, is scheduled for an early 2024 release. Her first children’s book, The Purringest Kitty Finds His Home, is due out sometime in 2023. As a former disc jockey in her native Connecticut, Rita used to spend her days “talking to people who weren’t there” – a skill which transferred perfectly to her being an author. Now she talks to characters who aren’t there on “a little chunk of heaven in rural Tennessee.” Contact Rita.