AI is Evolving
Are sci-fi authors thinking about using AI to help them out now that AI is already stepping in to handle some writing jobs that humans used to do?
Famous sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, who’s known for The Three-Body Problem, says that right now it’s not really happening, but he’s not sure what the future holds.
“At the moment I don’t plan to use any AI-generated stuff in my writing,” Liu mentioned in a video at a sci-fi forum in Beijing this December. “But with how fast AI is developing, it could be pretty skilled in writing five to ten years from now. By then, I might think about it and be open to getting some AI help.”
Liu, who has won a Hugo Award, believes that if AI keeps advancing at this pace, he and other sci-fi writers could end up being “the last generation of authors who are clearly human.”
Hugo Award Writer Thinks AI is a Lower than Average Content Creator
“For sure, lots of new writers will stick with human-made content, but proving that might be tough,” he says.
Liu, now 61, admits he’s putting all he’s got into his writing, even if it takes time and can be tricky.
“I’m gonna do my best to show the links between people and the universe and all the possibilities that could come,” he adds.
He’s best known for his trilogy Remembrance of Earth’s Past, which has been translated into over 30 languages and has led to adaptations in animation, TV, and radio dramas. Plus, a movie based on the trilogy is being handled by the famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
The whole machine-generated writing thing has stirred up some debates among sci-fi writers. Ted Chiang, another well-known sci-fi author, mentioned that large language models aren’t really creating compelling art because they just mimic or mix up what previous authors have done.
Ji Shaoting, who organized the forum, points out that opinions in the sci-fi community vary when it comes to AI writing. “Some authors are totally against AI writing, while others are on board and using it to jazz up their work.”
“What AI cranks out is pretty dull so far since it mainly just rehashes old content without any real thought.” Ji, who’s part of the sci-fi committee of the China Writers Association, believes that AI can’t match human writers when it comes to being original and coming up with fresh ideas.