HER Voice

Did you read the recent news about OpenAI using Scarlett Johansson’s voice to create its “Sky” AI voice – without her consent? When, in fact, she had previously said no? 

Eek! The future is already here, and it isn’t pretty. 

I read the draft of a book a few weeks ago written by a client who wanted my honest impression. She started out strong, presenting her personal story as the backbone of a self-help book about overcoming childhood trauma. 

But about halfway through the manuscript, things started to fall apart. 

No more personal stories. Lots of subheaders breaking down generic topics such as how to get better sleep and harness the healing power of psychedelics. Overwrought language such as, “We stand on the precipice of the greatest mental health crisis known to man.”

I knew exactly what was going on. 

I could pinpoint to the sentence the spot in her manuscript where my client had begun to use generative AI (ChatGPT, Google Gemini or the like) to write her book for her. And frankly, it was no good.

Writing Tip of the Week: Polish Your AI Text

I’ve written before about AI proving a useful tool. I myself have harnessed its powers to generate a ton of suggested title ideas, a straw man table of contents, and even the first paragraph of a Forbes article introducing a topic such as the rise of green household cleaning products. 

What I never, ever do is accept what it generates verbatim. Every sentence must be edited. 

So try it out, if you haven’t already. Have AI produce some text for you. But then polish it with your own human mind. Eliminate excess adjectives. Reduce its tendency towards hyperbole.

And for goodness sake, please include your own stories from your own life!

How are you using AI to write? Hit Reply and tell me a story, in your own words.

Aloha,

MeiMei

Quote of the Week

 “I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference.”

~Scarlett Johansson

Something else you might want to know about...

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