On a Personal Note: My Stance on AI

What a first month it has been.

Finally launching my editing business was equally as exciting as it was daunting, to be completely honest with you. Now I have to work on my visibility, networking ... and creating content, like this blog post here!

‘On a Personal Note’ will be my monthly, private-ish corner where I want to talk about my work, my reads, anything bookish I find interesting to share, and what continues to fascinate me about love stories. When you hire me, you’re working with a human, after all, and I want you to see a glimpse of that human. You’re handing over your baby to me, and I acknowledge how much trust that requires – especially in romance and erotica, where so many emotions are on the page.

I’m currently rereading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, not solely for pleasure (though it is always a pleasure), but as part of my ongoing study of writing craft, and to use it to showcase examples in future blog posts.

As I’ve already mentioned on Facebook, Lights Out by Navessa Allen was my first audiobook in a long time. I really enjoyed the narration by Elena Wolfe and Jacob Morgan. Listening made me even more aware of the pace and energy in conversations, and the importance of omitting dialogue tags where possible.

I think I need to listen to more audiobooks... though I’ll have to figure out a system for remembering favourite quotes! What’s your approach?

Also, if you have any audiobook recommendations, please let me know (preferably duet narration).

Thinking about it, this first month has been about many new things: launching my business, reading differently, thinking about stories with renewed attention...

My Stance on AI

Some say it might be brave – or unfortunate – to launch an editing business given the current AI situation, but I’m not concerned. Editing is so much more than ‘just’ catching errors. It requires sensing when a character’s emotional reaction feels slightly off, even if it is grammatically perfect. It requires noticing when tension collapses half a page too early. It requires understanding genre expectations and the craft of writing while still protecting and amplifying the author’s unique style and voice.

In romance and erotica especially, nuance matters. Emotions, intimacy, consent, chemistry, vulnerability, or power dynamics are not mechanical constructs. They are human. They demand empathy and real experience.

Current AI is not there yet, by a long way. It struggles to stay consistent, frequently falls into confirmation biases, is often wrong or keeps hallucinating, and I haven’t even started on copyright, stolen works, or the impact on the environment. But let’s say, for argument’s sake, it will eventually come to that; even in a world where AI is more sophisticated, ethically trained, and has no environmental impact, there will still be writers who choose to collaborate with humans. We tell stories because we’re human. That won’t change. And that is why I’m confident in having invested into this business, and continue to do so.

Spotting AI

With book covers, the use of AI is usually very obvious, and yes – readers see it too. In writing, however, it’s much harder to tell. Sure, there are giveaways if a text is 100% AI-generated, but what if someone writes a text themselves and just lets AI polish it? You probably wouldn’t know. An em dash here or a ‘common AI phrase’ there isn’t enough. AI checkers are not reliable, if not to say straight up wrong. You know you’ve written your book, so don’t feel the need to feed it into AI to ‘prove’ it. AI is trained on human writing and communication. AI sounds like us, not the other way around. And actually, if we try to avoid ‘sounding like AI’, where would that lead? There would always be new aspects we’d need to adjust or avoid in order to be perceived as ‘authentic’. It could become an endless cycle.

Personally, I’d prefer not to participate in such a pursuit. I don’t believe we should have to ‘prove’ that we’re human. AI usage, on the other hand, should be subject to proper declaration and regulation, among other considerations (e.g., the environment). Transparency is essential to enable informed decision-making and to build trust with authors and readers alike.

What do you think? Let me know your take on AI!

If you’re working on a romance or erotica manuscript and would like a human pair of eyes on your work, I’d be delighted to hear about your project. I do not use generative AI in my editing process. Your manuscript deserves the thoughtful care only a human editor can provide.

Have a look at my services or get in touch here.