The AI revolution is here. What does that mean for fiction authors? If you listen to the doomsday alarmists, AI technology is either set to put us human authors out of business, or end the world as we know it.

The first huge benefit I’ve found using ChatGPT is research. 

Research is a fundamental part of the writing process. As fiction authors, we scour libraries, read books, and browse the internet (mostly that last part), in search of facts to give our stories authenticity. But research can be a digital rabbit hole. If you are an author you’ve undoubtedly popped over to the internet to look up the wingspan of a falcon only to get lost in a sea of cat memes, useless facts, and celebrity gossip. In fact, there is a very real possibility that you are reading this right now because you were doing research for a story and now here you are three and a half hours later…

Fortunately, advances in AI technology have made the tedious task of research easier and faster for authors, and the great part is, no distraction.

A tool like ChatGPT allows authors to do lightning fast research without the distraction of the internet. You can simply keep a ChatGPT page open in the background and tab over to it when you need a quick fact. The AI search tool will spit out answers in less than thirty seconds and you can go right back to your work in progress. You don’t have to page through Google results, you won’t get distracted  by news or ads, and you won’t be lulled by the siren song of funny cat gifs.

One concern is still the validity of using AI  technology for research and that is another discussion for another time. I’d suggest you back up any answer you get with more in depth research after you are done with your first draft. In fact, I’ve made the case before that any and all research should be done when you are working on the 2nd draft of your story. The first draft is all about letting your ideas flow.

I still much prefer ChatGPT for quick facts when working than Google. It’s really changed the way I do research, allowing me spur of the moment facts that I can plug into first drafts and then I do more targeted research after the fact when I’m working my way through subsequent drafts.

AI technology can be a game-changer for writers looking to streamline the research process and save time. With the help of AI, we can access a vast amount of information quickly and efficiently, allowing us to focus on what really matters: writing compelling stories.

The point is, authors don’t need to fear the AI revolution. Instead, you should be using this new tech to make you more proficient. 

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