When AI Became My Unwanted Co-Author

“Sorry, Bhavik. Your profile is overqualified for our company,” he hung up, and I knew the exact reason why he didn’t choose me as the preferred employee because this was not the first rejection I had recently received. It was the 10th.

It goes back to the month when every blog and article featured ‘ChatGPT’ — some powerful AI writing tool, they said. I didn’t know. I didn’t bother. I am not a techie. I have never used technology as my core means. I am not a Kindle lover; I am a book lover. I have heard people saying, “Technology can never replace humans.” Maybe, not until now.

It was a month later when that AI tool caught my attention, as one of my friends wrote a LinkedIn post on ‘How AI tools may replace writers?’. I asked myself, “Can they do that? Is it legal? There must be laws protecting it.” They just did.

I received my 18th rejection.

It was less harsh this time, as I already had an instinct it would happen.

The WGA went on strike on May 2. I felt the dots were connecting. Were they?

Because many writers on LinkedIn and Twitter were overwhelmingly promoting the same AI tools with grace and earning more than their previous ‘Only-Human’ writing era.

I didn’t understand why some writers were supporting AI and tools like ChatGPT, and some were rigorously protesting. Was that going to redefine productivity in an ever-evolving writing landscape or permanently stop it?

The underlying tensions in the world of writing were killing me. As tools like ChatGPT become increasingly skilled in mimicking human language, writers like me are caught in a quiet dilemma.

The contrast of AI supporters vs AI haters was not a debate like white vs black, but it was something deeper. It was a gray area. Humans won’t be replaced, they said. Human writers who don’t adapt to AI technology might be replaced. So this was really about how I have to compulsorily embrace technology for enhanced productivity, even though I don’t want to if I want to keep my writing skills in existence.

The Writers Guild of America made it to the 100th day, and I made it to my 25th rejection. My pitches and emails were unheard and unresponsive. That was it, I said. It’s time for me to find another career. Many writer friends had told me to focus on other earning avenues. They were wrong, I consoled myself.

Then, one sudden day, I opened my email with the expectations of rejection and letting my heart deject again.

It read, “We loved your profile. We want to hire you on a contract basis. But you will have to learn AI tools for better productivity.”

I looked at the WGA news again, and it still continued. They are strong. I applaud their perseverance to fight for their rights but I have a family to feed and bills to pay. And anyways, I wrote in my resume (I hand created without using any AI tool) that I am a fast learner.

I am a book lover; I am a Kindle lover too, now.