Temptation
- Francene Gillis
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
July 22, 2026 Francene Gillis
I am SOOOOO tempted! The desire burns to the tips of my fingers. I could swim in the ocean down below the house, and when I come back, my work would be all done, as in finished. Yes or no? Right or wrong? Big or little? Lie. Can I get away with it? Oh my gosh, there are so many viewpoints on this topic that I may break the internet.
Me?—I feel like a student in my high school English class now that there is such a 'thing', or should I say a 'robotic', (is it?) qualified assistant (is it?) called AI. Oh my goodness, for a writer that's a scary thought! If I don't remain authentic, put my own words to paper, then what's the point of writing anything?
I could just send everyone to an archive of pieces written by machines or entities, or brains, or whatever we identify him, her, it, or they as. How sad would that be? Don't feelings come into writing? My pulse has increased, my face is flushed, and I am going to blow. Am I seeing red?
My writing has to be original, unique, and totally my own, even if it is not as good as AI. This letter, or initials bit, is driving me crazy. I have to give her, it, him, or them a name. How would artificial intelligence work? Too robotic. Space Odyssey, George Orwell, or Brave New World? Reminds me of a moving silver box with grungy feet that I might see on Star Wars or Star Trek. Think they smell?
I need something that reflects both admiration and disgust. Yup, polar opposites. Strong words, I know, but that is my writing voice coming through. Nope! I will not let Atlas Igor write my blog. Sooo dishonest. How could I put my name on something I did not write? Those blogs would not be mine. Simple as that, or is it?
I sense that on this subject there is too much to talk about in one blog. We'll scrape the top of the iceberg or let one tiny worm out of a slit in the can. That may very well be enough to get the conversation started. It could even explode.
My reasoning fits other creators and creations as well. Designing or making something under the guise of AI, Oops, Aurora... No; I like that name too much to use here. Agatha Instability. That works, especially the second name. But how is Arthur Insult going to affect other creators and their work? Does the writing on the wall show fewer creative souls producing splendid masterpieces? I fear for all creators and creations.
Are we slipping into Simon and Garfunkel’s "Sounds of Silence"? Oh, my. Angst Incubus is making music now, too. Didn’t directors use a dead actor in a movie of late? How do folks feel about that?
Do we care more about who or what makes the product, or the result? Without affirming and encouraging the creative spirit in humans, I fear the landscape will never flourish green again, but remain dull like the end of seasonal winter, before anything turns green. But I am tempted.
Surely, we don't want Alison Introvert, hiding behind a machine, or is it in space, putting false words to paper. To be honest, when Archie Isthmus, first came out, I toyed with whether to use him to create idealistic images for my And Momma Cried war book coming out fall of 2026. In talking to the artist hired to do my drawings—an excellent one at that, I decided—Nope! I would only accept artwork done with human hands.
It tempted me for a day, as tempting as letting Abdera Ignoramus take over my blog. That would make life easier, but it does not sit well with me as it is not my work. No, not at all.
Aatami Incertus makes it too easy, and as a teacher, that scares the beep, beep, beep out of me. It's a wonderful tool, perhaps in the corporate, business, industrial, or medical world, and to do research, but for learning how to write an essay, I don't think so. We need to hear the voices of other people whose stories relate to ours, that resonate, or else, who will we be relating to?
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