AI Writing & Classism: The True Cost of AI Tools

Picture by Leeloo the First (Pexels)

I have attempted participation in NaNoWriMo twice in my life. Both times, I made it a quarter-way through a novel before being pulled away.

The busiest month of the year for me tends to be November, with birthdays for friends and family, work obligations, and now school obligations for my (soon-to-be) two kids. Despite the busyness, I did hear about NaNoWriMo’s controversy regarding their stance on AI.

It made headlines, and people were quick to criticize it. To be honest, if I were to read their statement about two years ago, I would be too. I used to be among the group that quickly dismissed it until I attended a tech training where the speaker spoke about her sister, who struggles with dyslexia. She spoke about how useful it was for her to communicate better at work. It became an equalizer for her after years of struggle. I felt humbled by my immediate dismissal of the new technology.

I know that the speaker’s sister does not represent everyone who is dyslexic, and there are varying opinions across many different communities about the personal effectiveness of AI. However, it challenged me to change my thinking and research AI a bit more. This began my spiral (or obsessive quest) into the world of AI.

When NaNoWriMo came out with their statement, I went in search of how people responded to it. One of the most thought-provoking articles I came across involved a woman writing about her disability, what she thought of AI, and how people who do not have learning disabilities speak about those who do have them, especially when something controversial like NaNoWriMo’s statement happens. I would encourage reading her article here: https://authorspublish.com/on-ai-and-accessibility/

One point NANoWriMo made revolved around the idea of classism. They essentially stated that not everyone has the financial resources for an editor, and AI may be more cost-effective. This has been argued about heavily since many AI platforms do offer a free version, but you still have to pay for the best quality versions.

It got me thinking: what does it cost to edit with AI writing and editing versus human writing and editing? I put together a survey that takes no longer than 8-10 minutes to fill out about the cost of editing and preparing a book.

If you are an author, writer, or something in between, I would appreciate your insights! The link to the survey is below. I will not collect your information, but you do have the option to provide your name and email if you wish to receive the full results of the survey from me or want be available for follow-up questions.

I will write an article containing the results with visualizations and practical insights for any writer looking to make decisions about their editing investments. Any results I receive will be anonymous in the article.

Link to survey here: The Economics of AI Survey

Thanks for sharing your experience!