Writers Use TikTok to Demonstrate Their Opposition to AI in Writing and Show They’re Not Using It

Godschild, the author of the fantasy novel The Hunter and The Hunted, shares that she has been writing since she was a child, taking years to plot her manuscript before actually writing it down. Shortly after coming across Aveyard’s extensive 1,000-page edit, Godschild shared a time-lapse video of herself writing a scene for a murder mystery TV show, captioning it, “Watch this time-lapse of me writing a scene in a murder mystery TV show without the use of gen-AI.” She emphasized that she is “not a thief” and that “the murderer is so unpredictable not even a machine could figure out who it is.”

Many writers are seizing the moment of the AI discussion to highlight the essential human skills involved in creating intricate narratives.

YA indie author Rachel Menard took to TikTok to show drafts of one of her manuscripts, noting that if she were using AI, “It wouldn’t take me 78 drafts to get it done.”

“People have lost sight of what truly makes a book great, and it’s the effort that goes into it,” says Menard, who has independently authored three books. She points out that while AI can generate a passable spicy scene, it lacks the ability to weave a captivating story. “If my characters don’t feel like real individuals leading real lives with real struggles, then I know I need to keep refining it.”

Quan Millz, an indie author boasting over 830,000 followers on TikTok and recognized for his striking “street lit” titles like Old Thot Next Door and This Hoe Got Roaches in Her Crib, asserts that claims he has relied on AI to write his works not only label him as a thief but also undervalue the cultural insight inherent in his stories. Before unveiling his identity on TikTok in 2023, Millz, who is Black, faced accusations of being white and even speculation that he was a “CIA operative.”

“It’s obvious now that you use AI to write all your books. Ain’t no way you’re putting out the books this fast,” one commenter remarked on one of Millz’s posts.

While Millz utilizes AI for creating book covers, including those still in the idea stage, he refutes claims that he writes with it.

“There’s no way in hell you’re going to get any of these AI models to truly capture the essence of how Black people speak,” Millz tells WIRED. He has experimented with AI for writing and found that large language models censor his adult content and fail to replicate his nuanced tone. “It doesn’t understand that AAVE [African American Vernacular English] isn’t uniform … Black people in Chicago don’t sound like Black people in New York.”

Though Millz has conducted a few TikTok Lives to showcase his writing process, he informs WIRED that he won’t continue this practice, even if it would help alleviate doubts about the originality of his work.

He explains that constantly interacting with commenters disrupted his writing flow and believes that while maintaining an online presence is vital in indie publishing, recording the writing process won’t provide more evidence of AI-free content than the work itself—at least for now. “I genuinely believe there’s something transcendental about the human experience, something mystical we haven’t fully grasped yet, and you can sense that in the arts,” Millz states. “When you read AI-generated text, even if it’s edited well or personalized, there’s still something off.”