This is a short one.

I’ve thought about this quite a bit. I tried to do some copy-editing with LLMs. I did use a spell-checker. I did research some topics where search engines failed.

But the true contribution of LLMs for me to write a novel was actually much simpler. I just wanted to do something where I could do something myself without the oppressive presence of AIs. They are everywhere in my work. Students use them despite their failings, my colleagues use them, some well, others badly, my clients (meaning the companies I work with) expect me to be able to tell them when to use them. News is inundated by them, especially my personal bubble.

So, I wrote a novel. I deliberately made it long enough that an LLM can’t handle it properly (at 94000 words). Sure, they could theoretically, but in practice the context windows just fail and those machines have no idea of huge chunks of the novel when you try to load it in.

So, that’s it. That is how AIs helped me write a novel. I was just pissed off enough at them to motivate me to do something.