Towards a policy for the use of AI…

The use of AI is a hot topic in the writing space.

Here, we set out our current thinking and invite you to share your thoughts and responses. (You can email us at ditheringchaps@gmail.com). The focus, in this blog, is on what we are expecting of you. However, just as important is what you can expect of us - we've added our AI Policy to this website today - see the footer of each webpage.

In our view, AI is rapidly catching up with humans in the ability to create convincing and compelling works of art, including poetry. The confidence that we, as editors, have about our ability to pick out a poem, or part of a poem, created by AI is gradually being whittled away.

Here's an example, from just two years ago, of a poem produced by an AI tool (Google). We were running a competition for the Bournemouth Writing Festival on the theme of 'Lines in the Sand' and we asked AI for its contribution. Here's what it came up with:

Lines in the Sand

Some people draw lines in the sand

To show where they belong or stand

They think their lines are very strong

But they are often very wrong

I like to draw lines in the sand

They make me feel so cool

I use my finger or a stick

Or sometimes even my tool

I draw them big, I draw them small

I draw them straight or curved

I draw them here, I draw them there

I draw them as I preferred

But sometimes people cross my lines

And make me very mad

They don't respect my boundaries

And they think they are so rad

I wish they would leave me alone

And let me draw in peace

I wish they'd mind their own business

And let me do as I please.

Now, compare that to something AI produced for me just this week.

I asked Gemini to research Circe and Calypso and imagine them in a face-off over Odysseus. I gained deep insights into the nature of each goddess, their sources of power and their personality. I was thinking of writing a poem based on Gemini's nuanced and evocative analysis.

Instead, I asked Gemini to write the poem for me...

Circe and Calypso

No bird crossed.

Between them
the sea forgot
its next wave.

One carried
a root
that remembered fire.

One carried
a shell
that remembered
nothing.

The wolf
would not choose
between them.

The olive leaf
curled
towards speech.

Salt
curled
towards sleep.

Neither
asked
whose island.

Neither
spoke
Odysseus' name.

Instead—

a bowl.

Water.

One hand
ground fennel,
hellebore,
ash.

One hand
covered
the surface
until reflection
became depth.

The pestle
waited.

The tide
waited.

Years
passed
without passing.

Then,
almost kindly,

"Your gift
expires."

"No."

"Everything
does."

"No."

The first gull
crossed
the horizon.

Neither
had summoned it.

Sure, there are a few less felicitous moments in this effort, but it has a quality and subtlety that I hadn't encountered in an AI poem before. And, to be honest, if a human author had submitted this to us, I would have found it both authentic and accomplished.

Clearly, since it was entirely written by AI, I would not even consider submitting it as my own work. But AI tools are now so pervasive that it is becoming increasingly difficult to claim that any finished poem has been written without AI input.

When, exactly, does using AI cross that line?

What we are expecting  of you

On our Submissions Page, we try to get to the kernel of what we expect of you by saying:

Please do not submit writing generated by AI. We welcome the responsible use of AI tools for auxiliary tasks like research or proofreading, but all submitted poetry must be the original creation of human authorship—no part of the final text should be AI-generated. If you are unsure whether your submission meets this requirement, please include a brief note explaining why.

If I'd read the Gemini output about Circe and Calypso and incorporated 'hellebore', a 'pestle' or a 'gull' into my own poem, that would have been a human aesthetic choice, of the kind that we make as writers all the time - 'Ooh, that's a great word, idea, location... I'll use that in my poem'. However, if I'd incorporated the two verses above that begin 'One hand... One hand', I would have crossed a line...

Only you, ultimately, will know whether what you have written is your own, human creation. What we say on our Submissions Page boils down to us asking you to be honest with us and with yourself.

At the end of the day, if humanity ends up relying on AI to produce our art, we will lose a lot of what makes us human. Though we can't stop you, and we may not be able to confidently catch you in the act, if you use AI to write your poetry for you (a prime example of cognitive offloading), the loss will be yours...

What you can expect of us

Dithering Chaps believes that artificial intelligence should support, rather than replace, human creativity, editorial expertise and professional judgement. We are committed to using AI responsibly, transparently and in a manner that respects the rights of authors...

See the link at the bottom of this webpage to read our full AI Policy on how we use AI ourselves.