Intentionality, Beauty, and Authorship. Co-Writing With AI With Stephen Marche

AI tools can generate words, but the human intention behind it, as well as the skill of the author, drives the machine. Stephen Marche talks about the creative process behind Death of an Author, 95% written by AI, out now from Pushkin Industries.

Today's show is sponsored by my wonderful patrons who fund my brain so I have time to think about and discuss these futurist topics impacting authors. If you support the show, you also get the extra monthly patron-only Q&A; audio. You can support the show at www.patreon.com/thecreativepenn

Stephen Marche is a Canadian novelist and journalist. He's also the creator of Death of an Author by Aiden Marchine, a novella written 95% by AI tools out now from Pushkin Industries.

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below.

Show Notes

* How Stephen co-created Death of an Author with various AI tools: ChatGPT, Sudowrite, and Cohere

* The importance of specificity in prompts and why those who know what they want, and have experience with writing and different forms of literature have an advantage

* Why the intellectual process is more important than the mechanical process

* Why co-creating with AI tools is like being a hip-hop producer

* On copyright: “I am its author legally, but a machine wrote it based on my instructions.”

* How authors might approach co-creating with AI if they want to work with traditional publishers

* What remains the same despite advances in technology: “Creative AI is going to change everything. It's also going to change nothing.”

Death of an Author is out now from Pushkin Industries in audiobook and ebook formats. The press release also has more details about the process, and there is an Afterword in the book where Stephen goes into more detail. You can find Stephen at StephenMarche.com

Header image created on Midjourney by Joanna Penn.

Transcript of the interview

Joanna Penn: Stephen Marche is a Canadian novelist and journalist. He's also the creator of Death of an Author by Aiden Marchine, a novella written 95% by AI tools out now from Pushkin Industries. So welcome to the show, Stephen.

Stephen Marche: Hi, how are you?

Joanna Penn: I am good. So first up, tell us a bit more about you and your writing background and how you came to become interested in AI.

Stephen Marche: Well, am I speaking to a robot at this moment?

Joanna Penn: No. No!

Stephen Marche: Okay. I just had a sudden sense that I was, I don't know why but like,