The AI Witch Hunt: 7 Harsh Truths Every Writer Faces Today
Discover how the relentless pursuit of AI detection is suffocating creativity and originality in the writing world.
Writers beware! This battle has already begun, and you’re caught in the crossfire.
This article was also published on Medium.
When the AI witch hunt first crossed my radar, I dismissed it as another fleeting trend.
But within weeks, I found myself second-guessing every word, wondering if AI algorithms would falsely accuse my writing of being artificial.
It felt like I had entered a dystopian world where the simple act of expression could turn against me at any moment, and I’m not alone.
1. You’re Not Allowed to Use Your Own Words Anymore
Imagine writing your heart out only to be told that common phrases like “dive deeper”, “insight” or “resonate” are now banned because AI uses them too.
That’s right!
AI Algorithms have now claimed ownership over parts of the English language.
For writers, this creates an absurd dilemma: avoid natural expressions you’ve been using your whole life or risk being labeled as “AI-generated.”
2. The AI Image Dilemma: Creative Freedom Under Siege
The AI witch hunt doesn’t stop at words, it’s coming for images too. Some publications, even here on Medium, have banned AI-generated images.
But what’s the alternative for writers who don’t have a design background?
Are we expected to rely on grainy photos from outdated smartphones or endlessly recycle the same tired stock images from Unsplash?
Or perhaps we should overpay for a Shutterstock subscription and use their overpriced, but slightly less overused images.
For those of us who see AI images as a valuable tool, these restrictions feel like an attack on creative freedom.
Let’s be honest, creators have been remixing and altering media for decades.
Think about the countless celebrity photos you’ve seen online, cleverly manipulated to dodge copyright issues.
If it’s legal to remix celebrity photos under creative commons, why should AI imagery be treated any differently?
The rules seem arbitrary, and yet they’re slowly tightening the noose around our creative expression.
3. The Authorities Are Clueless (As Usual)
Big Tech’s motto seems to be “move fast and break things.”
Just like Uber circumvented taxi laws, Airbnb skirted hotel regulations, Facebook and Twitter declared themselves user platforms under the guise of free speech to avoid libel laws, now AI companies are charging ahead without waiting for permission too.
The Tech Bro playbook is well worn.
Meanwhile, writers are left in a no-man’s land, constantly wondering whether they’re breaking some unwritten rule.
And don’t count on the authorities, they’re just as confused as we are.
4. AI Detectors Are Flawed, And They’re Coming for You
If you’ve ever worked with a client who relies on plagiarism checkers, you know how flawed those systems can be.
They frequently flag common idioms, expressions, and even basic signposting phrases.
Pile up too many in one text, and you’re almost guaranteed to trigger those red plagiarism alerts!
At least plagiarism accusations can be investigated and verified though.
But AI checkers? That’s a whole other story.
Now, AI checkers are popping up everywhere, flagging human-written content as AI and vice versa. It’s laughable.
We’re back to 1692 and the Salem Witch Trials!
And yet, these broken tools are being wielded as weapons in the AI witch hunt, further complicating the lives of writers.
This is basically nothing more than a type of shakedown, another excuse by clients not to pay writers for their human written work.
5. Privacy Promises? Don’t Hold Your Breath
Remember when Google promised to phase out third-party cookies to protect privacy?
Years later, they’ve conveniently “delayed” this plan indefinitely, and we’re all still being tracked. It’s no different with AI.
OpenAI has teased the idea of watermarking AI content, but who really believes they’ll go through with it?
Their business model, like Google’s and Facebook’s, depends on keeping AI usage discreet.
6. Why Human Writers Will Always Have the Upper Hand Over AI
Despite the challenges AI presents, human writers have an edge that no machine can replicate: authenticity and emotional depth.
Readers crave connection, and while AI can churn out endless streams of content, it can’t deliver the personal touch that “resonates deeply” (oops, there I go again) with audiences.
Your unique experiences, emotions, and “perspectives” are irreplaceable.
So how can human writers thrive in this new world of AI?
Embrace technology as a tool to enhance your work, not replace it.
Use AI to streamline research, generate ideas, or create rough outlines, but always inject your human voice into the final product.
Focus on building genuine connections with your readers, sharing stories that AI could never replicate.
The days when writers could just write, publish and fade back into the shadows are gone.
It’s all about engagement with your readers. Social Media has long known, and profited from this, writers need to finally get on board as well.
The more human and engaged you are, the more irreplaceable your writing becomes.
The future isn’t AI vs. human writers, it’s about leveraging both to create something greater.
Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay and will only become more pervasive in the lives of creatives.
So we could either adjust and make the best of it, or get left behind.
7. At the End of the Day, Bad Writing Is Still Bad Writing
Whether it’s written by a native English speaker, someone struggling with English as a second language or churned out by an AI that lacks any real understanding of the audience, writing that fails to connect will always fall flat.
The true AI detector isn’t some algorithm or hastily built third-party software trying to cash in on the AI Witch Hunt with scores and color codes, it’s the reader!
It doesn’t matter if it’s a machine or a human behind the words, if the content is bland, misses the mark and doesn’t “resonate”, readers won’t stick around.
And yes, there’s that word again: “resonate.”
I suppose it’s another one I’ll have to strike from my vocabulary forevermore to avoid setting off the AI detectors from the Ministry of Truth.
But that begs the question, are we headed toward a dystopian future where the English language is reduced to nothing more than emojis, text-speak instead of “newspeak”, and abbreviations to prove we’re human?
George Orwell was prophetic indeed.
Bottom line: If your writing lacks heart, it’s doomed from the start, no matter how many AI tools you use or don’t use.
The real question is: can you still write something worth reading, or has AI already won?
It’s already tightening its grip on the English language, dictating how we express ourselves.
In a world where words are being stripped from our own vocabulary, it feels like an AI-driven “propaganda” war has already been declared on us. Goebbels would be proud!
Warning: AI Vocabulary Alert!
The following words in this article are commonly used by AI language models.
Proceed with caution or eliminate them from your vocabulary immediately to avoid being caught in the “AI Witch Hunt”:
- Dive
- Delve
- Deeper
- Resonate
- Insight
- Content
- Tool
- Perspective
Here are a couple of others I couldn’t seem to fit in:
- Craft
- Blur (It’s also the name of a once popular UK band. I guess they’ll either have to change their name or get permission from the Ministry of Truth to use it.)
Use the above at your own risk! Failure to comply may result in being flagged by our new AI detector overlords, chased by algorithms, and possibly banished to the digital abyss.
Or at the very least, a client trying to weasel out of paying you for your work.
How about you? Are you worried about the future of writing in an AI-driven world?