Why I'm an "AI Positive Author"—and What That Actually Means
Why I choose curiosity over fear when it comes to AI—and what that means as a storyteller.
When you Google "AI positive author," my name shows up first.
Wild, right?
I had to laugh when I discovered this during an incognito search last week.
So here I am, accidentally becoming a poster child for something I never planned to champion.
But since the internet has apparently decided I'm the go-to voice on this topic, maybe it's time to explain what "AI positive" actually means to me—and what it doesn't.
What “AI Positive” Actually Means
First, let me be clear: I'm not a tech bro, and I’m not here to convert you.
I share the very real concerns surrounding this technology.
What I am is deeply, unapologetically pro-human.
I believe in our capacity for imagination, empathy, and meaning-making.
And I believe AI can be a co-creator to enhance these natural gifts, not replace them.
That's why I'm AI positive.
Not because I worship the tech, but because I trust us.
“AI doesn’t ‘give’ me creative freedom—it connects me to the part of me that already has it.”
How I Started Using AI Before the Hype
My relationship with AI began in 2021 when I heard about Sudowrite on The Creative Penn podcast. I felt this distinct flutter of excitement—software to help brainstorm and create stories? Intriguing.
Within days of signing up for the beta, I realized it could be the key to finishing my novel. Those tiny creative crossroads that used to stop me cold—Should this character leave the room or sit down to think?—became collaborative moments instead of roadblocks.
I'd type in what I was writing, and Sudowrite would offer its best guess at what happened next.
I rarely used what it gave me directly. But its suggestions sparked ideas and kept me in the flow.
Four months later, I had written "The End" on The One Game—just weeks before the first public release of ChatGPT.
My Real Concern (It’s About Power, Not Robots)
With ChatGPT in the mainstream, emotions got big fast.
Would AI replace authors?
Take over the world?
Make humans irrelevant?
I had those fears too. I still do, sometimes.
But here's what worries me most: not AI itself, but who controls its development.
I worry about the kind of AI that worsens power imbalances. Divides rather than connects. Manipulates rather than enlightens. AI-powered tech that entrenches inequality rather than uplifting all of us.
The question that keeps me up at night is: How can we use AI to build a future where humans are more connected, more creative, and more in harmony—with ourselves and with the planet?
I don't have all the answers.
But I believe we start with open dialogue and collaboration.
We need all kinds of voices in this conversation—including writers, artists, and creators who understand the sacred nature of the creative process.
How I Use AI in My Writing Practice
My AI toolkit has expanded since those early Sudowrite days. I use a variety of tools for different aspects of writing and marketing.
But the principle remains the same:
AI helps me flesh out ideas, explore unexpected story paths, and keep my momentum going.
It helps me break free from the confines of my own mind.
It helps me experience my characters, dreams, and inner doubts in new ways.
It guides me past boundaries and perfectionism.
AI doesn’t ‘give’ me creative freedom—it connects me to the part of me that already has it.
An Invitation to Stay Human—Together
We're living through a massive shift.
The history of storytelling has always been intertwined with advances in technology—from printing presses to word processors.
Yet this moment seems much bigger than technology changing. Structures and processes that once felt stable—like writing and publishing—are shifting.
AI is everywhere, often without us choosing it.
It's easy to feel like this wave of change is happening to us.
But here's what I keep coming back to: we get to decide how this story unfolds.
Start with Your Own Creative Authority
If you're wrestling with how you feel about AI, start simple: What's one emotion that comes up when you think about it? Fear? Excitement? Frustration?
Whatever it is, that's useful information.
Then ask: What would it mean to approach this change from my own creative authority rather than from reaction?
Being “AI positive” doesn’t mean surrendering your judgment. It means holding space—for discernment, for curiosity, and for each other.
I choose to engage with AI not to abandon the sacred in my work, but to strengthen it. To tell stories that connect us and make us think and feel and grow.
I'm here to model what it looks like to approach this moment with curiosity instead of dread.
With collaboration instead of competition.
With trust in our deepest creative instincts.
The future of storytelling—and creativity itself—is still being written.
We all get to be part of that conversation.
If you like thinking about our future—real or imagined—come hang out.
I write about AI, creativity, human evolution, and the strange, thrilling intersection of all three.