AUTHOR AI STATEMENT

Boo, I hate AI.

That’s it; that’s the statement.

In all seriousness, let me be very clear:

I have never knowingly used an LLM/GenAI for anything, be it professional, personal, or otherwise. It has never occurred to me to do so. I have no desire to ever use it. The implications are too dire. I care about the environment, the arts, our collective and individual mental health, and we are already experiencing the detriment of handing our minds over to machines. Aren’t there a million stories that tell us how this ends??? Even the platform hosting this site pushes it in my face even as I type this, saying “Hey! Don’t you wanna try it out? It’ll look so cool!” Believe me, I don’t. I would rather have the most boring, lame-ass author site on the internet than passively destroy both people and planet.

So, please understand.

I will never willingly engage in the usage of generative AI.

“But, Heather! Never say never. AI is inevitable! You’re gonna get left behind!” Miss me with all that. Whatever happened to creating something yourself, just for the fun of it? The glorious mess of it? Learning a skill and putting it to use for its own reward? The satisfaction alone is so worth the effort.

I imagine and write my own books. I even edit by hand, with pen to paper - it’s one of my favorite things to do, actually. A piece of myself is in every page.

My work is proofread by skilled professionals. My covers are designed and drawn by real, human artists, because a machine can’t paint a soul.

‍ ‍Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope this topic is as important to you as it is to me. Now, go open a book. Preferably one written by humans!

— Heather Mihok, your friendly human writer