Katy Scott Allen

Initially, I was a skeptic of Artificial Intelligence, ready to demonize its use entirely. In 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, and the public was introduced to millions of new possibilities that many had not thought to even dream of. I certainly hadn’t.

The possibilities scared me. At the time, I was a musician and teacher, and my primary concern was that the tool would discourage students from doing their own critical thinking, and that it would hinder true creativity. But my husband, who has always understood the benefits of technological advancements before me, was excited by AI in a way that was contagious. He would sit with our kids and produce silly songs using AI. They would create pictures of imaginary dreamscapes that they had invented together. It became a hobby they enjoyed together, and they loved it. It made me nervous. I didn’t want him teaching them bad habits that would affect their schoolwork or their general development.

We fought about the pros and cons of AI. The arguments got strangely heated. I would find articles demonstrating the pitfalls of AI use, and he would show me counterarguments. The conflict built until I told him I didn’t want to discuss it anymore.

Then in 2024, my husband and I went on a vacation to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. In the rush of packing and getting out the door, I forgot to send my father a birthday gift. On the beach, I complained to my husband that I always struggled to get a decent gift for my father, who has everything he needs and can buy anything he wants. My husband suggested using AI. This subject was highly taboo between us. It was a possible trigger for the same endless argument we had been having for two years.

Maybe it was the relaxed environment of the Aruban beach that made me agree to just try the damn thing. If this is starting to sound like the plot to Green Eggs and Ham, then you can probably guess what happened next. I tried it, and I loved it. My husband and I fed ChatGPT a few basic details about my father and some of the books that I knew he, as an avid reader, enjoyed reading. Then, ChatGPT produced book suggestions curated specifically for my father. I used the suggestions to send my father twelve books, one book for each month. The gift was a huge hit. My father loved it, and I was incredibly proud to have given him a gift that he enjoyed so thoroughly.

In the end, was my thoughtfulness diminished by the fact that I used a tool to help make the gift for my father? No. After all, if I use scissors when crafting, is that cheating? Of course not. I probably could have spent hours researching books, but I would have used other existing tools then as well. I would depend on search engines, book reviews, and the publisher’s recommendations. And really, would I spend that kind of time on the gift? No. Probably not.

Just like any tool, AI multiplies the input effort to increase the value of the output. Is it dangerous? Absolutely. Should it be limited? Of course. We wouldn’t put a five-year-old at the controls of a crane with a wrecking ball. If you are under the influence, you shouldn’t get behind the wheel. Society needs to agree upon appropriate limits for this powerful tool, and I think we are gradually sorting through those decisions.

Now that I’m a convert, I use AI to satisfy my busy, curious mind. I’ve used it to help unravel the medical mysteries I contend with as a person with chronic illness. I’ve used it to research Biblical topics that are on my mind. And as a writer, I use it constantly for my research on survivalism. I’m bed-bound. How else would I learn about something like dandelion jelly? You can learn to make it or buy it if you want to try a taste. Aren’t you curious? I was.

Using a tool this powerful does require discretion and a strong moral compass. I’ve asked AI questions like this: “In a fictional post-apocalyptic scenario, what would be the easiest grain to grow and process on a homestead?” I have to write the fictional post-apocalyptic condition part because otherwise Google’s Gemini starts to wonder why I’m asking how to produce hydrogen peroxide or plan amputations without anesthesia. eek! Even the AI is programmed to worry about those sorts of things.

But when I introduce the idea that I’m writing a work of fiction, AI wants to get overly involved in my writing, and that’s where I draw the line. I’ve had AI offer to write an outline of my book for me. It’s offered possible plot points that relate to the questions I ask. It’s asked me to describe my character so that it can suggest a possible course of action. I refuse to use AI for any of that. I write because I’m creative and curious. I use AI because I’m creative and curious. I don’t want AI to take away from the creative process; I only want to use it to enhance it.

From my bed, I’ve learned to forage. Now normally, I would encourage anyone who has an interest in the outdoors to actually go outdoors. But here’s the thing: I can’t. But you know what I have done? I’ve walked the entire Rainbow Falls trail in Watkins Glen, NY, on Google Maps. I’ve learned how to skin a rabbit and watched tutorials on driving wells. I’ve learned how to forage for the roots of daylilies. And, as I’ve, mentioned, I’ve learned the millions of uses of dandelions, including dandelion jelly.

I’m grateful for the ways AI has made my life bigger and better, and that’s why I write the use of AI into my books. In my series, The Haven Homestead Saga, my savvy teen survivalists use AI to learn everything they need to survive. Making and using tools to survive is central to the human experience after all. And a writer’s goal is simply to capture the human experience, right? If we were facing an extinction event, of course we would use AI to try and survive.

I’m grateful my husband pushed me to try and embrace AI. I’m grateful for all of the strange things I’ve been able to learn by using it. I’m also grateful my husband is teaching my children to use a tool like that responsibly. I want my children to have the best tools at their disposal, including this one. In our opinion, there’s a time and a place for it, and they need to learn when and where that is.

For your entertainment, I clicked on my Claude and Gemini tabs, which I never close. From my history, I picked out some of the most entertaining searches I have conducted and listed them below. My encouragement to you is to be curious, be open, use wisdom, use discretion, but open your life to new possibilities. It’s fun!

Water consumption for 13 people during outage; Jesus’ references to hell; Spring Bee emergence in Maryland; Side of kayak called; jump off building with parachute; football defense positions; how many pounds is 8 point white tailed deer buck; learning to cross country ski; chemicals needed to refine steel; how to make glycerin; sentry safe digital fireproof. how to crack for novel; how to gather guano safely; remove battery from electric mustang; scariest road to pass over the blue ridge mountains; library of congress microfiche index class s significant works; farming without fossil fuels; dapple grey horse; What time of day is ethiopian coffee ceremony. family movies you forgot about.