But using AI for writing has a cost beyond turning off readers, it risks undermining the development of an important human task. I am lucky enough to have been writing for decades, and I have developed my own style which I think shines through whether I am writing a book, a tweet, or a blog post. That style took a lot of super annoying work to get to: good teachers and rewrites and mean online comments all contributed. If the AI does fine writing, I could skip all of that, but I would have done so the cost of giving up something that has turned out to be very important to my career and my happiness. This is not a condemnation of using AI to help with writing in any way. I think AI can be a fantastic tool for good writers (I have AI check all of my writing and roleplay different reader perspectives to see if I missed something important). For those who struggle with communication, AI can help get their ideas across better, and writing may not be thinking for everyone. Plus, a little bit of effort can make AI writing less cliche, more personal, and more worth using (in moderation). So, this is instead a condemnation of using AI as a default, or, even worse, without thinking at all. Balancing using AI with our own mental abilities is going to be a defining challenge of the coming years.