The Dearth of the Author in AI-Supported Writing
This addresses a conceptual issue for users and developers of AI creativity support tools in writing, but it is incremental as it builds on existing critiques without presenting new empirical data or methods.
The paper tackles the problem of AI-supported writing tools producing text with low expressive intent due to users making few creative decisions, and argues this explains difficulties and anxieties around such tools while proposing a new goal for them.
We diagnose and briefly discuss the dearth of the author: a condition that arises when AI-based creativity support tools for writing allow users to produce large amounts of text without making a commensurate number of creative decisions, resulting in output that is sparse in expressive intent. We argue that the dearth of the author helps to explain a number of recurring difficulties and anxieties around AI-based writing support tools, but that it also suggests an ambitious new goal for AI-based CSTs.