Since I use AI, am I a Writer?

Between the AI "witch hunt" and the data centers moving in next door, I’m trying to reconcile my love for the Genie we can’t put back in the bottle.

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This week, or at least for the past few weeks, I’ve been worried there’s a modern-day witch hunt brewing. I envision these word-nerd evangelists cruising the internet armed with detectors, searching for writers who use AI. It has me looking over my shoulder and has triggered a sudden existential crisis, filling me with self-doubt.

I know, not my normal upbeat story, but it does get better. Sort of.

Since I use AI, am I a writer?

To be considered a writer, do I need to frantically scribble in a spiral notebook or hammer out my stories on a beat-up typewriter with a cigarette dangling from my mouth like Hunter S. Thompson?

Since I don’t... am I a writer? Can I even call myself one? What am I? An AI-assisted writer? Will I be blackballed from Substack?

The existential crisis is real.

I like AI and use Grammarly regularly to correct grammar or rephrase awkward sentences. I’m 100% positive you wouldn’t want to read anything I wrote if I didn’t. It’s the editor I’ve always wanted, patiently catching my dangling modifiers and smoothing out the sentences that sounded brilliant in my head just minutes before.

Gemini is another favorite AI tool. It is the team I can’t afford. It is a busy bee, as they say, finding resources, polishing my sentences, or organizing a bibliography–in seconds. (Yes, that is an em-dash! And I added it, not Gemini.)

I recently discovered that Gemini is a great handwriting translator. It assisted me while I was searching for treasures on Ancestry.com. One find was an 1811 document that could possibly support the plot of my historical novel, but I couldn’t read it. I struggled for 10 minutes, then, on a whim, uploaded it to Gemini and asked it to translate!

Magic. Or it felt like magic.

With the handwriting no longer a barrier, the document was an invitation into another world. I was looking at the formal legal title granted to François Pepin in 1811 for land along the Huron River, where he and three others ran a trading post in Ypsilanti, Michigan. This discovery was the spark that inspired me to visit the Ypsilanti Historical Museum to dig for more.

OMG. Talk about striking gold! Tucked away in an appendix of Karl Williams’s profile on the “Godfroy Trading Post” were a ton of details about a mysterious cave found back in 1835. It had nothing to do with the trading post, or did it? This is the kind of treasure you may only find by digging through a museum’s basement paper archives (something Gemini, incidentally, can’t do). I can’t wait to incorporate it in my historical novel.

Does Gemini offer to draft scenes for me? Yes. It practically begs. And I said, sure, when I was stuck. But Gemini’s scene created more work, not less. It suggested I use a map with scientific symbols that my protagonist would use to find a hidden cache.

I ran with Gemini’s suggestion. It drove me crazy, and soon I was paralyzed, unable to move the story along because the map was a hot mess. I couldn’t visualize it, let alone write about it.

I finally scrapped the idea and turned it into a scavenger hunt with clues instead of a map! It is so much better. My protagonist is a huge fan of 70s pop music and is familiar with Ann Arbor’s West Park Band Shell, but the antagonist, definitely not.

The first clue: What did Tony Orlando and Dawn tie around the tree? Look for it by the Band Shell in West Park.

(Just in case you are too young to remember!)

Come on, fuck those scientific symbols! Who wants to read about them? I’ve got a few more clues for my scavenger hunt that will have my readers and my protagonist exploring Ann Arbor in 1816. (Yes, before it was Ann Arbor!)

That will be fun to write about and hopefully fun for the reader and my protagonist to solve. It’s my creativity that is driving the story, NOT AI.

I credit Chuck for finally resolving my existential crisis. He gets me: “You wouldn’t hand someone a few ideas, have them write a 350-page novel, and then claim you didn’t use a ghostwriter.”

The lightbulb flickered. Of course not, I thought. Chuck continued, “It is the same with AI. But you might say, here are my first three chapters. Read them and let me know what you think. It’s like handing it to an editor to review.”

Now that I’ve resolved that existential crisis, I’ve replaced it with another. What about those data centers that AI needs?

Fueling my latest crisis is a Crain’s Chicago Business article, AI’s expanding footprint comes with a big thirst for water. “...with a $7 billion project from Oracle, OpenAI and Related Digital moving forward in Saline, a town near Ann Arbor. That data center will consume 1,400 megawatts — equivalent to powering 280,000 to 900,000 homes — and sit on 575 acres.” That’s not just a statistic; that is a city, and they are building it just a few miles from my front porch.

For comparison, as of late 2022, the population of Washtenaw County, Michigan–the entire county– was approximately 366,376 people. Obviously, there isn’t just one person in each house. There are about 150,000 households. The freaking data center will consume more than all the homes in the county.

I found the Washtenaw Climate Action Plan, which has information about data centers. I can’t say it has helped me not worry about the data center they are building just minutes away, but at least I feel informed.

There’s no stuffing this genie back in the bottle, and I certainly don’t have a map (AI-generated or otherwise) to lead us out of this mess.

So, my dear readers, how are you balancing the ‘magic’ of these tools with their environmental footprint? If you have thoughts about the data centers or using AI, please share.

The latest Life Michigan Podcast episode is out!

If you have an idea for a guest, email me (info@lifeinmichigan.com). We are looking for anyone who is creative, passionate, and has a story to share about their Life In Michigan. Don’t be shy.

The latest episode of Fans with Bands just dropped!

Blockhouse Valley

We have a few new articles on LifeInMichigan.com. Click on the image to read the whole article.

🗓️ Never Miss an Event: Chuck has been hard at work on our public Google Events Calendar. From book launches to local gigs, it’s all there. Subscribe to the Calendar

You’ll find things like this on the calendar!

For all the details, check out this website!

Join S.H.A.P.E. for an evening of community, conversation, and empowerment. They are bringing together local experts and residents for a special panel discussion and presentation focused on safety and support in our community.

• When: April 29, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

• Where: WSEC Auditorium (500 Washington St, Chelsea, MI 48118)

• Featuring: Panelists from Chelsea PD, Chelsea City Social Workers, and Safe House.

✨ Bonus: Enjoy FREE food and drinks, plus a S.H.A.P.E. shirt giveaway! Browse local vendors and participate in vital discussions.

🔗 Learn more & get involved: Visit shapechelsea.org and click on the “Voices of Courage Fall Event” link.

This past week, we attended The Open Spoon’s April gathering at the Washtenaw Food Hub on Whitmore Lake Rd. It’s a potluck and story circle, think Moth Story Slam, but not. I’ve never been to a Moth Story Slam competition, and the thought of participating in one makes me break out in a sweat. But standing up and sharing a story at The Open Spoon? I could do that. If you’re curious, check out Liz Barney’s Substack post on Root Camp.

Hope Is A Foot Long Spoon

Have a great week!