Adriana Kantcheva
Dispatches from a writer of what-ifs.

Hello, ,

This is a special edition of my newsletter. It is a bit more serious in tone than usual, but I have things to say. So here it goes...

Since sending out my last newsletter, I became aware of Bella Chaha, probably a pseudonym, who committed fraud against multiple publications by submitting buckets of AI-generated work under a myriad of other pseudonyms and, in some cases, achieved publication. This person violated submission guidelines, contract terms, and trust. This kind of person makes me want to give up writing. (I won't.)

I never stated this overtly, but I feel it is time I do that now: I do not let AI near any part of my creative process. My writing is an integral part of who I am. It is my art and my art of living, my calling, my identity. The very thought of letting something (not even somebody!) else take over this very integral part of my existence makes me sick. I will lose my very reason for being.

I am deeply saddened and angered by what has been happening lately. I keep thinking about my report of my EuroCon experience (last newsletter), where I mentioned how, in astronomy, AI is used to parse out gigantic datasets that would otherwise take months to process. In this scenario, the rise of AI has opened up research possibilities hitherto unattainable. I spent some time pondering weather the positive sentiment I expressed in that regard aligns with what I believe. I still think it does. To me, this dichotomy — how AI is used in astronomy and how Bella Chaha used it — highlights something humanity cannot forget. Everything can be turned into a weapon or otherwise misused. I still don't believe that research should cease. But it is up to humanity to show responsibility in using its creations. It saddens me that history has shown over and over again how greed, megalomania, and capitalism have been the main engine for almost anything that happens; how benefiting humanity seems to always be an afterthought, left to the less powerful, less influential.

Now, I'm in a situation where I think twice about each em dash I use (I love em dashes; used them liberally long before AI came along; will still use them). Also, I no longer feel free to discard the numerous pieces of scrap paper my story development process involves. Who knows, down the line, I might have to prove that the stories I craft with so much love, so much dedication and passion, are truly my own creations. Even the thought of possibly having to prove this hurts.

So, it has been hard to continue writing lately. Submission windows have become sparser and shorter. (I don't blame the editors for that; they are as much the victims as legitimate writers; editors have their workload doubled if not tripled by the deluge of AI-generated submissions; I'm grateful to every venue that continues to accept unsolicited submissions). Bad players steal publication spots from real, passionate writers. The smell of witch hunting is in the air... It's been hard to continue creating.

At EuroCon, I asked a few panelists and editors what a writer can do. Is there even any point in continuing to struggle? I got a few different answers, but the one I want to remember, especially when despair hits, is the following (I'm definitely paraphrasing and adding a line or two): Continuing to create, to express ourselves and our humanity, is essential. It is more important than ever before. It is a way to resist; to defend a better future, where technology serves us and not the other way around; where thinking about ethics goes hand-in-hand with technological development and use; where working together for the greater good is no longer an imaginary concept.

Adriana

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