In the past week I had my first chance to experience AI (artificial intelligence) through my email server.

Messages from my sister and friends now come with a suggested AI reply. All it takes is one click and you can reply to the message.

There’s nothing wrong with the messages the computer suggests. They’re very well-rounded reactions. Still I don’t use them.

I feel that I as a professional writer can do better than a machine. I can make a message more detailed and more descriptive. I can introduce new subjects that a computer can’t anticipate.

Letter writing used to be a valuable skill. I used to love getting a Christmas card with a well crafted letter. They’re hard to find nowadays. Most people don’t send cards. Often they only send a picture.

The AI trend will probably drive society even more in that direction. It’s faster and easier. For many people writing is hard work. They aren’t likely to make the effort if they have a computer generated option.

It might be good when all that’s expected is a business-like reply. Then it might not be necessary to compose our own messages.

In other situations there’s value in knowing how to communicate. It’s a necessary skill in almost any job. Someone with limited communication skills isn’t likely to ever have a job with serious responsibilities.

Speaking and writing need to be emphasized in school, starting in the early grades. It takes practice. It’s a skill that develops as it gets used.

I remember when we began to have calculators. Our teachers told us how we still needed to learn math, how the basic math we learned in elementary school would become a foundation for algebra, geometry and other higher level math that some of us would frequently use in our adult lives.

I’m guessing that AI will have the same type of role when it comes to writing. It will be a tool that we can use when needed, but it won’t eliminate the need to possess the basic skills.

Computers can now create song lyrics. I think the best songs, however, will always be written by human beings. We’re equipped with inspiration. We can put emotion into the things we create.

There’s something special about the work of authors, musicians and artists. We all have our favorites, the ones we like best.

It’s great when everyone looks forward to a next book, a new album, a latest painting or sculpture. That’s when someone stands the test of time. The popularity can continue for many years, possibly for more than a generation.

I doubt that computer generated materials will ever leave that kind of legacy. They might have all the technical things exactly right, but still something is missing.

I think we’ll become better at telling the difference between something produced by a computer program and something created by a human. It’s possible to have all the technical skill but fall short of real perfection. It comes from being inspired, which takes human emotion.

A person who creates should always try to put inspiration into each project. With my columns, I’ve never had a week where it’s seemed like I’m just writing to fill the page. That’s a wrong reason to write anything.

At least once each week I have an experience that I think might be the basis for a column. It doesn’t have to be unusual. It can just be a normal part of a day, something that might never get recognized I don’t call attention to it.

The AI prompts in my email program are one example. It’s different. It will take some time before I decide whether to use it or how to use it.

It’s like any other technical innovation. It has potential. It all depends on how people adapt themselves.

AI needs to be used wisely. It has to be approached with the same kind of respect we give to power tools such as a chain saw. We handle them with care. We use good traditional common sense.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent