this post is simply to voice my opinion on the situation that many of us have seen unfolding on tumblr over the past day or so regarding accusations of writers using AI.
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i want to make it very clear that this is not a hate post directed at any specific person. this is simply my perspective as both a writer and a reader.
i also want to make something very clear.
i am not saying that any of the writers mentioned in this discussion have definitely never used AI.
i am not part of their writing processes.
i do not sit beside them while they write.
i do not know what tools they use or do not use.
and honestly, that is part of my point.
because if i do not know what happens behind the scenes of someone else's writing process, neither does anybody else unless actual evidence is provided.
my issue is not whether people ask questions.
my issue is not whether people have concerns.
my issue is with public accusations being made without proof.
without evidence, nobody should be confidently presenting assumptions as facts.
That is the distinction I am trying to make throughout this post.
my biggest issue with situations like this is that writers are being publicly accused of using AI without any actual proof being provided.
good grammar is not proof of AI.
proper punctuation is not proof of AI.
having polished writing is not proof of AI.
many writers use spellcheck, Grammarly, beta readers, editors, writing groups, proofreading tools, or simply have years of writing experience. some writers even have backgrounds in english, journalism, communications, education, and other fields where strong writing skills are expected.
at the same time, bad grammar is not proof that somebody is human either.
what concerns me is when people openly acknowledge that AI cannot be determined by "vibes" alone, but then turn around and confidently accuse specific writers anyway. if we agree that vibes are not proof, then accusations should not be made based on vibes.
disliking somebody's writing style is not proof of AI.
finding a story too polished is not proof of AI.
finding a story too formal is not proof of AI.
the burden of proof should always be on the person making the accusation, not on the writer being accused.
and beyond all of that, i think people forget that writers are human beings before they are content creators.
you do not know what role writing plays in somebody's life.
for some people, writing is their creative outlet.
for some people, it is their stress relief after work or school.
for some people, it is one of the few places where they feel comfortable expressing themselves.
for some people, tumblr and fanfiction communities are their escape at the end of a difficult day.
so when accusations are made publicly without evidence, there are real consequences. readers may stop supporting authors. writers may feel pressured to defend themselves. some may even leave communities entirely.
if there is genuine proof that somebody is using AI and presenting it as entirely their own work, that is a different discussion.
but accusations should be based on evidence, not assumptions.
at the end of the day, i believe writers deserve fairness, and i believe serious accusations should require serious proof.
also, before anybody misunderstands what i'm saying, i am NOT saying that people can never question whether AI is being used.
if somebody genuinely believes a writer may be using AI, it is perfectly reasonable in many situations to politely ask questions or seek clarification.
questioning and accusing are not the same thing.
what i am saying is that if you're going to publicly accuse somebody of using AI, then the responsibility to provide evidence should be on the person making the accusation.
"I can't tell based on vibes alone, but I feel like this person is using AI, so they're definitely using AI."
because a vibe is a feeling.
a feeling is not evidence.
if someone believes an accusation is serious enough to post publicly and attach real people's names to it, then that accusation should be supported by something more substantial than a feeling.
that's the distinction i'm trying to make.
another thing i think people should consider is the effect these kinds of accusations have on the writing community as a whole.
public accusations do not only affect the people being accused. they affect every writer who sees them.
when writers watch other writers get publicly accused without evidence, it can create an environment where people become afraid to share their work. instead of focusing on creativity, they start overthinking every sentence they write out of fear that they might be accused next.
there is also the issue of reputation.
even if an accusation turns out to be incorrect, the damage is often already done. people tend to remember accusations much longer than they remember corrections. once doubt has been planted in people's minds, it can be very difficult to remove.
readers are affected by this too.
many people come to tumblr and fanfiction communities because they enjoy reading and connecting with writers whose work makes them happy. when writers feel pushed out of communities because of public accusations, readers lose those writers too. communities lose creativity, stories, and connections that may have taken years to build.
i also believe that standards should be applied consistently.
if evidence matters when accusing someone of plagiarism, harassment, or other forms of misconduct, then evidence should matter when accusing someone of using AI. serious accusations should be supported by serious proof.
ultimately, writing communities should encourage constructive discussion, feedback, accountability, and mutual respect. they should not encourage speculation being presented as fact.
we should be creating environments where writers feel comfortable sharing their work, growing their skills, and engaging with readers not environments where people are publicly judged based on assumptions.
whether someone personally likes a writer's style or not should never determine whether accusations are made against them.
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ever since seeing the original discussion/post, its been on my mind, which is why this response ended up being so long and why there are multiple sections to it.
i've been thinking about it for a while, talking it over with friends, and trying to organize my thoughts in a way that was respectful and constructive.
whether people agree with me or disagree with me is completely up to them, but these are my honest thoughts on the situation and why i felt it was important to speak on it.
another thing that has been bothering me is the idea that using normal vocabulary, proper grammar, or strong writing skills is somehow becoming suspicious.
i've genuinely seen people question writing simply because somebody used words like "contradictory" or because their grammar was too polished.
but those are not unusual words.
those are not impossible words.
those are not words that only AI can use.
people learn vocabulary through school, books, journalism, higher education, life experience, and years of reading and writing.
strong writing should not automatically be treated as evidence of AI.
because at some point, it starts sending the message that writers are being criticized for improving their craft.
writing communities should encourage people to become better writers, not make them feel nervous about using proper grammar, punctuation, or vocabulary.
being articulate is not evidence of AI.
having a large vocabulary is not evidence of AI.
being a skilled writer is not evidence of AI.
something else that's been on my mind:
obviously, what is happening here is nowhere near the scale of what michael experienced throughout his life, and i'm not trying to compare the two situations directly.
but i do think there's an irony that stands out to me.
many of us are part of this community because we recognize how damaging false accusations, rumors, assumptions, and public narratives can be when they're repeated without evidence.
we spend so much time discussing how unfair it was when people made claims about michael without proof, yet sometimes we seem willing to do something similar to other people in our own community.
again, i'm not saying the situations are equal.
i'm saying the principle is the same:
serious accusations should be supported by evidence.
whether someone is famous or not, whether they're a celebrity or a fanfiction writer, i don't think people should be publicly accused of things based on assumptions alone.
