The Complexities of Using AI, Creative versus Business

We’ve noticed that whenever we send out newsletters or write social media posts regarding our personal choice not to use AI to create stories, emails, newsletters, blogs, articles, or other written content, we get the most engagement and feedback. But it’s usually from business owners who don’t quite grasp the legalities and repercussions that come with using AI to create content—or even art and design—when your entire business (not some, but ALL) deals with creating content, which ultimately leads to the legal copyright of said content.

Each of our brands and branches of business (Path To Publishing, Path To Connections, PTP Press) are connected at the root of storytelling. People trust us with their words, their stories, their testimonies, messages, thoughts, ideas, history, narratives, and concepts. When it comes to using AI to create and copyright those things, the laws and implications are simply just too muddy right now for us to risk thirty years of work building our books and business, not to mention the trust of our clients to protect theirs.

We. Simply. Won’t. Do. It.

Just recently, the designers, copywriters, and editors at our company took a stand: Moving forward, if authors/clients submit AI-generated or -edited images/graphics for cover design, we decline to work on those projects. If authors submit text/content/graphics that has been created, edited, or run through AI in any capacity, we decline to work on those projects. Should authors/clients do so during any stage of our work with them, we will consider this to be a breach of our agreement and immediately cease working on the author's/client's project without refunding any monies paid. Author/Client will still be held liable and required to pay any outstanding balance on work that has already been done.

By no means is our stand an attempt to convict others who do use AI. We don’t have that type of power. So, if you do feel a way or feel led to explain or defend your use of AI, perhaps your own inner voice and thoughts are nudging you to evaluate your use of the tool. Are you using it for good? Are you using it for bad? Are you using it right? Are you using it wrong? Are you using it lazily?

Using AI is not a crime . . . using AI to commit one, including copyright infringement and plagiarism, is. And while most business owners don't have to worry about that, our business is built on content . . . on IP (intellectual property). So we do.

We are well aware that there is a difference between using AI to create content and art and the use of AI for business automation. But the purpose of this particular message and correspondence is to get everyone else to understand it.

Again, as an organization whose entire business is the creation of content, we have both insurance and legal issues to take into consideration in determining to use AI for any purpose. We have to be careful and mindful of not having an AI footprint that can end us up in a predicament that could bankrupt our entire business, taint our integrity, and put the trust we’ve built for three decades at risk.

A major New York publisher is experiencing that now—having to pull one of their books from the shelves after readers and the internet dragged the author for suspecting AI use in their written work. The author is now blaming her editor for running her manuscript through AI. You can read the article in full here. The point is that they are a major New York publisher. They can handle what to them might be a bump in the road (and embarrassment) far more easily than a small indie publisher like our traditional publishing imprint PTP Press could.

In our line of work and industry, we don’t have to use AI to keep up with our competitors. For business owners who do, you should absolutely do so. Path To Connections has a Companion and Expert in AI for business owners—especially when it comes to running their business more effective and efficiently—who works with our clients. See below what Whitney L. Barkley has to say about this topic in reply to a social media post from a #Pathfinder—who is also an author/creative— that decided to eliminate her use of AI in creating content:

“Here’s what I want to challenge others to think about, though: what about the systems that already exist? AI is the shiny, new object right now, so that’s where the blame and the complaints are landing. But we’ve been living inside systems that operate exactly like this for a long time. Google has been indexing our content without asking. Facebook built detailed profiles of our behavior and sold access to it. Every time we clicked ‘I agree’ on a terms and conditions page we didn’t read, we consented to more than we realized. The data economy has been running on our information for decades. AI is just the new kid on the block.

“The moment we put our work into the world, it becomes vulnerable. That doesn’t make it right (when our work is compromised) and it doesn’t mean creators shouldn’t be compensated (when it is compromised). But none of us have been fully protected for a long time.

“I don’t have a solution for your specific situation without knowing a full context, but I will say this: Whatever you decide, lean into the human side of your work. People clearly value you . . . (and what you have to offer). Those relationships are your foundation and they’re worth protecting and growing.

“And if you ever want to explore AI again, it doesn’t have to touch the creative side at all. AI can help you research prospects, analyze who’s booking calls with you, write proposals from your existing templates, or update your (existing) scope of work when someone signs (on to work with you). There’s a whole side of AI that has nothing to do with generating (editing) artwork or intellectual property.

“If you want to go even deeper, tools like NotebookLM only trains on data YOU put into it. No risk of pulling from other artists (or creators). Just your own material generating new output. Just some food for thought. Rooting for you!”

And that is why we have Whitney L. Barkley on our team. That is why she is a part of our amazing Storytelling, Pitch, and AI for Business Owners programs, cohorts, workshops, and training. These three worlds—the B.O.S.S. Business of Strategic Storytelling™ world, the Perfect Pitch world, and the AI Content Creation for Business Owners™ world—make up a universe that you as an entrepreneur, business owner, content creator, writer, author, publisher, or storyteller needs in your life . . . and in your business. And if you need more information on how to do so, simply email info@pathtopublishing.com.

Happy creating and storytelling!

P.S. See one final note that Whitney shared in her response: “I think AI can make a great impact with repetitive tasks or even challenging our thinking. But the creative side of it is tricky. There are a lot of things at play that most people are not seeing because they aren’t treating their book as a business. For the people you mention who use AI for cover art, etc. it may feel like they are saving money on the front end by using an AI-generated image for a book. But in the long run, it may cost them so much more. As a recovering graphic designer (lol) the only way AI would help in a provider-client relationship is to show me the direction of what the client wants. Some people do struggle in articulating their creative vision and AI can be a mockup for that. But the final output should be human because you can assure the work and have the paperwork to back it up with an agreement.

“That’s why the business of writing a book (or publication) is so important and something that I’m glad Path To Connections and Path To Publishing pours into their clients because it’s bigger than just getting it done. Your book is your legacy and should be treated as such. And a part of being an author is understanding the business acumen that comes with it to be successful AND avoid some of those legal issues Joylynn mentioned down the line.”

Our final say: Your book—your story—is your legacy. Why in the world would you want to inject some stranger’s . . . or some bot’s . . . DNA into it?