By Peer Mohammad Amir Qureshi
As the steam from my morning tea curled into the air, my literary appetite became stronger and my fingers idly scrolled through Facebook. At that moment, my eyes gazed on an article from an anonymous weekly magazine. I read the article out of curiosity and found a lot of sentences that clearly referenced Chat GPT’s robotic muse. I decided to look into the legitimacy and provenance of the article because it sparked my attention. I copied and pasted two paragraphs into an AI-detecting software and the results horrified me. A startling 98.25% of the content was produced by Chat GPT, an artificial intelligence tool!
I double-checked using other software programs but the verdict didn’t change.
The rise of AI-generated content is a disturbing trend plaguing Kashmir’s literary scene. It’s unsettling to observe fledgling writers of the valley rely on Chat GPT to churn out articles, poetry and essays, even in several languages. The absurdity of passing off machine-generated art as one’s own, complete with attached photographs and boasts of authorship is nothing but fraudulent.
This gross violation of ethical principles is equivalent to plagiarism and misrepresentation, eroding the entire foundation of writing. Don’t forget that originality and sincerity are the foundations of responsible writing. The reliance on Chat GPT is a cop-out, a shortcut that devalues actual originality. The difference between creative writing and AI-generated content is clear as day! Even some editors of English dailies in Kashmir have fallen prey to this fraud, shamelessly changing editorials using Chat GPT.
I am appalled by the emergence of individuals who, despite their lack of artistic ability or poetic prowess, now claim ownership of poetry and poems in both English and Urdu and blatantly print them in Kashmir. Their conscience seemingly unfazed, they bask in the glory of artificial intelligence-generated work, masquerading as their own. Their acts are consistent with the proverb, “One bad apple spoils the bunch.”
By passing-off AI-generated content as their own, they not only fool readers but also undermine the efforts of legitimate authors who painstakingly compose their work, putting their heart and soul into every sentence. The literary world in Kashmir is unwittingly perpetuating a culture of deceit, where creativity is sacrificed at the altar of expediency. It is intriguing to notice that the article’s credentials I examined belonged to a novice writer who, in his/her nascent stage succumbed to the lure of AI-generated content. One shudders to think of what the future holds for this author as he/she embarks on a journey fraught with the dangers of literary dishonesty. Every day, I am disturbed by the flood of AI-authored pieces that grace the pages of Kashmir’s most widely read English dailies. These so-called authors simply gave prompts to the Chatgpt before lazily copying and pasting AI-generated work without even a cursory glance or edit.
My rage is directed not at any individual or publication but at the charlatans who commit this literary deception, destroying the fundamental foundation of writing. Let me be clear: my campaign is against the frauds, impostors, and plagiarists who tarnish the good reputation of writing and undermine the integrity of our profession now the onus lies on writer guilds and newspaper editors to verify the validity of pieces, distinguishing between human ingenuity and artificial intelligence-generated content.
It is the sacred obligation of editors to expose these literary imposters, labelling them as ‘black sheep’ and prohibiting them from contributing to any valley publication. By doing so, editors will not only protect the integrity of their publications, but also the worth of authentic writing. The Kashmiri literary community must band together to combat this threat, cultivating an original and credible culture. The future of writing is dependent on our combined vigilance and dedication to Let’s vow that AI wouldn’t steal our readers anymore.
Views expressed are author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer.
- The author is a columnist based in Ganderbal. He can be reached at [email protected] – X’s @peermohdamir
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