A Filipino-American book nerd attempts to save her precious library from closure with the help of a mysterious vanishing book and a boy she should never fall for.
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Elsy, a Filipino-American book nerd, faces a crisis when their town's growing re...
Thank you so much for completing this story. I appreciate it with all my heart. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed reading your lovely comments.
Beyond this point, there may be spoilers ahead, so tread carefully.
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!WARNING SPOILERS!
What's with the AI theme?
Important Note: No text or graphics of this story (skeletal plot and all drafts or revisions) have been generated by AI.
I want to put that important note there because one of the themes of this story is generative AI for creatives. This may sound scandalous to some, but I have taken the courage to dive into this theme because I have seen the poor ways many are reacting to this new technology.
The idea prompted me when an artist I was following on social media was driven to close their small business due to the ridicule they've received from other artists for using AI in some small ways of their creative process. The discussions had become uninformed and turned into a platform for bullying.
As an engineer, I support innovation and technology. I am optimistic about generative AI, but I understand the several unethical concerns, which should not be ignored. However, there are other ways to address these--ways that are not degrading to our fellow creatives who have positive views of the tool.
Some would argue that we cannot simply accept AI because it's here to stay, and I agree. But we also can't simply force others to not use it at all if they choose to.
Generative AI is still an infant. It will evolve and most are unaware of the role that we play in its growth. It learns not only from the data it collects but also from what we feed it--the prompts, the questions, etc.
In general, AI also learns from what it gathers on the internet including social media. To a certain extent, if most of what it picks up is hate and violence, hate and violence is what it will learn. Thus, the possibility of Skynet, and this is no joke. We should be aware of the effects and influences of what we post online, not only to AI but to our fellow human beings.
In terms of how we use it as creatives, we should be encouraging each other to be creative and find ways this tool can be utilized for good rather than point out that it is evil. If we feel someone is using the tool to infringe on copyrighted work, give the benefit of the doubt. Some people are unaware, and you will notice how they will react and possibly change their ways if we make the effort to inform them properly.
I don't know how this technology will evolve. I like to think that it will revolutionize how data is collected on the internet as a new form of hybrid search engine. It may also likely evolve to follow bigger money-making businesses on the World Wide Web such as advertising or marketing.
What I'm certain about is it will never replace creatives, the same way pictures have not replaced paintings, but it will change the creative world on a large scale that many may not be able to adapt to. Still, we shouldn't be afraid.
As Ms. Clark, the librarian said in Chapter 28, "In some ways, AI might replace me on my job someday, but I'm not afraid. As a human, I'm more miraculous than any technology. My capabilities and purpose in life extend beyond the standard limitations that are set."
I am sharing my beliefs with the hope of inspiring others to react in an informed manner.
The best I could give is the portrayal of how Elsy's character developed from someone who hates AI and turns into a person who can keep an open mind.
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Who is Althea Basilio?
Althea Basilio is a fiction of my imagination. Originally, in the initial draft of A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love, I took Rie Qudan's story about winning the Akutagawa Award for her novel, Tokyo Sympathy Tower, which was written partially (about 5%) with the help of AI.
Before you react to that, I found this thread that explains why what she did was acceptable. Read the first comment by 714c with the translation of an excerpt.
See inline comment for link➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻❥
I thought the story was inspiring, and I wanted to incorporate it in A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love, but I've done some research and found that I can't use current events with living people in detail the same way I can use historical events for historical fiction. There is a possibility of copyright infringement.
So, I changed it, and from my imagination came Althea Basilio. As a proud Filipino, I thought it was fitting this character should be from my country. I've contemplated ways in which someone like Althea, who has not been privileged to visit the US but has written an English novel that is inspired by the States' culture, can utilize AI to help her creative process. This is the scene for Chapter 28.
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If A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love has made you experience the joy of reading books, I hope you can give back to me by supporting me as an aspiring author.
Donate through Ko-fi. The link is in the in-line comment ➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻❥
Thank you so much, lovely readers!
Hi_D
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