# Ghost Writing

By [Ram](https://paragraph.com/@ram008) · 2023-08-11

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There is often a dilemma that I face these days on whether to write content by myself or entertain some ghostwriters. This includes AI writers at times. While the thought is tempting and sometimes it is necessary given timing and engagement constraints, for someone that takes pride in writing, it is not gratifying to engage someone else to do the writing. For one, I can’t read the writing and be okay with it, usually, I always end up re-writing most of the text; and on the other, attaching my name to text that I have clearly not written, feels almost unfair and just not right.

Have I allowed ghostwriters? Yes, I have had to. Will I do it? Perhaps I will. Who will I trust? Not sure I can trust anyone completely with writing, so if anyone, why not AI over some copywriter? AI that is trustworthy and once I can be assured of complete ownership and privacy over my prompts and data, I am fine trusting AI. The reason is that there won’t be hard feelings even if I had to edit the whole text. I can ask AI to tweak anything without getting any groans, pushback, or edits that ‘experts’ suggest but I don’t agree with it. There will also be less guilt in putting my name on text assisted by AI rather than completely written by someone else.

I have experimented throughout my life, but more purposefully in the past 90 days. I have posted blogs, magazine pieces, and press. Each category had text that I authored end to end, had a ghostwriter write/edit it and write with the help of Notion AI. Guess the engagement results? Almost always, the text I wrote had the best engagement. People always respond to the genuine and what comes from the heart. AI came next, as it is practically an extension of my writing. The edits I made on top of what AI did or the segments I had AI assist me with, were not enough to take away the entire genuinity of the piece, but it still could not match the original. Less the AI involvement, more the engagement. Ghost writers? Well, ranked last, especially when I did not edit anything. I had to begrudgingly allow this in some situations and in others, for the heck of it. Unfortunately, the only engagement I got from these posts were those inquiries that asked whether I was drunk or sleepy when I wrote those.

Like an artist, I usually have a signature word, phrase or other artifact that my regular readers identify. When it is missing, it becomes clear. This is what we call humane and is something that AI cannot replicate unless we teach it. So, in time, AI might make us question our own genuinity and ask, “would I do that?” That might be the next identity crisis or imposter syndrome or self fulfilling reality, I don’t know which. But this is going to be mind-boggling. I can also see how we may need ways to identify genuinity or influence level of AI.

Was this Ghost Written? Nope, and one of the reasons to post my blog on the mirror is that at the very least these are my personal feelings that can only be published if I sign it with my wallet. So, whether AI has generated it or a copywriter has edited it, I will have the final word before I sign.

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*Originally published on [Ram](https://paragraph.com/@ram008/ghost-writing-2)*