Alberta author battling AI by writing 34 books in 34 weeks

In a small Alberta town, one author is taking a big stand against AI.

Her goal is to show that people are not just as capable, but better at writing books, while showing that artificial intelligence is no replacement for the creativity of the human spirit.

Most days on a quiet street in Gibbons — 45 minutes northeast of Edmonton — you’ll find Allison McBain furiously writing in this converted shed behind her house.

“I’m a pretty fast writer. I’ve been honing my speed over the years, so I write about 1,500 words an hour,” she explained.

In a brightly painted room surrounded by photos of her kids, is where she spent five to eight hours every day, seven days a week, over the last year, writing 34 books in 34 weeks.

It’s part of her author versus AI project.

“I wanted to show that one author could write almost as fast as AI but hopefully much better, and using no AI at all,” said McBain.

Already a prolific writer, she used the project to tackle a list of stories she had been wanting to tell for years. From science fiction to romance to westerns. Hoping her efforts will not only make the case for people to value real writers’ work.

“When you look at an AI-written article or story, it feels very generic. There’s no wild flights of fancy … its job is to filter out the massive information we have online into something small. But that doesn’t work with fiction. Fiction is small, it is about those small moments that make us human,” said McBain.

She’s hoping to inspire writers to keep creating even as the threat of AI looms over their jobs

“I’ve heard over and over again that AI can write our stories, what’s the point? Why should I write this book I’ve been thinking about for ten years? Why should I take a stab at it if I can just point and click? And I want to show and inspire that writing is about the love of it. Writing should not just be to produce something. It’s to tell your story. Everyone has a voice.”