I do use the correction bot because I forget a comma or some other punctuation along the way and my eighth grade English teacher said if we couldn't write properly, she would haunt us after she passed away. I believed her so I use Grammarly to not get haunted.
I have always thought the AI would make my stories a little too perfect and I am anything but perfect, I will admit using AI for illustrations and pictures for my work. I can write a story now and then, but I am unlike a lot of authors in the fact all I can only produce is poorly drawn stick men.
Good morning Jane. I am not on here for long in a day but now I’m a bit concerned. As an older woman with zero knowledge of computers, I wouldn’t who is and who is not a bot. 🙀 I never had a computer and years ago tried something on my phone and ended up at Apple. This is the reason that I use notes and not posts, I’m confused. Anyway, this was quite interesting and I never used AI personally. Just the thought of robots taking over is enough to freak me out. If I’m stuck, it’s dictionary and thesaurus! 🙏
I use spell/grammar checkers for my writing. Perpleixty AI saves me time for research, although I check their references. To me, it's a waste of time to delete bots.
Ai is a great tool to use. It can be a time saver. I guess I'm thinking more about the ai generated accounts on so many platforms including here. One person man's many ai genrated accounts and also click farms and bot farms
Are you saying there is something wrong with using AI photos or that AI photos equal fake person/bot? Are fake robot profiles a thing?
I am a real person, Gen-X (Xenial really) and my current profile photo on Substack is one taken with a real camera, not a phone. However, I am starting to use AI for my photos and use other real artists' drawings of me for my social media posts, website, and online presence. One of my least favorite things is photo shoots and having my photo taken with polished intention, even when doing it myself at home with my phone. Ugh! I am a writer and a coach, not a marketer or salesperson, and definitely not a tech person, and AI helps me with all of that.
As for using AI for writing, when used properly and ethically, it can become your writing assistant. I know many people use AI to write from beginning to end, and it sells, and a lot of people don't mind reading it for some reason. I dunno. I am sure there are some I enjoy and dont even know it. Everyone has a story, but not everyone is a writer.
For me, I will paste my document into my AI tool and ask it for feedback or advice on flow, redundancies, and length because I tend to ramble. One of my favorite things is to paste my essay without the title or subtitle and ask AI to tell me what it's about. There has been a multiple times I realized I was all over the place and ended up breaking it down into different essays, but I couldn't see that with my own eyes.
I think anyone who is trying to express themselves from a good place with intention, should use whatever tools they need. If people like it, they will read it.
I enjoy your writing Jane. So do you bc it's working.
Hi Jennifer! For images on fake accounts yes. I should've changed that. I still have to pause when I see them though. Then again fake accounts can have no ai photos.
Ai can be a great tool but the info may not always be correct. It can help make business plans and for myself instructions for various things for myself I never to write for myself personally. That takes out the fun out of the creative writing process for me!
I guess what my issue is when writing is manufactured by ai and other smaller readers are overshadowed by these fake accounts.
I appreciate you taking the time to comment and adding your perspective. It’s interesting to see different angels. As genx myself this is all so new. I'm learning
It’s on the Substack Dashboard. When you create a post (article) the ribbon at the top has a photo icon. If you select the icon, the last option is Generate which allows you to enter a text prompt to obtain an image.
It’s so disappointing when you realise a comment is AI generated. (If they were a bit shorter, I might believe them lol!)
My profile images require a lot of luck and good lighting because the bags under my eyes usually look big enough for a weekend away.
I do still run the free version of Grammarly, but just to help spot major errors more quickly. There’s a lot of squiggly lines and suggestions that I ignore.
In the past, I’ve asked AI for an ‘opinion’ on the tone of certain pieces, after being burned by some unpleasant comments on a viral story in Medium.
Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your insight, Alan.
My profile images have a basic filter and the right lighting. I guess ai images are ok and it's more about the multiple fake accounts that are generated.
Those comments, right? I think if they would he shorter maybe. Those ai genrated responses. Ugh!
I only use AI for pictures, and only if I don’t have some kind of picture of my own to post. I have never used it for editing. Spell check will underline words that are correct, as it doesn’t know a lot of terminology. As for bots and fake subscribers, I know I have them or have interacted with them. I have a very small audience, however, so the fake ones don’t seem to matter. I’m happy to hear from the few real people I’ve connected with, and hopefully over time, there will be more.
Hi Carole! Thanks so muchm for commenting and reading. I'm like you as far as using Ai to genrated photos for my own post. I don't use for editing only spell check.
I am thankful for the small group I interact with here like you :)
I read an article that said there is so much AI generated content out there that AI is now being trained, not from human writing, but from all the AI content that already exists. Personally, I don’t want to live in a world where people are giving away their power to AI without even thinking about the consequences it will have on all of humanity. I made a small logo that I started adding to the bottom of my posts that says Human Generated.
A few months ago I did a purge and deleted about 60 “suspicious” subscriptions. Those with no comments, pictures or posts. My thought is AI could be good, but with the evil doers out there, any benefit is lost.
I like that you are real, down to earth, honest and emotional. I’ll always appreciate that about you.
I never use AI in my writing. I do use it daily to ask questions about programs or platforms that I’m using (Amazon ads, book publishing stuff, helping a musician client with his audio files … for some reason “they” keep changing how platforms function !! Maddening!). Hate the bot likes and follows. Hate more the bot trolling where they start “fights” in social media comments. Grrrrr.
It is handy to ask questions etc. Definitely a good tool. I can't fathom to write or others that mass produce that way. It gets me that so many of the top performers here are ai generated
I'm just me. I can't seem to follow any of the "how to have success with Substack" rules. I just write when I feel like writing - and I read when I feel like reading. I don't have a clear topic, it's just life coming at me - and I write about it.
I would not think of using a bot to write my stuff. I barely use a spell checker. I write for me - and for those who care about me or my insights. I want to see how my writing and attitude changes over time. An AI ghostwriter would take much of that away.
It's amazing, how well they do, though, the AIs. Earlier, I asked chat GPT to write me a post about happiness, and it produced. As I tried to read what it wrote, I found myself falling asleep by the second paragraph. It's certainly prolific. But it lacks soul.
I did use AI for the phoenix image in my blog, because I can't draw a phoenix. The rest of the images in my newsletter are photographs I took or things I drew. (If it's something else, I specify.)
I don't envy the younger generation for having to learn how to maneuver a world that is full of AI.
I use an AI profile photo (because that's more comfortable for me, for some reason...not totally sure why... Insecurity? Introvertedness? Bad selfie photos? All the above?) And AI generated article images. but the rest is me. I can definitely tell when some articles are written by AI and it's...irritating.
Thank you! Its the February “magazine cover “ design i used AI to make - making my Substack into a magazine (cover anyway!) with titles of my articles as magazine titles 😊 when it's march, I'll change it to the March cover. I only hace up to April designed so far.
That's different though. You aren't hiding that. There are the ai generated content farms that have fake photos and spew generated posts that drown out the rest of us.
I think i started writing when I was a kid/early teen, by typing! I can't remember how old i was, but when I was a kid I asked for an old fashioned typewriter. Like Victorian style. For Christmas 😄 I dont think I have it anymore but maybe my parents kept it!
Yes, the old fashioned type writers. I kind of wish I had one. I loved the sound they would make but the key would stick together if I typed too fast ;)
It can be a great too in business for certain things and it can be a fine line. I think it's unfair that Ai genrated accounts can take away from human writers that are not generated Ai content farms.
I get this… I am ? A lot too…. But as terrible as my typing and grammer is I have never been accused of using AI, Also have used Canva to help with book covers, I hope that’s not too much AI, I really like Canva
Yeah, I have noticed AI images being used on Substack accounts. Yesterday, one user liked 11 of my posts & notes in less than five minutes!
The link below is my note from 13/12/2025. It's so easy to create these images, and very easy to spot them. I never use AI to create images, because there are great images on Unsplash!
Writing with AI, takes the fun out of writing, or at least the brainpower used in the process!
I do use the correction bot because I forget a comma or some other punctuation along the way and my eighth grade English teacher said if we couldn't write properly, she would haunt us after she passed away. I believed her so I use Grammarly to not get haunted.
Grammarly to use as a correction is a completely different. To use as a tool yes, but I’m talking about entire articles.
I have always thought the AI would make my stories a little too perfect and I am anything but perfect, I will admit using AI for illustrations and pictures for my work. I can write a story now and then, but I am unlike a lot of authors in the fact all I can only produce is poorly drawn stick men.
I am not an artist either. I also like making ai images and I get a good laugh out of it.
Good morning Jane. I am not on here for long in a day but now I’m a bit concerned. As an older woman with zero knowledge of computers, I wouldn’t who is and who is not a bot. 🙀 I never had a computer and years ago tried something on my phone and ended up at Apple. This is the reason that I use notes and not posts, I’m confused. Anyway, this was quite interesting and I never used AI personally. Just the thought of robots taking over is enough to freak me out. If I’m stuck, it’s dictionary and thesaurus! 🙏
Good morning, Jo-Ann. Thanks for commenting and sharing sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed my writing.
It confuses me too. Computers were not part of my childhood and the internet wasn't around until I was in my 20.
I started Substack to have a writing platform. I had no idea about notes.
I do enjoy reading what you write. 😊
Thanks so much, Jo-Ann. That means so much to me!
You’re so welcome Jane
Good morning, Jo-Ann. Thanks for commenting and sharing sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed my writing.
It confuses me too. Computers were not part of my childhood and the internet wasn't around until I was in my 20.
I started Substack to have a writing platform. I had no idea about notes.
I use spell/grammar checkers for my writing. Perpleixty AI saves me time for research, although I check their references. To me, it's a waste of time to delete bots.
Ai is a great tool to use. It can be a time saver. I guess I'm thinking more about the ai generated accounts on so many platforms including here. One person man's many ai genrated accounts and also click farms and bot farms
Sadly, it feels like whack a mole with bots. 😿
💯
Are you saying there is something wrong with using AI photos or that AI photos equal fake person/bot? Are fake robot profiles a thing?
I am a real person, Gen-X (Xenial really) and my current profile photo on Substack is one taken with a real camera, not a phone. However, I am starting to use AI for my photos and use other real artists' drawings of me for my social media posts, website, and online presence. One of my least favorite things is photo shoots and having my photo taken with polished intention, even when doing it myself at home with my phone. Ugh! I am a writer and a coach, not a marketer or salesperson, and definitely not a tech person, and AI helps me with all of that.
As for using AI for writing, when used properly and ethically, it can become your writing assistant. I know many people use AI to write from beginning to end, and it sells, and a lot of people don't mind reading it for some reason. I dunno. I am sure there are some I enjoy and dont even know it. Everyone has a story, but not everyone is a writer.
For me, I will paste my document into my AI tool and ask it for feedback or advice on flow, redundancies, and length because I tend to ramble. One of my favorite things is to paste my essay without the title or subtitle and ask AI to tell me what it's about. There has been a multiple times I realized I was all over the place and ended up breaking it down into different essays, but I couldn't see that with my own eyes.
I think anyone who is trying to express themselves from a good place with intention, should use whatever tools they need. If people like it, they will read it.
I enjoy your writing Jane. So do you bc it's working.
Hi Jennifer! For images on fake accounts yes. I should've changed that. I still have to pause when I see them though. Then again fake accounts can have no ai photos.
Ai can be a great tool but the info may not always be correct. It can help make business plans and for myself instructions for various things for myself I never to write for myself personally. That takes out the fun out of the creative writing process for me!
I guess what my issue is when writing is manufactured by ai and other smaller readers are overshadowed by these fake accounts.
I appreciate you taking the time to comment and adding your perspective. It’s interesting to see different angels. As genx myself this is all so new. I'm learning
I enjoy your writing as well, Jennifer!
Substack does have its own image generator which, I assume, is AI-driven.
Probably they do. I wouldn't know where to find it.
It’s on the Substack Dashboard. When you create a post (article) the ribbon at the top has a photo icon. If you select the icon, the last option is Generate which allows you to enter a text prompt to obtain an image.
Thanks, Paul!
I’ve used it on occasion and I try to label the image as AI or Substack-generated.
It’s so disappointing when you realise a comment is AI generated. (If they were a bit shorter, I might believe them lol!)
My profile images require a lot of luck and good lighting because the bags under my eyes usually look big enough for a weekend away.
I do still run the free version of Grammarly, but just to help spot major errors more quickly. There’s a lot of squiggly lines and suggestions that I ignore.
In the past, I’ve asked AI for an ‘opinion’ on the tone of certain pieces, after being burned by some unpleasant comments on a viral story in Medium.
Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your insight, Alan.
My profile images have a basic filter and the right lighting. I guess ai images are ok and it's more about the multiple fake accounts that are generated.
Those comments, right? I think if they would he shorter maybe. Those ai genrated responses. Ugh!
I only use AI for pictures, and only if I don’t have some kind of picture of my own to post. I have never used it for editing. Spell check will underline words that are correct, as it doesn’t know a lot of terminology. As for bots and fake subscribers, I know I have them or have interacted with them. I have a very small audience, however, so the fake ones don’t seem to matter. I’m happy to hear from the few real people I’ve connected with, and hopefully over time, there will be more.
Hi Carole! Thanks so muchm for commenting and reading. I'm like you as far as using Ai to genrated photos for my own post. I don't use for editing only spell check.
I am thankful for the small group I interact with here like you :)
Me, too!❤️
I read an article that said there is so much AI generated content out there that AI is now being trained, not from human writing, but from all the AI content that already exists. Personally, I don’t want to live in a world where people are giving away their power to AI without even thinking about the consequences it will have on all of humanity. I made a small logo that I started adding to the bottom of my posts that says Human Generated.
I can't fathom it. Maybe I should copy right it all. I don't like that human writers are being over-taken by Ai.
I like your logo idea. I'll have to look into that
I’m with on that Jane. We’re watching people giving away their power to AI and it’s all happening so fast 😞
It is happening so fast. This would've been on my radar a few years ago.
I like AI music artists, but that's about it. I don't trust AI for any life advice at all.
There is some interesting AI music, but I'd take music from real musicians any day.
I can't imagine asking AI for life advice, yet some do!
A few months ago I did a purge and deleted about 60 “suspicious” subscriptions. Those with no comments, pictures or posts. My thought is AI could be good, but with the evil doers out there, any benefit is lost.
I like that you are real, down to earth, honest and emotional. I’ll always appreciate that about you.
Thanks so much for your encouraging comments, I truly appreciate that.
I've been thinking about doing another bot sweep again. It's like a revolving door every day here!
I never use AI in my writing. I do use it daily to ask questions about programs or platforms that I’m using (Amazon ads, book publishing stuff, helping a musician client with his audio files … for some reason “they” keep changing how platforms function !! Maddening!). Hate the bot likes and follows. Hate more the bot trolling where they start “fights” in social media comments. Grrrrr.
It is handy to ask questions etc. Definitely a good tool. I can't fathom to write or others that mass produce that way. It gets me that so many of the top performers here are ai generated
Me, too. !!!
I'm just me. I can't seem to follow any of the "how to have success with Substack" rules. I just write when I feel like writing - and I read when I feel like reading. I don't have a clear topic, it's just life coming at me - and I write about it.
I would not think of using a bot to write my stuff. I barely use a spell checker. I write for me - and for those who care about me or my insights. I want to see how my writing and attitude changes over time. An AI ghostwriter would take much of that away.
It's amazing, how well they do, though, the AIs. Earlier, I asked chat GPT to write me a post about happiness, and it produced. As I tried to read what it wrote, I found myself falling asleep by the second paragraph. It's certainly prolific. But it lacks soul.
I did use AI for the phoenix image in my blog, because I can't draw a phoenix. The rest of the images in my newsletter are photographs I took or things I drew. (If it's something else, I specify.)
I don't envy the younger generation for having to learn how to maneuver a world that is full of AI.
I hear you with how to succeed in Substack. I am happy to write what I want to write and when.
So much of the ai gen writing falls flat although it's getting "better"
I don't enevy the younger generation either but they really don't know it any other way.
Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your perspective.
I truly appreciate it
I use an AI profile photo (because that's more comfortable for me, for some reason...not totally sure why... Insecurity? Introvertedness? Bad selfie photos? All the above?) And AI generated article images. but the rest is me. I can definitely tell when some articles are written by AI and it's...irritating.
I like your profile photo by the way.
Thank you! Its the February “magazine cover “ design i used AI to make - making my Substack into a magazine (cover anyway!) with titles of my articles as magazine titles 😊 when it's march, I'll change it to the March cover. I only hace up to April designed so far.
I've noticed that here in one of your posts and I love the concept.
That's different though. You aren't hiding that. There are the ai generated content farms that have fake photos and spew generated posts that drown out the rest of us.
True...and i don't understand how they do that?! It's so unfair. I don't get technology sometimes lol
I don't get it either. I'm older I started writing creatively with pencil and paper when I was 6 and still do 50 years later!!
I think i started writing when I was a kid/early teen, by typing! I can't remember how old i was, but when I was a kid I asked for an old fashioned typewriter. Like Victorian style. For Christmas 😄 I dont think I have it anymore but maybe my parents kept it!
Yes, the old fashioned type writers. I kind of wish I had one. I loved the sound they would make but the key would stick together if I typed too fast ;)
I have used AI for admin charts to save time but less and less.
I noticed each time, it to keep you on and give you other solutions that you haven’t even asked for.
It’s a fine line!
My oldest daughter is very opposed to it with an impact it has on natural resources, including our own creativity.
💕
It can be a great too in business for certain things and it can be a fine line. I think it's unfair that Ai genrated accounts can take away from human writers that are not generated Ai content farms.
I get this… I am ? A lot too…. But as terrible as my typing and grammer is I have never been accused of using AI, Also have used Canva to help with book covers, I hope that’s not too much AI, I really like Canva
I have used Canva too for book covers and for creating books with my own photos.
Yeah, I have noticed AI images being used on Substack accounts. Yesterday, one user liked 11 of my posts & notes in less than five minutes!
The link below is my note from 13/12/2025. It's so easy to create these images, and very easy to spot them. I never use AI to create images, because there are great images on Unsplash!
Writing with AI, takes the fun out of writing, or at least the brainpower used in the process!
https://substack.com/@karltame/note/c-187496756?r=3lca8c&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
Sounds familiar with the influx of post notes in minutes.
The link above is 12/13/25? :)
I do use AI images on posts so guilty of that. I have fun making them. Unsplashed does have a good amount though.
This article did need an ai image to make a point, in my defense.
My gripe with AI images is that people use them as their profile image!
(This is a fake me, because I have ten different accounts. Where I represent people from all over the world, from my own flat)
I don't have a problem with AI images in someone's post, or note, or book cover, couldn't care less!
As I post this, it is the sixteenth day of the second month of year 2025 🤣
The multiple accounts that are ai generated are what get me too. So, I absolutely agree with that.