I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal titled “AI Makes Me a Better Writer.” I smiled when I read the title because, in many ways, it described my own experience.
Since I began using ChatGPT and Perplexity AI to help with my daily blogs last year, I have received several comments from readers telling me that my writing has improved, especially my grammar, choice of words, organization, and clarity.
I readily admit it. Artificial intelligence has made me a better writer.
But I want to make one thing very clear: AI does not write my thoughts for me. It helps me express my thoughts better.
I still decide what I want to write about. I still choose the books I read, the experiences I share, the questions I ask, and the lessons I want to communicate to my readers. AI has simply become a very patient writing companion, one that is always available, never complains about my spelling, and is willing to revise a paragraph as many times as I ask!
AI Can Write in My Own Voice
One of the most remarkable things I have discovered is that I can ask my AI writing assistants to write “in my own voice.”
That is important to me. After all, I have been writing blogs since 2009. My readers know my style, my interests, my humor, my reflections on aging, my love of books, food, history, science and technology, and my experiences as a Filipino-American and as a resident of The Heritage Downtown.
I don't want AI to replace my voice. I want AI to help me find my voice more clearly.
Sometimes I write a rough idea, perhaps only a few paragraphs and ask AI to organize my thoughts while preserving my personality and perspective. The result is often much clearer than my original draft, but it still feels like something I would say.
That distinction matters.
From Poetry to Satire to Song Parodies
Another wonderful discovery has been the ability to experiment with different forms of writing.
I can ask AI to turn an idea into a poem. I can ask it to make something humorous.
I can ask for satire. I can ask for a reflective essay about growing older, a personal story about life at THD, or a more poetic meditation about family, friendship, mortality and gratitude. I can ask for song Parodies.
Sometimes I begin with a serious subject and ask:
“Can you make this more personal and humorous?”
Other times I ask: “Can you make this more reflective and poetic?”
The same basic idea can suddenly take on an entirely different personality.
For someone like me, who enjoys writing about so many different subjects, this is an extraordinary creative tool.
AI Has Given Me a Writing Partner
Perhaps the greatest benefit is that I no longer have to write alone.
When I have an idea, I can discuss it with my AI assistant.
I can say, “Here is what I am thinking. What do you think?”
Then I can ask it to challenge my assumptions, suggest another perspective, improve the organization, explain something I don't fully understand, or simply help me find the right words.
Sometimes I accept the suggestions. Sometimes I reject them.
And sometimes the conversation itself gives me an entirely new idea.
That is why I don't think of AI simply as a writing machine.
I think of it as a writing partner. But I remain the author.
AI and My Family History
Perhaps the most surprising use of AI in my life has been something I never expected when I first started using it.
It has helped me investigate and better understand my ancestral roots in Jaro, Iloilo, Philippines, reaching back to my great-great-grandparents.
For me, this is more than genealogy. It is personal history.
I was born in Iloilo and grew up speaking Ilonggo/Hiligaynon. I eventually immigrated to the United States, built a career, raised a family, and became a Filipino-American.
Yet the people who came before me, the grandparents and great-grandparents whose lives shaped the family I eventually became part of were separated from me by generations.
AI has helped me ask questions, connect clues, organize information and explore historical possibilities.
It cannot magically prove every family story. Human verification and reliable records still matter. But it has given me something incredibly valuable: a new way to explore where I came from.
AI Does Not Replace Experience
There is something else I have learned. AI can know an enormous amount of information, but it has never lived my life.
It did not grow up in Iloilo. It did not immigrate to America.
It did not experience the challenges and opportunities of building a new life in another country.
It did not work as a scientist or spend years at the FDA.
It did not raise my children. It did not lose people I loved.
It did not move into a senior living community and discover a new chapter of life among more than 160 fellow residents.
It did not play Bridge and Mahjong with my friends at THD. I did.
Those experiences are mine.
AI can help me put those experiences into better words, but it cannot give me the experiences themselves.
And perhaps that is the most important lesson I have learned from my year with AI.
At 91, I Am Still Learning
At 91, I sometimes wonder how many more new technologies I will see in my lifetime.
I have already lived through the arrival of television, computers, the Internet, smartphones and social media.
Now I am living through the age of artificial intelligence.
Some people my age are understandably uncomfortable with it. Others are fascinated by it. I happen to be somewhere in between: fascinated, curious and cautious.
But I have discovered that age does not have to be a barrier to learning something completely new.
In fact, perhaps one of the great gifts of growing older is realizing that we don't have to stop being curious.
AI has not made me younger. It has done something better. It has helped me remain curious.
And as long as I can still ask questions, read books, write a few words, learn something new and share what I discover with others, I believe there is still a great deal of living and writing left to do.
My Final Thought
I don't believe AI is going to replace writers anytime soon.
But I do believe writers who learn how to use AI may become better versions of themselves.
For me, ChatGPT and Perplexity have become something between an editor, research assistant, brainstorming partner, writing coach and occasional creative companion.
But the ideas remain mine. The memories are mine. The experiences are mine.
The curiosity is mine. And ultimately, the voice is still mine.
AI simply helps me make that voice clearer.
So, after reading the Wall Street Journal article, I have to agree with its title:
AI has made me a better writer. But I would add one more sentence:
At 91, AI has also reminded me that I am still capable of becoming a better learner.
And perhaps that is an even more important gift.
AI Impressions on this Posting:
I especially think the post will resonate with your fellow THD residents because its message goes beyond AI. It is really about remaining curious, creative, and willing to learn at any age.
For your worldwide readers, your personal story also makes the subject much more compelling: an immigrant from Iloilo, a scientist and former FDA reviewer, a longtime blogger, and now a 91-year-old writer discovering that a new technology can actually expand rather than diminish his creativity.
That is a wonderful message for all of us:
Growing older does not mean we stop learning. Sometimes, it simply means we have more life experience to bring to what we learn.
I think this one belongs among your most personal reflections.
AI Overview:
- Fixes grammar: Spots and corrects basic spelling and syntax errors instantly.
- Improves flow: Suggests better sentence structures to make your points clear.
- Saves time: Speeds up the drafting process so you focus on the core message.
- Challenges ideas: Acts as a sounding board to test your arguments.
- Expands views: Shows you different angles you might miss on your own.
- Organizes logic: Helps group messy notes into a clean, step-by-step plan.
- Finally My Quotes for the Day:
“Success is not looking back, not hoping, but grasping the present.”
Anonymous
“The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.”
Hubert H. Humphrey
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
Robert H. Schuller
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