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AI will have a skill but not an art: Chetan Bhagat
Noted author Chetan Bhagat dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence and AI-based language tools will affect the profession of writers, especially in the realm of fiction
PUNE: Noted author Chetan Bhagat has dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-based language tools will affect the profession of writers, especially in the realm of fiction. “AI will have a skill but not an art,” he said, adding that these tools cannot bring true emotion into writing and that creativity drawn from human experience will remain irreplaceable. Bhagat was speaking Sunday evening at the launch of his latest book, 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story, at a bookstore in Pune where he was interviewed by socialite and venture capitalist Tehseen Poonawalla.
Asked whether AI and AI-based language models will impact his profession as a writer, Bhagat said that storytelling built on human emotion cannot be replicated by machines. “When people ask whether AI or ChatGPT will affect my profession as an author, my answer is: it won’t—at least not for fiction,” Bhagat said. He emphasised that authentic writing is rooted in lived experiences.
“AI hasn’t had its heart broken. My heart was broken. ChatGPT doesn’t have childhood trauma. I do. I’ve had breakups. I’ve felt love. I’ve lived through highs and lows. And what works in books is the ability to transfer those real feelings to readers. If you don’t feel anything yourself, fiction won’t work,” he explained.
Bhagat said that the essence of storytelling lies in human connection. “In general, people are interested in people. Why are we talking here? Because you have a certain way of speaking, and I like that. If both of us were replaced by bots, they’d talk about everything—from nuclear science to Space to politics—but who’d want to sit and listen?” he said.
Challenging the notion that AI could rival creative writing, he said, “Tell me a single book that was written by AI. People will always be interested in people. These models can handle administrative work, but they cannot bring true emotion into writing.”
Bhagat further said that even if AI evolves so as to mimic emotional expression, it will still lack authenticity in the eyes of the audience. “Even in the future, if AI learns to imitate emotions, the moment people know something was written by AI, they’ll stop reading or watching it,” he said.
Bhagat, known for his bestselling novels that have been adapted into popular films, maintained that creativity drawn from human experience will remain irreplaceable despite rapid developments in AI. “AI will have a skill but not an art,” he said.
In a message to those who aspire to write, he said that despite the presence of AI-based models, certain things will not change—one’s ability to observe people; the ability to read and write; and most importantly, discipline, hard work and focus in writing.
About the book, Bhagat said that it is a love story of a 33-year-old divorced man and a 21-year-old woman. “It is based on the complexities of relationships and is relatable to both Gen Z and millennials, with the female protagonist representing Gen Z and the male protagonist representing millennials,” he said.
