When I sit down to create something, I often wonder: who’s actually doing the creating? Am I the one drawing, writing, or shaping the idea? Or is it the tool in my hand, the computer on my desk, or the person helping me refine it?
Take drawing, for example. I might sit at my desk with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper, sketching. At first glance, it’s clear that I’m the one drawing. But then, what about when I use my computer? I could be selecting different shapes—eyebrows, eyes, noses, mouths—choosing each one to match the face I see in my mind. The computer doesn’t know what the final face will look like, but I do. Now imagine I’m sitting next to an artist, describing the shapes and proportions while they sketch based on my instructions. The artist doesn’t know what the face will look like until it’s done. The pencil doesn’t know. The computer doesn’t know. The artist doesn’t know. But I do.
In a similar way, when I write, I face the same question. Imagine I’m drafting an essay. Sometimes I write it myself from scratch, but other times, I use an editor or a tool like AI. I might start by giving initial input—ideas, phrases, or the general tone I want. Then I get something back. I read it, change it, add my thoughts, and refine it further. This process might go back and forth several times.
So who wrote the final essay? Did I write it, or did AI ? For me, the answer is clear: I wrote it. Even though AI gave me ideas or helped shape some of the sentences, the finished work matches my thoughts, my vision, my intent. It’s my creative decisions—what to keep, what to discard, how to shape the flow—that make the essay mine.
The pencil didn’t draw the picture. The computer didn’t assemble the face. The artist didn’t create the image alone. And AI didn’t write the essay. They were all tools, extensions of my mind, helping bring an idea into form. At the heart of it all is me, the one with the vision, the one making the choices. Without me, the pencil stays still, the computer screen stays blank, and the essay never takes shape.
Spiritual Gravity 