Memoir, and all other forms of first-person storytelling, is one of the few creative, human endeavors impervious to co-option by artificial intelligence.

Sure, big data can steal our work, scrape it, regurgitate it into slop, but there will never be a human buyer for a memoir written by a non-human. Memoir’s value comes from its authenticity.

In this light, memoir, our humble art form, starts looking like a boss bitch, and telling your story becomes an act of deep generosity and rebellion.

The backlash to AI has already begun. Genuine, human-lived-and-written narratives are more valuable than ever. We need you to tell your story, not just because you will be healed by the telling, but to lend your voice to the Big Story we are all telling together, which is how we will keep human spirit, art and connection alive.

– Erika Schickel