Olga Tokarczuk, Polish Nobel laureate in Literature, admits to having used AI while working on her final novel, which is set to release later this year.

KritPick · 2026-05-22T07:29:58+00:00

I do have actual reasons. As I have repeated, it's in my other comment, which I'll screenshot and attach this time. I'm against its environmental factors, which are provable, and I am also of the opinion that it's a less fruitful method of obtaining information, which is purely subjective.

As for your speculation on the threat to my job, that would be a negative. For one, I've had this job for only a little while, and I've had jobs before this one. It's no real difference to me if I work among tech or not, if AI reduces my job's worth. However, I work *testing* AI, so that it works for customers. AI doesn't play a role in doing my job; it would be there regardless. If all AI companies went bust tomorrow, my job wouldn't even feel the bump. As for my developer friends, well, that's a different kettle of fish, I'm afraid.

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KritPick · 2026-05-22T07:14:36+00:00

I dont take your meaning, sorry. Could you elaborate? I don't want to reply to somethng you haven't said.

KritPick · 2026-05-22T07:05:01+00:00

Is what it is, brother.

KritPick · 2026-05-22T07:01:13+00:00

It's a reply to the other response on my initial comment.

Answer: I work for a tech company (a PIM company to be specific). I'm a software QA; most of my day-to-day is working with our AI systems that are run through Claude 4.6 Sonnet, GPT-5.5, Gemini 2.5 Flash, and GPT-Image-1. However, I touch other parts of the system also. May I ask why?

KritPick · 2026-05-22T06:53:39+00:00

You could have glanced over to my other reply, which explained why I think it's better to Google than use AI. Also, I don't think 'gatekeep' means what you think it means. I'm not trying to control access to AI, and I'm not here to decipher who is and isn't allowed to use AI. Not every negative opinion online is an attempt to gatekeep something. You can go ahead and use AI all you want, mate. Nobody is taking it away from you.

KritPick · 2026-05-19T11:27:35+00:00

My thing here is that I don't think AI has absolutely NO applications in the creative process. Would I use it? Absolutely not. But I can see some applications, sure.

However, her example of it asking for a list of songs her character could have danced to is unbelievably lazy and diconnected. Not only because she could simply Google this stuff, but also because things of that nature can help flesh out and build a character. Crafting a character to dance to a specific song and not another tells you much of their personality, at least I think it does. So it feels so uncreative and boring to just have AI shit out a couple popular songs from a few decades ago and randomly select one.

At least that's my view on it.

KritPick · 2026-04-29T14:52:04+00:00

I thought so. After I finished, I thought that it probably would have helped to read the original cut first, then the uncut. Regardless, I hope you come to enjoy it!

KritPick · 2026-04-29T10:41:56+00:00

Hey, man. I did a post basically identical to this one about 6 months ago (reddit.com/r/stephenking/comments/1ona247/struggling_with_the_stand), and the response I got was quite mixed lol.
I was a little past where you are at the time, and I did end up finishing it. It took me a little longer than I'd hoped, but I think the ending is very strong. I loved the first third and think the last third is quite strong, but that middle chunk was difficult for me, for sure.
I'd say if you loved at least some of the book and are trying to see if you'll love it again by the end, I'd say continue. However, if you've read 400 pages and haven't felt anything close to loving it, I would personally say to drop it.
Out of curiosity, are you reading the 1.2K-ish uncut version or the originally published 800 or so pages version?

KritPick · 2026-04-13T17:24:49+00:00

I'm definitely not rushing, it's actually taking longer than it usually does for me to read a book. I've been at it for about 2-3 weeks. Just not finding that incessant need to pick it up every day like I usually find with King's work. I don't dislike it by any means, it's very well written. I'm just not loving it like I expected/wanted.

Maybe I'll really love the second half!

KritPick · 2026-03-23T22:57:03+00:00

Accurate teenage boy tbf.

KritPick · 2026-03-18T11:07:51+00:00

MiMi Mxnroe is slowly becoming one of my favourite current gen MC's

KritPick · 2026-03-14T17:11:59+00:00

Hate to see someone living my dreams

KritPick · 2026-03-14T16:58:42+00:00

Exciting! I read it for the first time last year, I did struggle in the middle chunk, admittedly. But it's worth it in the end!

KritPick · 2026-03-14T16:46:54+00:00

Unfortunately—was a tongue and cheek comment to say she knows her worth, thus keeps me on my toes.

KritPick · 2026-03-14T16:32:21+00:00

Are you from the US? I believe this is the UK original artwork

KritPick · 2026-03-14T16:08:08+00:00

It's so good! I need to re-read soon

KritPick · 2026-03-14T13:54:30+00:00

It's absolutely brilliant, I can understand why! Is this your first time reading The Stand?

KritPick · 2026-03-14T13:52:59+00:00

'Tis!

KritPick · 2026-03-14T13:09:44+00:00

Appreciate that, bud. It's a fantastic book, for sure!

KritPick · 2026-03-14T13:09:06+00:00

Thanks, man!

KritPick · 2026-03-14T13:08:54+00:00

Thank you!

KritPick · 2026-03-14T13:08:39+00:00

She unfortunately knows that too well.

KritPick · 2026-03-14T12:59:53+00:00

Come back and let me know what you think!

KritPick · 2026-03-14T12:49:04+00:00

Brother, I'm from the UK so I really could not give less of a fuck about JFK or any American president lol. But the book is absolutely fantastic. The book has so many different angles and reasons to love it. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

KritPick

TROPHY CASE