Renowned playwright and poet Chief Moomen believes writers are not at risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI).

He notes that while AI may be able to replicate certain technical aspects of writing, the technology lacks the depth, nuance, and humanity that define true artistry.

"The essence of creativity is something spiritual, and I don’t think a machine will ever replace that," the creative entrepreneur emphasised.

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“If AI becomes the mainstream, we will have a series of mechanical outputs that cannot be interacted with at a natural, emotional level."

Chief Moomen was speaking as a special guest at Unplugged & Reconciled, a ‘sip and chat’ event held by 365Mustang for literary lovers in Accra on Thursday, March 6.

His submission underscored the belief that AI, rather than eliminating writers, will elevate human creativity to a premium. In his words, as AI-generated content becomes widespread, human creativity will carve out a niche market where authenticity and originality are highly valued.

“Maybe AI will reduce the number of writers in the system, but the few who survive will become highly sought after. People will crave human creativity in a world flooded with machine-generated content,” he said.

Unplugged & Reconciled was hosted at Full Option Lounge in Accra as a space designed for literary discourse, creative synergy and networking among writers, readers, poets, storytellers and critics. An avant-garde, less formal approach to a book club, the concept is a response to lamentations from once avid readers and writers who have lost significant interest in the craft, oftentimes without a clear reason.

The event featured a mix of open dialogue, provocative discussion prompts and spontaneous creative challenges - part think-tank, part open mic, facilitating the formation of meaningful connections among participants and leaving them inspired to produce and consume more literary material.

According to the founder of 365Mustang and lead curator for Unplugged & Reconciled, Kingsley Elikem Doe, "what the team seeks to achieve with this event can be likened to a church – which is a sanctuary for the unrighteous to gain salvation; this is simply a space for literary creatives to rediscover their joy for reading and writing as a pushback against the dominance of social media, streaming platforms and bite-sized content."

"We can collectively agree the world is changing, and mostly due to the proliferation of technology. And so the case is almost inevitable; attention spans are shrinking and books are increasingly competing with notifications and viral trends. What we can do, however, is control the phenomenon.”

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