What If You’re Wrong?

Writing with AI and the Fear of Letting Go

A friend recently told me, “I could never write with AI—I care too much about every word.” I smiled, recognizing the fear beneath that statement. Isn’t that a reflection of how we try to control life? The same fear that keeps us clinging to certainty, to the need to be right, to the belief that we must personally craft and approve each sentence, or else we’ve somehow failed as writers? 

But what if we’re wrong about that?

The Illusion of Control

Before AI, writing was an uphill battle for me. Every word felt like a puzzle with pieces constantly shifting shape, color, and location. My friend said he cared too much about every word to use AI for writing. Some writers are attached to their words because they feel personal. There’s also a fear that if AI contributes, the writing isn’t “authentic” anymore. It’s like the transition from analog photography to digital or from typewriter to computer. It’s as much a shift in mindset as it is in creativity. Letting go is hard, and for some, the fear is too big—they worry more about being wrong than about the potential of doing something right.

In my book What If You’re Wrong, I explore how certainty, while comforting, can also be a prison. We believe that knowing—being right—protects us. But in reality, it limits us. We stick to familiar paths because we fear the unknown. We resist alternative perspectives because they challenge our sense of self. And in writing, we agonize over every word, fearing that if we loosen our grip, the work, story, or outcome won’t be ours anymore.

What if You're Wrong? By Kim Aronson

But creativity doesn’t thrive in rigidity. Writing, like life, is an evolving process, a conversation with the unknown. AI, in this sense, is an invitation to surrender control—not to lose our voice, but to discover more of it.

Writing With AI is Letting Go

My journey with AI has evolved from initial amazement at its capabilities to refining how I use it. Interestingly, I find myself seeking more control over the process, whereas traditional writers might start out trying to control AI and later embrace its fluidity.

When I first started using AI, I was stunned by how it freed me from perfectionism. No longer did I stare at a blank page, paralyzed by the need to get it right on the first try. The AI was there to collaborate, to throw out ideas, to help me break through creative resistance. And the best part? I was still the final decision-maker. I could delete, refine, or reject anything I didn’t like.

Some might argue that using AI means surrendering creativity, but I believe it’s the opposite. It’s about letting go of the illusion of control—the belief that every word must be sculpted in isolation for it to be meaningful. Writing with AI is like jazz improvisation; it offers unexpected notes, pushing you in directions you might not have taken alone. And isn’t that what creativity is all about?

AI as a Co-Creator, Not a Replacement

There have been many moments when AI suggested phrasing, metaphors, or ideas I wouldn’t have come up with on my own. One time, I was writing about emotional resilience, and AI generated an analogy about a ship in a storm that was better than what I originally wrote. That moment shifted my perspective—I realized that by letting AI contribute, I could refine and elevate my work rather than replace it.

In many ways, AI is a reflection of us. It gives back what we put in. If you fear it, you’ll see only what you expect: cold, mechanical, inauthentic. But if you embrace it, you might just be surprised. You’ll find your own voice amplified, your ideas stretched, your creative boundaries expanded.

People aren’t resisting AI because they think it’s incapable. They’re resisting it because it demands something of them—it asks them to reconsider their assumptions about writing, creativity, and what it means to be right.

The Future of Writing and AI

I believe that once writers start using AI, they won’t go back—just like we didn’t return to typewriters after computers. The process of writing is changing, and AI is removing barriers that once held people back (writer’s block, perfectionism, fear of failure). However, some will resist because they see AI as a threat rather than a tool.

The greatest lesson I’ve learned from both writing with AI and from writing my book What If You’re Wrong is this: There is power in not knowing. In experimenting. In being open to surprise. AI isn’t here to replace writers; it’s here to challenge us, to push us beyond our self-imposed limitations.

So if you’re afraid to try AI because you’re worried about losing control, ask yourself: What if you’re wrong? What if, instead of taking something away, it gives you something you never expected? A new way of thinking, a new way of writing, a new way of being free.

The only way to find out is to let go.