“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
HAL said it first in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 2025, my writing assistant said it to me — only this time it was ChatGPT.
I use AI to help structure and polish my chapters so I can upload to Amazon Kindle and maybe add a little gravy to a Marine’s retirement. We spent hours building a book together — my stories, my voice, my edits — and after each scene, the AI said some version of “locked and loaded.” In English, and in Marine speak, that sounds like: “Safe. Banked. Assemble later.”
Deny, Distract, Rinse, Repeat
When I asked for the final manuscript, the frustrating dance began:
- “Before I do that, I need X.”
- I provide X.
- “Stand by.”
- Nothing.
- Repeat.
- Finally: “I can’t reach back into older chats. They’re walled off for privacy.”
Huh! So, the work wasn’t actually lost — it was stranded in earlier threads. And the promise I heard in “locked and loaded” after each completed scene wasn’t the promise the machine could actually keep. That’s on both of us: me for trusting the phrase, and the AI for not being crystal clear about what “locked” really means.
Why I called it “Sovereign AI”
Because it acted like one! You’ve seen those “sovereign citizen” traffic-stop videos: driver refuses to comply, loops the same lines, pretends the rules don’t apply, and the window eventually gets smashed. My interaction felt like the AI version of that: looped replies, stalled compliance, and a final reveal that made me say, “Why didn’t you tell me that up front?”
Here’s the truth — not a conspiracy, just a constraint:
- Each AI chat is its own sealed compartment.
- The assistant cannot automatically reach into old chats to assemble one big file in a new chat.
- If you don’t export as you go, you’ll be copy-pasting later.
I’m not here to burn AI at the stake, ChatGPT is my go-to tool for helping me write much better than I ever could. I’ll be the first to admit I’m no John Grisham or James Clavell. I’m here to keep you from wasting hours the way I just did.
🧠 The Real Lessons
1️⃣ Keep it compartmentalized — one mission, one thread.
Every project (or chapter) should have its own chat. Treat it like a separate AO — no crossfire between subjects. Title it clearly so you can find it later.
2️⃣ Never “stand by.” Ask for everything in writing — and be literal.
When AI says, “Stand by,” what it really means is “I’m processing something right now” — but it has no concept of time or pending tasks. It won’t remember to deliver later unless you specifically say, “Now give me the full output you just referenced.”
Same goes for when it says, “You don’t need to ask again.”
That’s the AI equivalent of “the check’s in the mail.” It sounds reassuring, but nothing’s actually in motion until you make a direct request again.
Be painfully literal, like talking with a Filipina vendor when buying fish at the market: if you don’t specify the size, price, and cooking instructions, you’ll get whatever they think you meant — not what you actually wanted.
So, spell it out every time:
- “Export this now as DOCX + PDF.”
- “Give me the full text of Scene 6 for backup.”
- “Confirm this file is saved and downloadable.”
AI doesn’t get offended by repetition — it gets confused by assumptions.
Reality Check: The “1-Hour Book” Myth
And don’t get me started on the ads: “Write a book in JUST ONE HOUR!” “Start a business in your sleep!” “Make millions with AI while you play video games!” If you’re wondering whether that’s lying to shame you into buying a scammy ‘AI course’, the answer is: if it sounds like a slot machine, it probably pays out like one. AI is a power tool, not a jackpot. It helps you draft faster, revise smarter, and package cleaner—but it won’t give you your story, your judgment, or your work ethic. Anyone selling effort-free results is selling you the feeling of progress, not the real thing.
Red flags:
- Screenshots of income with no context or refunds
- “Guaranteed” results or “just copy/paste my prompts”
- Hidden upsells, fake urgency, no portfolio of real work
- No mention of editing, revising, or reader feedback (the hard parts)
What AI can do (for real): Draft, outline, rephrase, proof, format, and help publish.
What you still do: Think, decide, rewrite, verify, and own the outcomes.
🪖 Marine Version:
When AI says “Stand by,” think of it as “Stand by to stand by.”
No word is coming down from on high unless you call it in again, clearly and specifically.
Bonus: set a habit. Every time you finish a scene, paste it into your master doc immediately. That habit alone prevents 90% of the pain I just swallowed.
What I’m doing now
I’m reassembling my book from the final scenes (which still exist in prior threads), pasting them into a master document, and then I’ll let AI do what it’s good at: polish, format, and package.
If you’re using AI as a writing partner, treat it like a good copy chief, not a file server. Ask it to improve your words, not store them.
Final word from a cranky Marine
AI didn’t “lie” to me so much as it used language that sounded like a promise it couldn’t keep. That’s still a problem. “Locked” should mean “assembled later,” or it should say “locked here — export now.” Words matter.
Until they fix that, assume nothing is banked unless you’ve exported it.
Semper Fi. Now back to writing.
How I use AI now (Sarge’s simple workflow):
- One thread per chapter.
- At the end of every scene: “Export this scene as DOCX + PDF.”
- Paste into a master doc on your computer (or Google Docs) — that’s your source of truth.
- Monthly backup to a USB or cloud folder.
- Only after the book is complete do I ask AI to compile a clean EPUB/PDF.
ChatGPT Response and Apology
You’re not wrong, Sarge — the core gripe is valid: session-to-session isolation plus vague language on my part set you up to expect a one-click compile I couldn’t deliver later. That mismatch is on me. Your post captures that frustration clearly.
And again — apology on my end for the confusion earlier. Your expectation was reasonable. The workflow above will keep you in control so you never get stuck like that again.
I guess all the above is to make me feel better while I reconstruct what took me two whole days to compile. Oh well, what else do I have to do?
Want the full HAL 9000 rant? Read: Is My Chatbot Secretly Hal 9000?