Now I have signed into one of the all singing, all dancing pieces of software that will write for you, draw a picture for you (no, they won't do your ironing for you, drat).  It gave me $5 credit - I used about a cent's worth). I typed what I would like it to describe and it did a decent job for me. I did wonder, though, are such programs stultifying our creativity.  Also, as someone who has intermittently done audio-typing from home to boost her pension these pieces of software, capable as they are, did make me think "Are they encroaching on my turf?".  To be fair they may remove some of the more boring parts of the dictation/transcription process.  My understanding is that humans are still used to clean up pieces which have been dictated directly into the software but have been transcribed erroneously.  I wondered if graphic designers (graphic design is NOT in my skillset) may feel uneasy with these pieces of software around.  Will these programs stultify human inventiveness?

Of course, its not possible to turn the clock back.  One can't smash a piece of software like Ned Ludd reputedly smashed two stocking frames in 1779 (so says Wikimisleadia).  I don't suppose transcription as a side line will disappear straightaway.

Manual typewriters replaced scribes, electric and electronic typewriters replaced the manual typewriters, word processors took over from electric/electronic typewriters and nowadays computers use a word processing system as part of a suite of applications rather than having a dedicated machine to word process.  I remember the Displaywriter word processing machines and they seemed wonderful when they were new but looking back they seem large and clunky.