A professional writer's response to AI writing & Why writers should not panic

From the early Mesopotamian scribes to modern day AI, written communication has come a long way. As technological advances change and challenge the writer’s arena, many writers may feel threatened. I am a writer, and after giving AI writing some thought, I don’t think there is any reason for writers to be concerned. Not yet anyway.

The evolution of writing

Before writing was a profession, service, or algorithm, it was an artform – a spiritual one. It was something not everyone could do. Even when education became mainstream, and writing was a skill taught to the general public in school, the ability to write well continued to remain an elusive talent to many.

The world of writing is an interesting one, because it is a skill relevant in every industry. From business, to medicine, law, entertainment, politics… To some degree, success in every profession relies on one’s ability to communicate well in writing. If there is concern that AI writing will replace professional writers, all professionals in every industry should be concerned about the impact of AI writing.

AI provokes many questions.

As a former marketing professional turned freelance writer, I have a vested interest in the technology trends within the industry. In the same way historians debate whether the first words were carved in stone or painted on papyrus, people today understandably debate whether AI is a “real writer” or not.

Many writers are currently grappling with these questions:

Can an algorithm do my job?

Can AI writing do what I do, but better?

Is AI writing bad?

Should we be concerned about AI writing our blogs, articles, papers, and e-mails?

My personal opinion is, no. Not at all.

There is no need to panic.

First, let’s put this in perspective, because I know many who are freaking out about AI writing. Writers should not be shocked that technology has joined the competition lineup. Throughout every generation, writers have consistently faced fierce opponents. If you don’t believe that, please take a moment to Google search “book burning events in history,” and be reminded of the war against writing.

Make no mistake. The war against writers and journalists has never not existed. Consider also how writers communicated and disseminated content before the printing press. Give a thought to how writers got anyone to bother reading their work in the first place, considering how, for hundreds and thousands of years, most people could not even read. A lack of printers, political upheavals, war, mass illiteracy… those are the dilemmas the writers before us faced.

Honestly, that any writer has any words mass published and read at all is kind of miraculous.

A writer’s response to AI writing.

I am in favor of welcoming AI writing to the writer’s arena. From political leaders to the general public, a writer’s merit has consistently been contested, and as far as I’m concerned, AI writing is just the latest competitor – a very new and deeply flawed one. Of all the obstacles writers have faced throughout history, I think AI writing is the least threatening.

As long as writers continue to do what only we can do, AI will only do what it can do.

And as a professional writer, I don’t feel intimidated by AI. While I personally would never use AI to write anything, I think AI is impressive for what it is and may even serve a valid purpose.

3 Reasons why I (as a writer) think AI writing may be a good thing.

1. AI writing is a good reminder of what good writing is – and what it is not.
For me, writing is a borderline mystical experience. Writing is the thing that happens when conscious reality meets subconscious instinct. It’s one of the few practices that, if done properly, demands resources from both hemispheres of the brain. AI may be intelligent, but it’s not artistic. In other words, AI can write well, but AI cannot write with soul. For example…

AI writing is like a beautiful CGI sunset. It’s really pretty, but you’ll still want to catch the live show. AI writing is like a mountain fresh scented car air freshener. It smells nice and definitely serves a valid purpose, but you would choose a vacation in the real mountains over sniffing your car any day. AI is like facetime. It’s a nice, affordable, and convenient way to communicate with a loved one or a business associate, but commercial airlines still send out around 100,000 flights a day because in-person interactions are still somehow needed and desired.

I’m not worried about AI rendering my services as useless any more than I am worried about IKEA plants replacing the natural wonder of parks and forests. The fake thing will never replace the real thing.

2. AI writing fills an important gap in the communications industry.

Not everyone can write well. In fact, writing is quickly becoming a lost art, and most people will admit they struggle to write well, let alone, persuasively. I’m confident a good writer could crush AI in a writing contest, but based on what I have seen and read, good AI writing is better than most layman writing, especially if there are language fluency barriers.

Not everyone is in a position to hire a good writer. Many people are trying to launch businesses – good, important, useful business that our communities need ­– and the reality is that these business owners may not be able to afford someone like me right now. They need to invest every spare dollar into their foundational startup costs, and in the meantime, they still need content for their website.

There is clearly a market for AI writing, and I don’t wish a lack of options upon my fellow entrepreneurs. If they need writing services, I am glad there are options available for them in the market. When they are ready to invest in their brand and elevate their business to the next level, they will hire someone like me to manage their comms.

Read more: AI writing vs real writing – What’s best for your business?

3. AI writing will force writers to write better.
Progress has been finding new and innovative ways to mass produce goods and services for thousands of years, and yet artists and experts in all fields still exist. Why? Because humans keep getting better.

Humanity is competitive, and we have not yet achieved our potential. While that may terrify some, I find it encouraging. Writers are their own worst critics, and every writer, if they are honest with themselves, knows their writing is flawed. AI is forcing writers to dig deeper and write more persuasively. It is demanding better writing out of us, and I think it will summon the highest potential of our craft.

As my good writer friend and poet, Horace, once wrote, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.”

The limitations of AI writing

The best AI can do is to regurgitate an already well-articulated thought. It is writers who remain the true archaeologists of words and scribes of time. It is writers who unearth ambiguous ideas from deep within the collective unconscious and shine the light of clarity on topics that have been lying dormant.

AI cannot reach deep into the psyche of humanity and weave something beautiful together with words. AI cannot take on the role of investigative journalist, find the common thread throughout the tapestry of events, and then articulate an original thought about it. AI cannot hold up a mirror to current events and process the drama of the current age in a way that makes sense.

AI can’t do any of that. Not yet anyway, and perhaps not ever.

Read more: 5 Major Limitations of AI writing - What AI users need to know

The bottom line.

AI writing exists. People can generate decent-ish content for free. AI writing has happened, and we cannot make it unhappen.

Writers, it is our turn to move now, and instead of throwing shade at AI, let’s just do what we do best… but do it better. The whole point of writing is to clearly communicate important information. If AI can do that, then let it. AI writing is nothing more than a challenge for writers to refine, revise, and improve our craft. It’s a call to write with greater depth of soul.

We can do that. We can totally do that.

As we work to improve our writing, let’s help our clients and readers make sense of it all. Let’s assume our rightful role as experts and encourage ethical use of AI writing, because our world will always need Malcolm Gladwells, Stephen Kings, Emily Dickinsons, and Margaret Atwoods. In a world of drones, algorithms, and AI, I would argue that real writers are needed now more than ever.