AI bots are now showing their skills in creative endeavors such as art and writing. How long before they’ll be able to do the job of a full-time content writer?
In 2022, the public was introduced to the future of artificial intelligence (AI) with bots that can perform creative tasks such as drawing and writing poetry. While this new technology can be exciting, it raises the question of whether more fields will see humans replaced by bots. As a writer, I can't help but wonder if I will be able to compete with a machine that can produce articles faster and with fewer mistakes.
It’s Been a Long Time Coming
AI-generated text has been around for some time. In 2020, The Guardian published an article written by AI language generator GPT-3. It's possible that you've even read something written by AI without realizing it, as numerous product reviews and news articles are generated by pressing a button rather than typing on a keyboard. You may have even had an online argument with someone who wasn't actually a person.
But these were limited examples, used by only a few for specific purposes. Now, AI-generated text is open to the masses. All anyone needs to do is to sign up to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, ask for a press release, a blog post, or landing page text, do a bit of light editing, and - Viola! You, too, can be a content writer.
Don’t Count Humans Out Just Yet
There is a lot of weight to human experience. I rely on years of writing to intuit what will engage readers, how the use of punctuation will affect the cadence of my writing, and how best to approach a subject. These are not things that AI can do, or at least not yet. I’ve also honed my research skills, finding reliable sources and using those to craft content on some complex subjects. An AI might struggle to say something more accurate about these topics than Wikipedia.
And when it comes to UX and microcopy, while much of it is based on staying within certain molds, something at which AI can excel, I think there’s no replacing the human element. The apps that caught the world by storm, such as Tinder and TikTok, have done so in no small part because they were able to deliver a different user experience than that of their very saturated markets. It takes human daring to try something new and believe that other humans will connect with it.
For me, tools such as ChatGPT and Wordtune are exciting because they allow me to explore several angles to tackle a sentence or an entire article. As close as I can get to having someone by my side with whom I can bounce ideas and also have them proofread my materials. It’s great to finally have technological tools that can help me in my work in a field that didn’t see much progress since the invention of the word processor.
But there is a reason to worry. You see, the type of content that AI does best—press releases, quick “one and done” SEO articles, short marketing copy—is precisely the type of content I wrote a lot of at the start of my career. That’s where I gained the experience to become a better writer. AI might not be able to replace me, but it might mean that there will be very few junior positions in my field in the future, making it more difficult for people to develop skills and reach my level of professional know-how. Content writing, copywriting, UX writing—these may all become “senior only” positions backed by AI. It’s a subtle but alarming change, and its implications are unclear.
We’re On the Precipice of Revolution
Once upon a time, if one wanted a chair, one could only get one from a carpenter who knew how to make them. Now, you go to a store and buy a chair made in some factory by people who do not know how to make chairs, only how to operate the machine that makes them. We call the process that led to this shift “the industrial revolution.” It’s hard not to feel as though we are on the cusp of another similar revolution. Of course, there are still carpenters around, and even in a post-AI world, there would still be writers, but something fundamental is sure to change.
There are many reasons to remain optimistic, though. After all, the industrial revolution opened the door to new and exciting opportunities. There’s no reason to think that AI won’t do the same. But while AI might not take my place, it will change my field. I will tackle the change as a good writer should: By being well-informed, keeping an open mind, and embracing new tools to aid me in my craft.
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