Question: In a World With Generative AI, Who Needs Writers or Editors?

A few weeks ago, I talked about various aspects of marketing, copywriting, and editing with a new connection on LinkedIn. Skeptical Sally was in awe of Generative AI and was thrilled to use it for her marketing content. The conversation went something like this:

Skeptical Sally: I use AI for all of my marketing. I love it! I’m never going back to the old way.

Me: Oh, glad to hear that. It can be an excellent tool for marketing. I do worry about the jobs of writers and editors, though.

Skeptical Sally: Yes, well, the industry is evolving. We must adapt. No one plows a field with a horse anymore, after all.

Me: That’s true.

Skeptical Sally: We’ll still need writers. But editors—I think that profession is on its way to being obsolete.

Since Chat GPT hit the mainstream, people have asked me this question: How are you better than Generative AI? I often tell them, “AI is a helpful tool, but it’s not a replacement for a human writer or editor.” I’m not so worried about AI coming for my job these days, but I still want to get the record straight about this technology.

People fall into two camps regarding Generative AI and machine learning technology; either they believe it’s the most profound human discovery since fire, or they think that it will cause the destruction of our society. Neither is true. We can use this technology for great things, like the early detection of cancer, but it can also cause actual harm to everyday citizens. The truth of Generative AI is too complicated to discuss in this post thoroughly, so I will focus on my own experience as a professional writer and editor in my industry.

Generative AI and ChatGPt are so easy! You simply input your prompt, then copy and paste, and ta-da—you have something.

 I’ve used Chat GPT and its robot cousin Bard enough to know what it can do and what it sucks at.

What it can do:

• Generate relevant text and answer questions really fast.
• Give writers great outlines for blogs, articles, essays, or other writing pieces.
• Use data to determine which word goes next in a sentence.
• Come up with blog topics and meta descriptions
• Create a bland college essay with nearly perfect grammar.
• Quickly summarize a document or file

What it sucks at:

• Generating articles with factually correct information
• Using psychology to persuade someone to buy goods or services
• Writing in a conversational tone.
• Understanding verbal nuances, slang, humor, or other conventions.
• Writing something that will evoke emotions in a human being.
• Scripted dialogue.

Blog outlines, social posts, and articles require heavy editing to make the text more conversational and human. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not naive enough to believe these tools won’t keep improving as time passes, but taking the human element out of writing is a big mistake.

Here are four reasons why you still need a human writer or editor.

1. Chat GPT doesn’t have childhood trauma

Several months ago, I told a colleague that Generative AI wasn’t very good at writing with emotion. He seemed determined to prove me wrong. On a shared screen, he put in a few prompts, asking ChatGPT to write in an emotional tone. The results were less than impressive. I  used words like “delighted,” “elated,” and “enthusiastic,” but the context for these words wasn’t quite right. I didn’t seem genuine or authentic. Instead, it sounded clinical, impersonal, and robotic. But that’s okay. Generative AI IS a robot. 

However, human writing is based on our lived experiences, the anger, love, or heartbreak that drives us to make decisions, create art, or write a poem. These emotions are what make us human. Speaking of which—

2. Generative AI doesn’t get this whole “human” thing. 

In copywriting, we use human psychology to persuade people to buy goods and services. Copywriters understand everyday human frustrations and offer solutions to those problems. We know each person carries a lifetime of memories and experiences through every interaction. We also know that emotions are at the heart of why people buy goods and services. T ink of all the ads that play on your heartstrings. They are trying to make you feel something and then take action. 

 Chat GPT is excellent at generating ideas, constructing outlines, figuring out which word (logically) goes next in a sentence, and developing a piece of writing with nearly perfect grammar. However, it doesn’t do humor, nostalgia, or love very well. How can a program that has never felt pain, passion, or desire market to an audience of people? Well, it needs a little help with this task. Enter—a good editor.

3. Why Generative AI content needs a human editor

Editors don’t just correct grammar and spelling. They help make writing accessible and conversational to a human audience. Editors enhance the readability and clarity of your writing in ways that technology still can’t touch. Why? Because editors are also writers. They have a handle on the changing landscape of language and culture. This means they understand slang, tone nuances, and humor! Editors can guide writers to find their voice, sharpen their prose, and shape their stories in a way that technology can’t.

Read more: Copyediting is Crucial:7+ Steps to Better Business Messaging

4. Generative AI is the IKEA of marketing tools

Let’s make a real-world comparison. We all know that IKEA can manufacture furniture cheaply and efficiently. These flat-packed bookshelves and bed frames are great for furnishing your college dorm room or your first apartment. M st 19-year-olds don’t need an expensive mahogany dining set that won’t get used anyway. However, once you get older, your perspective and needs change. As an adult with kids and a mortgage, you understand the value of a handcrafted oak table. You have the life experience to realize that a carpenter has the skills to create a well-crafted piece that could last for a century. Why? Because the carpenter understands that their table will be central to family life – a place for laughter and memories.

And so it is with creating marketing content. If you want to draft a quick infographic or informational social media post, Chat GPT or Bard will work for you. But, if you need an article explaining what your company has meant to the community for the last 50 years, you hire a skilled writer who will create a beautiful story about your business’s lasting legacy.

The Truth of the Human Experience

Writing has been a deeply personal act for most of human history. The written word has undergone many technological changes, from drawings on cave walls to ink on papyrus, the printing press, and the personal computer’s evolution. These advancements have significantly impacted and changed the course of history. I won’t deny that. And yet, the goal of writing (whether it be novels, poetry, prose, plays, or even television and film scripts) is to find deeper meaning or explain some intangible human truth. Generative AI could scour the entire internet; it could read all of the great novels and songs, but the content it generates will always be hollow because it can’t feel feelings. The ability to experience joy, pain, and love makes us human.