Cognition #22: AI and Writers—The new era of coexistence!

Jan 06, 2023

My interest in talking about AI was scheduled for way later, but the success of chatGPT laid me a perfect platform to talk about the new era of writing we have already entered.

From October 2022 to the time I write this issue, I’ve been experimenting with different AI writing tools like WordHero, Quillbot, Lex, Verb, copy.ai, rytr.me, etc., in my clients’ projects to test if they are making any positive impact.

Boy, tell you what, AI tools are sexy. And handier than I imagined.

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Okay, back to talking about my experiments with AI writing tools.

Even with numerous experiments in the last 100 days, I feel it’s too early to give a concrete thesis on how AI will shape the writing and content marketing industry.

But I’ve gathered some notes based on my observations, which will give an idea of what we are getting ourselves into.

Here we go!

AI replacing Writers

I had a problem accepting a code would do my job. Honestly, I got offended when people said AI is as good as humans. Or even better.

It took some time to ditch my pride, but I began to think, “If AI writing tools are as good as people say (and they work at an exponentially faster pace), what’s stopping me from hiring the best?”

Let me explain.

I hire writers. They have a turnaround time. I hire these people for basic work that doesn’t require much skill. They save my time and energy.

Now, if I hire (buy premium) a writing tool, it does the same basic work super fast. Plus, it is economical in the long run.

The moment I realized this and put AI into action, I had to let go of a writer writing six LinkedIn posts a week for me.

It saved me money. I got more done in less time. It consumed less energy. But that’s only the bright side.

If AI can replace my writer, What stops my clients from doing the same to me?

This question led me to think about what I can do to adapt to the new era, where technology supports traditional writing to produce significantly better outputs.

All it needed was a slight change in perspective to stay on track.

Mindset Shifts I made

1. It’s not Writing vs. AI. It’s Writing with AI.

Yes, I know, Cliché.

But let me tell you a harsh truth: You can’t compete with AI.

Here’s why.

AI has knowledge of the world. It can browse through every piece of information present online before writing each line. In addition, AI has the writing styles of all great writers that existed fed into its program.

So when you think of competing with AI, you are not doing it against one person. You’re competing with all knowledge and skill documented and available online.

It’s You vs Rest of the online world.

If you have the same information on your mind and can process things as fast, you can probably beat AI. But that’s not the case, is it?

So it’s just a waste of time if you’re resisting AI or trying to compete against it.

Vikra Vardhan @vikravardhan

Writers who understand consumer behaviour and can leverage AI will make it big in the next decade.

I’m not saying AI is in a different league. It’s not true. I’m just telling it has an advantage since it is better equipped with information.

The next mindset shift explains how we can use it to our benefit.

2. AI is your Assistant

Think of it this way:

“You have a pistol in your hand, and the other guy has a machine gun. Logistically, he is better equipped than you. But the good part is: The guy aims the machine gun wherever you want him to. He is under your control.”

It is the same with AI.

It might have knowledge of the world, but it uses its knowledge the way you want it to. It is under your control. It works solely based on the input you give.

That makes AI your assistant. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It’s like you’re Ben, and AI tools are Omnitrix.

Or you’re Tony, and AI is Jarvis.

Or you’re Cooper, and AI is TARS.

It helps you perform efficiently in lesser time and consume lesser energy.

Treat AI like an assistant; you’ll have one more superpower in your arsenal.

PS: Writing tools can make you lazy. Remember that you’re the boss, and the content has to be generated in the way you aspire. You can’t just take what AI gives and submit it to clients. The final approval has to be from your end.

After I made myself clear with new perspectives and experimented with multiple tools, this is how I think writers will step into a new era of coexistence with AI:

Fighting Writer’s Block becomes easy

If you’re focussed, you’re never stuck.

Whenever you feel the write-up isn’t moving forward, you need to throw a question or give a prompt on what you’re struggling with. AI comes up with a solution in seconds.

The solution might or might not be relevant. Or it might not be what you’re looking for exactly. But it gives you a prompt to work on, and trust me, it is a thousand times better than staring at a blank page cluelessly.

Even if the AI-generated content isn’t taking you anywhere, you can always ask it to come up with more variations.

If you ask me, you’re never really stuck while writing once the structure is set.

Research is fast, but credibility?

AI is great if the content scratches the topic’s surface.

But if I’m writing an in-depth article for a client, I’d like to know the source of information. (Or even add a backlink to the source)

I get all answers I need in a blink with AI, but I feel it’s better to get answers from credible sources. Especially if you’re writing for a high-value client.

Or you can ask AI to cite sources when including stats. Not always, but at times it gives relevant data from trustworthy sources.

Having said that, AI is a great curator for popular topics and reduces research time.

Topics I prefer using AI for research: 10 ways to increase productivity.
Topics I prefer browsing google and finding credible sources: Environmental changes in India in the past decade and how it impacts the ecosystem.

Prompting becomes a skill

I’ve said this before: AI works solely based on your input.

If you want AI to generate quality output, you gotta be pretty good with the inputs you give.

Vikra Vardhan @vikravardhan

AI writing tools: You get quality content when you give good prompts. Writers must develop the skill of providing great prompts that align with the brand and content objective. Interesting stuff.

AI might be for everyone, but not everyone can leverage AI.

You must keep experimenting with different inputs and see how AI responds to them. Learn to ask the right questions. If you don’t develop prompting as a skill, you will never be able to use AI to its maximum potential. Don’t sleep on it.

Energy Preservation

You can’t write all day. You shouldn’t.

I feel writers have limited ‘writing energy’ and one should only focus this energy on writing high-value content.

In other words, you need to delegate/outsource the penny tasks.

It makes sense to hire a writer if the projects you delegate need human supervision. If not, using AI for such penny projects will save a bundle of your energy + delivers good output.

Since AI provides this leverage, it will only be wise to learn energy and project management in synchronization with today’s AI world.

Bad writers will die

With more adaption of AI, I predict the number of writers will decrease.

The barrier isn’t high to become a content or copywriter, which made many people believe writing is easy and they can make a career with minimal effort.

But I believe writing is a science of its own—Only a few writers understand writing and their processes on an elemental level.

Plus, writing isn’t just about writing.

You put a lot of things into play: Brand story, customer interests, consumer psychology, frameworks, techniques, strategy, research, your personal experiences, values, ethics, etc.

If you’re a writer, your skillset is a mix of the things I mentioned above and a thousand other facets.

If you’re sharpening only your writing skills and not focusing on supportive skills/knowledge, or if you’re not building an intelligent quotient that contributes to great content, it’s gonna be the end of the road for you.

Change of roles

Once AI becomes a regular in your business, the writing process becomes a little easier, but your role as a strategist and editor will increase.

You will invest more of your attention/energy in preparing the right structure, campaign, prompts, etc., and then in rigorously editing and proofreading to polish the content.

It’s high time you get familiar with strategy and editing.

So that’s my take on how AI and Writers can (or will) coexist. If I can give you some advice, I’d say,

“Don’t worry about what the future looks like with AI. You never know (unless you’re Dr. Strange). Try integrating AI into one of your projects and see how it functions. If it works, it works. If not, you’ll find another way.”

Also, here is an important note for you:

Try more tools. Your compatibility with tools varies from your fellow writers, and different tools work better for different forms of content.

I encourage you to keep experimenting with as many premium tools as possible, especially if you’re a content or copywriter because it directly impacts your sales.

The rest, you know better.

With that, Technical Segment ends here.

And finally, FUNNN!!!

Non-Technical aka Fun Segment

Favourite quote from a book

I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

This is one of the quotes that stuck with me while reading Metamorphosis.

Reminded me of the times I was clueless—I could feel what was happening, and even with all my self-awareness, I couldn’t explain it to others or myself.

Question for you: What is your ‘I can’t even explain it to myself moment?’, and how did you make peace with it?