AI’s Impact on Writing: A Double-Edged Sword

For years, people have predicted that artificial intelligence would eventually render human writers obsolete. Today, AI-generated content, whether in the form of essays, articles, or blog posts, seems to saturate our online spaces.

But the reality is a bit different from what some might have expected. While these bots can string words together into coherent sentences, the final output frequently lacks quality. It often reads like dry, overly polite text, making it recognizable even to casual readers who might find the lack of genuine emotion or personality off-putting.

This limitation stems from AI’s reliance on algorithms and formulas, which struggle to capture the unique voices of real people.

According to Christopher Rufo and Jonathan Kiemann from Rufo & Romes, there’s a possibility that AI might actually elevate the value of skilled writers. They argue that the proliferation of AI writing could highlight the worth of true talent, as it increasingly seems to eliminate mediocre writers.

Kieperman mentions that the type of content produced by AI is quickly becoming “the default voice of people who lack talent.” On the flip side, writers who can produce content at a higher level might find themselves in greater demand.

Interestingly, Kieperman observes that the presence of AI-generated writing is everywhere. You might even notice it in books and advertising campaigns from major companies. “It loses its uniqueness and becomes formulaic,” he says, referring to common phrases that AI tends to rely on.

Yet, writers can leverage AI technology to enhance their work. For instance, it can be useful for tasks like research, gathering information, and brainstorming ideas. Kieperman believes that AI can surpass traditional search engines for some research purposes.

Rufo concurs but adds a caveat: while AI can assist in sifting through extensive research documents, it does come with flaws. He likens its reliability to that of an undergraduate research assistant, which is, you know, not always dependable. “We find that about 30% of the information we get from AI is inaccurate,” he explains.

He remains cautious about overly predicting AI’s rise. “People claiming AI will take over the world seem to forget that it can’t even format a simple quote. We still have a long way to go before AI dominates everything,” he concludes.

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