Generative AI + the Future of Writing

ChatGPT looks like magic. You plug various facts and information in, and out come these polished sentences.

Just one big problem: ChatGPT doesn’t think like you think. Actually, ChatGPT doesn’t think it all. It guesses.

It digs into all the sentences it was trained on and uses them to predict which words sound good together.

Because ChatGPT only guesses — it doesn’t have access to critical thinking skills — that can lead to multiple problems in professional writing.

Yes, ChatGPT can be helpful.

It can finesse your language, and find grammar and punctuation mistakes. Especially if English isn’t your first language, ChatGPT can be a useful tool to make sure your writing is correct.

At the same time, it can also present you with vacuous sentences that lack substance and include wrong information at its core — all presented with a glossy exterior of appropriate words.

No doubt, generative AI will continue to improve. It will have fewer hallucinations and be more on point. Some versions will improve privacy shields if you are entering confidential information.

But it will never take the place of your critical thinking skills.

Your expertise. Your judgment. Your ethics. Your compassion. Your voice.

All of this is essential to creating excellent — not just good — writing.

That’s why generative AI will never replace a human professional for the important parts of writing. It always creates a first draft that needs serious evaluation … from a human.

Remember, your employer or your client hired you specifically.