The world is being taken over by robots—at least, that’s what it feels like after all the headlines claiming that AI is stealing writers’ jobs and robbing authors of their unique voices. 

The horror stories are real. I’ve known people who have had their jobs replaced by AI (although in most cases, their bosses later regretted it, as they didn’t have anyone who knew how to write good prompts or edit AI-generated content) and I’ve spoken with an author who dealt with a scammer selling AI-generated books under their name. When you hear about these situations as a writer yourself, your first instinct is to panic. 

But media usually doesn’t touch on the stories I’ve read about how people have been able to write more and better content because of AI. You won’t hear about the positive experiences authors have had with using AI as a unique tool. And these aren’t people who are using content that’s 100 percent generated by AI; these are people like you and me who still care about quality and authenticity. 

Can there really be a balance? Is it possible to see AI not as the enemy, but an asset to be used wisely? I think so. I was very sceptical of ChatGPT when it first came on the scene, but now I’ve leveraged it, and other AI software, to my advantage—all while posting content that’s still completely written by me, every single word. 

So, whether you already have your armory ready for the imminent robot revolution or are currently using AI, take a look with me at three different ways you can use AI to streamline your writing process. 

How AI Helps with Grammar 

You’ve probably heard of grammar checkers; they were around long before ChatGPT. These sites can comb through your writing and show you where grammar, spelling, and sometimes even sentence structure and voice can be improved. Some of the most popular grammar checkers are Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, ProWritingAid, and QuillBot AI.

Efficiency boost: By running your work through a grammar checker, you can more easily catch mistakes and even see mistakes you might have missed otherwise. Thus, both quality and efficiency can be improved.

Limitations: AI doesn’t catch all the mistakes and it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for editing your own work. 

How AI Helps with Content 

While I don’t recommend using AI to generate word-for-word content, it can very useful in generating ideas, topics, outlines, and titles. If you’re looking for inspiration or need help putting together structure for a story, AI can help point you in the right direction.

Efficiency boost: If you’re stuck in the middle of an idea or need an idea to begin with, plug something into AI and play around with it until you find a spark of inspiration. You can also use AI to help you with your story outline—and don’t forget, you can (and should!) flesh out and improve upon whatever it gives you! 

Limitations: AI isn’t always the most unique with prompts or outlines, especially when it comes to fiction. You will almost always have to add ideas to the ones it gives you, but if you keep trying, you should eventually get a prompt that will at least give you a place to start.

How AI Helps with Research 

Sure, you have Google, but sometimes, Google can distract more than help with all the results that pop up. (Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t gone down an irrelevant rabbit trail because a headline caught your eye.) Research is one of the least-talked about uses of AI for writers, but it’s the one I’ve found the most helpful!

Efficiency boost: With AI, you ask a question and get a single answer that’s as direct or detailed as you want it to be. You can also easily ask follow-up questions. All in all, it’s much quicker than Google and often gives better answers.

Limitations: AI can sometimes be wrong when it comes to factual information, so make sure to double check with a reliable source if you need to be 100% sure the info is correct. Most of the time, though, I’ve found it to be accurate.

The Right Way to Use AI

As I mentioned earlier, I’m strongly opposed to having AI generate word-for-word content. For one, you can smell it from a mile away; ChatGPT is pretty amazing, but it still distinctly sounds like a robot. And for a second reason that goes hand in hand with the first, the emotional, personal layer is entirely missing when AI generates content. I know people who honestly don’t care about that, and that’s their perogative. But to me, maintaining authenticity is important, and I think it’s the reason why you all stick around. I haven’t met a serious reader yet who wants to read heartless stories and content. 

So, full transparency, know that I physically write out every word you’re reading. I do sometimes use AI, but only to make my writing process more efficient as I outlined above. Between running this website, the website for my stories, my Medium account, and writing books (not to mention my writing work that takes up 90% of my time), I’m writing almost all day every day, and AI has helped to take a bit of the load off when it comes to planning, especially for blog posts. In fact, using AI has helped me to think of better and more relevant content to share with you all!

The bottom line is this: you can’t mindlessly use AI. You can’t use it as a substitute for your brain and expect it to come out with great ideas. Even when I use AI to generate ideas, I always add my own spin to it. When I have it create an outline, I always add, take away, and rearrange things. I make it mine. 

So, yes, you still have to put forth effort to write, even when using AI as the tool it’s meant to be. I sure hope you didn’t join the writing world in the hopes that it would be easy, because being a writer is anything but!

Embrace the Future of Writing 

Whether you like it or not, AI is here to stay. Instead of treating it like either a plague or a slave, use it as you would any other helpful writing tool. AI doesn’t have to take over your creativity. In fact, it can help streamline some of the finer details of the writing process so you can focus on doing what you do best: writing! Whether you use AI for checking grammar, prompt generation, or research, remember that AI works best when combined with your writing abilities and creativity. AI shouldn’t write for you, but it can certainly make the writing process easier. 

Do you use AI in your writing at all? How, and what results have you seen? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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