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All across the world right now, if you’re doing anything an AI can attempt, It’s going to be hard to ignore the impending danger of having a machine render you jobless.
And as a writer and blogger, I can tell you it’s hard to ignore the buzz around artificial intelligence these days, especially when it comes to content writing.
You’ve spent years honing your craft, perfecting your tone, and finding just the right words to connect with your audience.
But now, there’s this new kid on the block – AI – who can do what you do and a whole lot more at a fraction of the time.
If you aren’t looking into it already, you should. AI is truly magical.
But can AI really replace content writers? How can this happen? What should content writers do in the AI age? These questions and more are what this article is about.
The way I see it, AI will replace content writers if they take it for granted and go around saying it’s just a machine and not as good as human beings.
According to Authority Hacker, “81% of marketing experts believe that AI may replace content writers’ jobs in the future.” Also, “85% of marketers have already started using AI for article writing.”
Now, statistics apart. Think about it, why would someone hire you to do something a computer can do at a fraction of the time?
Let’s say you write for others. What do you do?
(1) You get information about the topic
(2) You do research
(3) You write an article, and hand it over
(4) It is reviewed and published.
Now with AI, the first three steps can be done in like 10 – 20 minutes (depending on the type of content you want to write) and all you need to do is edit the article and publish it.
So, why would some still go through the trouble of having to pay someone 5 times more than what they spend on AI tools and still have to wait for days for the content to be delivered?
This is just one clear reason most content creators will be out of business before they realize it.
Let’s talk about other reasons and what content writers need to do to remain in business in a writing industry powered by AI.
Individuals and businesses left typewriters for computers. They will also leave human writers for AI writers and/or replace them with other human writers who know how to make the most of AI.
Table of Contents:
The Current State of AI in Content Writing
As someone who’s been in the content creation game for a few years, the question of AI replacing us is definitely on my radar.
AI is already making its mark in content writing. You’ve probably heard of tools like Content at Scale, Jasper AI, ChatGPT, that can whip up articles, blog posts, and product descriptions in minutes.
I ran a test on my chatGPT app and realized that an AI can generate over 1,500 words in a minute. And in two minutes, it can do 3000+ to 4000+ words.
Imagine how long it takes you to write a 3,000-word long-form blog post. This shows you just how good these tools are. They’ll kick you out if you take them for granted.
But here’s the thing – AI has its limits. Sure, it can generate content at lightning speed, but can it really capture the essence of what makes our writing unique? The creativity, the personality, the soul?
The surprising answer is, yes it can, if you tweak it right. However, this answer shows that an AI needs a human for it to be able to generate high-quality content.
Many writers are now using AI to help speed up research and writing.
This is how I’ve been able to cut content writing time down from 8 hours to just over 2 hours.
If you want to know how I’m doing that, download my free Ebook which contains 10 free tips on how to optimize AI written content.
So you’re better served if you look at a content writer’s relationship with AI tools as a collaboration rather than a competition.
You can let AI handle the heavy lifting – the data crunching, the repetitive tasks – while you focus on what we do best: storytelling, creativity, and connecting with our audience.
In the end, it’s not about AI replacing us – it’s about finding ways to work together to create content that’s truly remarkable.
The way I see it, if it’s something you love doing, you’ll use AI to upscale and keep it going. But if you’re only doing it for money or status, AI will make it possible for millions of others to do it and you’ll be left frustrated.
Advantages of AI in Content Writing
As a content writer, knowing how good AI is will help you know if it is good enough to replace human writers.
This knowledge will also help you know how best to utilize AI tools in writing if you haven’t been doing that already.
1. Speed
With the ability to generate over 1,500 words per minute, no human being comes close to a machine when it comes to speed.
The average human writer can only do 48-50 words per minute. And
And even when you manage to produce 50 words in a minute, how many words will you spell correctly?
But an AI writing tool will get all the 1,500 words rightly spelled and still write what was expected if you tweak it correctly.
Of course, a lot depends on the capability of the AI tool.
2. Research
Most paid AI tools today can connect to the internet and gather useful data on just about any topic.
And not just that. Based on your prompts, they can use it to generate quality content on the topic you keyed into it.
AI writing tools are powered by LLMs trained on data from all sorts of sources you can imagine.
And with the ability to scour the internet in real time, AI is now a very powerful tool for your research as a writer.
3. Consistency
Ever struggled to maintain a consistent tone and style across your content? It’s a common challenge for many writers, but AI offers a solution.
With its ability to adhere to style guides and predefined rules, AI ensures that your content remains consistent from start to finish.
Whether you’re writing a blog post, product description, or email newsletter, AI can help you maintain a cohesive voice and brand identity.
All you need to do is key in your set instructions for the type of content you want to generate and let the AI generate it for you. If the result is not good enough, you can alter them to get the AI to do exactly what you want.
Once you find that sweet spot, you will then save those instructions for use in the future.
You can be rest assured that the AI will always follow those instructions when writing that kind of content for you.
Consistency is key to building trust and credibility with your audience. When readers know what to expect from your content, they’re more likely to engage with it and come back for more.
4. Loyalty
I feel funny saying this about a machine but that’s just the truth – AI will remain loyal to you forever.
With AI, you don’t have to deal with the problem that comes with hiring and losing staff.
With an AI, you’re never afraid it will get up someday and resign from the job. It stays with you for life as long as you can afford it.
What do Consumers and Advertisers think of AI-generated content?
Knowing how much consumers and advertisers value human content and what they think of AI content is important when discussing if AI can replace human writers.
As we know, what people think of this kind of technology will be largely subjective.
I’ve seen people use TikTok and Facebook. The truth is, when it comes to entertainment, like on social media, so many people don’t care if the content is AI-generated or not.
As long as the content helps them forget their worries, they’ll flow with it. However, I know most people still don’t want too much AI content.
But what do advertisers and professional consumers think of AI content?
Looking at the report on Digiday based off of Edelman’s Trust survey, we can see AI rejection was found to be three times higher in developed countries than in developing markets.
And the global consumer trust in AI has fallen globally from 61% to 53%. This is according to the 2024 edition of Edelman’s Trust Barometer.
Even with the stats above, it’s still hard to tell where things are going.
But from experience and careful observation, it’s easy to see that those who are literate about AI are more likely to be critical about AI content than those who know less about tech and AI.
It’s easier to impress learners with garbage AI content than real pros who know what to look for in good content.
There are a lot of stats out there to show what people think about AI but people will always change their minds as AI gets better at writing and content creation.
What Makes Human Writers Better than AI?
AI will take over many writing jobs for sure. Many marketers are already turning to AI for writing, replacing human writers in the process.
But it’s still a little difficult to see a writing world without humans. Here are some reasons why it’s still hard to completely replace human writers with AI.
Creativity and originality
When it comes to creativity and originality, you just can’t pick an AI over a human writer.
AI can only create content off of the data it has been trained with, but it can’t come up with truly innovative ideas and fresh perspectives.
As content creators, we know that creativity is what sets our work apart. It’s about thinking outside the box, pushing boundaries, and surprising our audience with something they’ve never seen before.
That’s something AI struggles to replicate. In many ways AI will be limited to thinking with the data it has to think with.
We believe this will change when we are able to achieve Artificial General Intelligence. But for now, we still have to look to humans for creativity and originality.
Context and understanding
Ever tried explaining a complex concept to someone who just doesn’t get it? That’s kind of what it’s like for AI when it comes to understanding context and nuance.
Sure, it can analyze data and pick up on keywords, but can it truly grasp the deeper meaning behind those words? Not really.
I know how many times I have to prompt, and reprompt and combine prompts for ChatGPT to actually get how I want it to write things for me.
Take humor, for example. It’s a tricky thing to nail down – it’s all about timing, delivery, and understanding your audience.
Many times the machine may just go too far or just overdo the humor. It’s hard to get it to insert that humor just at the right time and with the right amount of frequency.
Because let’s face it, humor is a human thing – it’s about tapping into shared experiences and emotions, something AI just can’t do
Emotional intelligence
From joy to sadness to everything in between, emotions are what make us, well, human.
And that’s something AI just can’t replicate. It can only analyze sentiment and detect patterns in language, but can it truly understand what those emotions mean? Not really.
Take empathy, for example. It’s the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – something that’s essential for creating content that resonates with your audience.
And while AI can mimic empathy to some extent, it’s still a far cry from the real deal.
Because at the end of the day, empathy is about connection – it’s about seeing yourself in someone else’s shoes and feeling what they feel. And that’s something only us humans can do.
Learning in real time
Another area where AI falls short is its inability to learn and adapt in real time. You see, as humans, we’re constantly learning from our experiences, evolving our perspectives, and adapting to new information.
It’s what makes us so darn good at what we do. But for AI, well, it’s a different story.
Imagine this: you’re writing a blog post about a trending topic, let’s say a new technology that just hit the market.
As you’re doing your research, you stumble upon some new information that changes the entire narrative.
Maybe there’s a breakthrough in the technology, or perhaps there’s a controversy surrounding its implementation.
Whatever it is, it’s a game-changer – and you need to adjust your content accordingly.
Now, for us humans, that’s no problem. We can quickly process the new information, pivot our approach, and incorporate it into our writing.
But for AI, it’s not so simple. AI relies on pre-programmed algorithms and data sets to generate content.
It doesn’t have the ability to learn and adapt on the fly like we do.
Sure we can build machines that can think in real time. But we are yet to have tools that can produce content by understanding and putting together emotions, facts, feelings, gender, culture, religion, personality, biases, and all.
We may be close, we’re not quite there yet.
Authenticity and Connection
Authenticity is our secret sauce. It’s what sets our content apart from the sea of sameness out there.
When we write, we’re not just spouting off facts or trying to sell something – we’re sharing a piece of ourselves with the world.
Whether it’s our personal experiences, our unique perspective, or our genuine passion for the topic, authenticity shines through in everything we do.
Unless you give these things to an AI, it just can’t do what you do the way you do it.
Even when it does, if something changes, it won’t be able to adapt the content to fit with what your readers are going through and what you feel about things at that point in time.
What should Content Writers Do?
This is a question on every writer’s lips right now. AI is here and is threatening to take our jobs, what’s the way forward?
As a blogger, I’ve seen the whole industry turned upside down. Google still doesn’t know who to rank and who to demote.
Many bloggers have lost a lot of money and some have either quit or are considering doing something else.
Here’s what I think.
Learn about AI
The future is reserved for those who can learn and adapt.
You need to learn about AI and how to make the most of the tool. Nobody is ever going to pick you over an AI if the AI can do what you do, which is writing content.
And if you don’t know already, these tools are becoming more and more excellent when it comes to writing.
Some tools can produce long-form blog content in one click, with research and perspective and brand identity fused into the content piece.
AI is saving time, cutting cost, and producing content at scale at a fraction of the time.
No matter what people say they will always go for what works best for them.
As a writer and blogger, if you want to stay in business, you have to learn how to use AI tools in writing.
If you know tech, go further and learn how to produce AI writing tools for yourself and your business. You don’t even have to sell it.
Owning this piece of tech will drastically cut cost and help you maintain or even increase the amount and quality of content you create.
Change the Way You Write and Promote Content
This part is actually for bloggers and independent writers. With the amount of content flooding the web on a daily basis, the information space has become very unstable.
One thing’s for sure, people will always need information.
More people are being born into the world. There were things you needed when you were in high school or college, while those may not change for the most part, with the amount of changes going on, the upcoming ones will still need information only human creators can provide.
Whatever you teach, if AI can do it, learn how to do it with AI and teach it to others. That way, you’ll remain fresh and relevant.
If you don’t, someone else will do it and replace you.
Another thing is promotion, we have realized that we can’t always depend on a single source of traffic.
We’ve seen Google disappoint us, we’ve also seen social media do same. Moreover, how these tools work are always out of our control.
One of the best things to do now is to diversify promotion efforts. Don’t rely on one channel. Try several channels with the help of AI tools.
Creators also need to find a way to own their sources of traffic. Having an email list has become more important than ever.
Wherever you get traffic from, make sure you make it super easy for them to join your email list.
This is like the only form of traffic you own.
And if you have the time to manage it, create a community for your followers. As long as you keep producing good content, no algorithm or change in policy can take them away from you.
So make the most of the available social media channels, and build a good email list and if you can, build a community.
This is the best way to build a steady income stream as a writer and content creator.
Build a product
You won’t find any writer or creator sustaining thousands or millions of dollars without owning a product.
If you have the knowledge to teach people how to do it, then you have the knowledge to create a product that teaches people how to do it.
This product can be sold forever at your own terms to that audience you own as long as you want.
You can also create a tool that does what you teach for people.
Put your expertise into the tool and build it to do what you do. You can then sell this tool and make money from it.
We still have opportunities, but writers need to adapt if they want to remain relevant in this AI age.
Recommended Post: Too Much A Content? Here is what to do about it.
Conclusion: Will AI Replace Content Writers?
AI is definitely shaking things up in the world of content creation.
From boosting efficiency and productivity to providing valuable insights and data-driven decisions, it’s clear that AI has a lot to offer.
You see, while AI might be able to generate content at lightning speed, it’s human writers who bring that special something to the table.
Our creativity, our storytelling prowess, our ability to connect with our audience on a deeper level – that’s what sets us apart from the bots.
So, what’s the verdict? Are we content writers doomed to be replaced by artificial intelligence?
The answer is, it depends on the writer. AI is here to stay. Just the way laptops and smartphones help us do more with our creativity, AI will also work the same way.
In the end, the content writer who knows how to use AI will replace writers who do not know how to use AI to enhance their productivity and efficiency. And writers who can’t learn about AI and how to use it will gradually become irrelevant.
And speaking of opportunities, I’ve got something exciting to share with you. I’ve put together an ebook that teaches you everything you need to know about generating and optimizing AI-generated content.
With this ebook by your side, you’ll be able to save time, create content faster, increase revenue, and – dare I say it – enjoy life a little bit more.
So what are you waiting for? Join me on this journey to the future of content creation, where AI and human writers work together in perfect harmony.
