The Impact of AI on Writing: How Machine Learning Is Changing the Way We Write

Artificial Intelligence is a rapidly developing field that has been impacting all kinds of industries. We use AI-powered devices in our daily lives both for personal and professional purposes, so it is only natural that the AI industry is flourishing and constantly inventing new technologies.

Machine learning in particular has had a big impact on many industries, including writing. Without further ado, here’s the influence it has had and how machine learning has been changing the way we write.

How Powerful Is AI Writing?

While the AI industry has been going strong for decades now, it would be a stretch to say that AI-powered writing tools have reached their full potential. In fact, there is still a lot of room for development, so writers can expect to see more and more writing tools based on machine learning to be released in the nearest future.

One of the most recent examples of writing tools that gained a lot of attention is ChatGPT which was released to the public at the end of November last year. The tool allows you to input a request and generate a text based on the requirements and details you enter. Some people have even used it to write their academic assignments and dissertations because of how powerful it is.

That being said, ChatGPT is not ideal for writing texts from scratch to final drafts. You still need to proofread and edit whatever the tool generates to make sure that there are no factual or linguistic mistakes. Moreover, ChatGPT can’t write about particularly technical topics, so there are limits to the kinds of requests you can make.

Why Do We Still Need Human Writers?

The example of ChatGPT perfectly demonstrates why we still need human writers. It is impossible for AI for now to create a text that looks like it was written by a human being and has no mistakes or errors whatsoever. Perhaps in the future, we will have more powerful writing tools, but their abilities are limited at the moment.

Writers have been using all kinds of writing tools for a while now, not just the ones that generate texts. This means that you could be using keyword researching tools or proofreading tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor to create your texts. These tools are also powered by AI, but they are made to help you write rather than completely replace you as a writer.

Human writers are still the ones who know how to write texts well. Human writers can avoid making all the linguistic and factual mistakes while creating a text that is interesting and engaging. Besides, human writers are the ones who can bring their own unique writing style to make the text stand out from a thousand other texts on the same topic.

Ways Machine Learning Is Changing Writing

So far, AI and machine learning have had a limited yet noticeable effect on the way we write. The tools mentioned earlier are already helping writers create better texts, but it is only possible if writers know how to use these tools correctly. Here are some specific ways AI-powered writing tools can help you create better texts:

#1 Planning and Research

Before you actually sit down to write your text, you will have the planning and research stage which is as important as the actual writing stage. This is when you decide what you want to write about and how you want to write about it to create an outline for your text.

Likewise, this is also the stage when you perform research on your topic and choose sources that you want to use for your text. Both planning and research can be done faster and more effectively with the help of different tools for keyword research, academic source finding, citation generation, and so on.

#2 Tackle Writer’s Block

If you are struggling to start writing, using an AI-powered tool can help you tackle your writer’s block. Essentially, you could generate a paragraph or two related to your topic and get some ideas on how to start writing your text.

Of course, you can’t let the tool write everything for you, but it will be a good start for someone who keeps staring at their blank page unable to find a way to begin writing. Writer’s block is quite common, so AI-based tools can be extremely helpful for writers.

#3 Rephrase and Rewrite

In some cases, you will need to rewrite a text that already exists. Perhaps it is something you write or a piece that was written by someone else. AI-powered writing tools can be useful for rewriting, rephrasing, and paraphrasing as well.

For instance, some tools can help you come up with synonyms to make the rewriting process easier. Some tools will even rewrite sentences for you by changing their structure. However, you still need to edit and finalize the text after running it through a tool like that.

#4 Automate Optimization

Another important aspect of writing is the optimization of your text, especially when it comes to web content that needs to be optimized for search engines. In this case, you can use writing tools to help you automate optimization. Some of them can be used during the planning stage (e.g. for keyword research) while others will be useful during the final stage of proofreading and editing.

#5 Proofreading and Editing

Speaking of proofreading and editing, this final stage is quite important for writers because it allows you to polish your text and create its final version that will be published or distributed. Instead of doing all the proofreading and editing yourself, you can use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor to help you during the process and find and correct mistakes faster.

Wrapping Up

All in all, it seems that machine learning will be developing more and more every year, so writers can expect more advanced AI writing tools to be invented in the future. For now, AI-powered writing apps and programs are limited in their abilities, but they can still be of great help to writers in different fields.

Bio (About the Author)
Lillie Jenkins is a creative copywriter and content writer. She has worked as a copywriter since graduating school, so her writing skills are well-honed. She writes publications in such fields as marketing, business, education, and personal life. More than writing Lillie loves to travel and read professional literature.