The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Lex has terrified many writers. They fear for their livelihoods as they see free or inexpensive software crank out paragraph after paragraph of relatively well-written prose about any topic. And they’re right to be fearful. Already, AI software is good enough that whatever an AI writes is almost indistinguishable from whatever a human writes. Companies will catch on eventually and won’t be inclined to pay top dollar for blog posts that an AI can generate too. The story is similar for visual artists and quite possibly for fiction writers too.
But that’s neglecting a crucial aspect of creativity. The artists themselves.
If you want to stand out against the soon-to-be-impeccable writing of an AI, you need to put more personality into your writing. There’s no replacing you. Write with some verve, some zest, some chutzpah. Now’s not the time to hide. Be confident in your ideas and show them proudly in your writing. AI may write cleanly and clearly, but its writing is sterile and boring too. There’s no experimentation; it’s just synthesis. So lean in favor of being wild, weird, and experimental.
And don’t be afraid to use these AI tools too. I use Midjourney for the featured images of my blog posts and ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas and have someone (something?) to go back and forth with on difficult, client-related topics. You’d miss out severely neglecting one of the most ground-breaking innovations of the last few decades.
Overall, I’m not worried about AI software. If anything, I’m hopeful. Factory content will be outsourced to AI. If that’s what you were writing, you’ll eventually struggle to find good clients. It’s time to reposition yourself. The writers who will stand out in this new era will be those who are willing to be creative, experimental, and vulnerable in their writing.