There are many kinds of career options for writers, even now, but yes AI is a disrupting force. I’m not at all convinced that AI will replace human writers and writing-related jobs. Here’s why, plus career adjustment ideas.
Why AI won’t replace human writers.
Anyone who wants content that actually helps their business or organization won’t be able to lean on AI to do all the writing. It just can’t create good stories or emotional depth.
At most, good and effective content will be with support of AI for research, brainstorming, editing, and the like, but AI can’t replace good content that humans respond to.
Yes people are using AI to create content but their results aren’t as high, and smart business owners are catching on. In fact, the longer AI is around, the more obvious this is getting.
There is now a ton of AI-generated content out there, and research is showing it just isn’t getting the attention and results online as much as more human-driven content.
Some editing roles can more easily be given to AI, but many editing jobs still need to involve humans.
Sadly, even before AI, publishers were doing less hiring for editorial roles like proofreading or indexing. The publishing world has been tightening the belt for a while. While other forms of writing have risen.
Rethinking how you work as a writer
In this AI world, it’s a good time to consider how you position your services and focus in on what you are best at, because that’s where you’ll stand out.
As you rethink your business direction, consider these:
- You can brush up on or expand your skills to stay in demand. For instance, learn more about storytelling or grant-writing skills, both of which could pay off.
- Niching is even more important now. The most successful freelance writers specialize in a particular niche which often increases their demand and pay level.
- Learn about and decide consciously how you might incorporate AI into your workflows and create a visible AI policy so it’s transparent.
- Consider adding to your offerings, such as teaching, developmental editing, content strategy, grant-writing, or being a writing coach. (For ideas: careers for writers/editors)
If you are wondering about a writing business pivot, you might appreciate this story about a freelance copywriter/content writer talking about her own business pivot in these times.
Where to find writing/editorial work
To show you that there’s still work out there, check out my resource page for finding freelance writing work. There’s so many options, it needed its own page. Let it be a source for brainstorming and hope.
P.S. This post was written completely without AI, with a photo of a real person (I’m pretty sure). It was still fast enough to write, and maybe easier than turning to AI for editorial helps which tends to create more work sometimes.
