AI in Writing and Journalism: An Ally, Not a Foe

AI technology, particularly in the fields of journalism and writing, continues to be a subject of intense debate - fears of job displacement and misinformation are the two most common criticisms.

I have a more optimistic viewpoint of AI when it comes to writing, and view AI as an incredibly talented, highly productive, low-cost assistant and brainstorming partner.

What AI Is Not

But first, let's understand what AI is not, and its limitations.

• AI is dependent upon your 'prompt' (what you are requesting AI to do). Changing prompts can cause entirely different outputs and hallucinations (mistakes).
• AI is not "smart". AI cannot feel, think and has no awareness of itself. Cut off AI's power supply (electricity), and it ceases to exist. Its responses to your prompts are based on already publicly available information up to its last update.

Today's AI is more like a next generation search engine chatbot. Presently, AI's "intelligence" - its outputs to your prompts - comes from AI’s analysis of existing databases or indices. If the data AI analyzes is bogus, then AI's output is bogus. It does not consciously "understand" it's data.

AI is, however, stunningly brilliant at rapidly making connections with the data and programming it has been given. And this is its value to most of us - especially for writers and researchers.

AI Concerns: Job Losses, and Misinformation

What about the two most common criticisms of AI - job displacement and misinformation?

History has shown that technological advancements usually lead to a transformation of job roles rather than their outright elimination. My opinion is that AI won't be a harbinger of job losses, but a tool that augments the capabilities of writers and journalists, enhancing productivity and creativity.

What about misinformation? Misinformation is not a new phenomenon. Human biases and errors have existed for as long as history records. Yes, modern technologies, including AI, increase the amount, speed and reach of misinformation spread. Still, AI itself isn't the sole culprit of misinformation - individuals, the media, and governments have been propagating misinformation for years. I believe that AI will eventually help contain misinformation and address media bias by presenting multiple perspectives on a topic and encouraging debate and discussion.

Why AI is a Blessing for Writers and Journalists

Collaboration

AI, in the realm of writing and journalism, acts primarily as a collaborative tool. It aids in the heavy lifting of research by sifting through vast amounts of data to find relevant information, thereby allowing writers to focus on analysis and storytelling. This saves time and enriches the content with a depth that might not be feasible through manual research alone.

I keep digital notepads on my computer for blog posts and other ideas. I'll write down an idea and periodically add information. Eventually, I end up with pages of unstructured notes. Before AI, organizing these notes into an article would be difficult, frustrating, and time-consuming. Now, I get a draft article in seconds and spend my time cleaning it up.

Incidentally, AI is equally brilliant at data cleansing and cleanup.

Supporting Content

I especially love AI for taking content I've written and expanding upon it. AI-driven tools can take a piece of content and generate supporting content like FAQs, alternative versions of texts, visual and video aids, etc. This supporting content enhances the presentation and reach of your content - a huge benefit for marketing communications (marcom) teams.

At Newsworthy.ai, we've built this functionality into our press release distribution and news marketing platform. In addition to helping you write a release in a few seconds, we take your release and instantly generate "supporting" content that can be used in marketing the news, including:

• Translations of the release into twelve languages
• TLDRs
• Blog posts
• News articles
• Video news shorts
• Social media messages with hashtags
• Media outreach emails
• And much more.

Enhancing Creativity and Productivity

One of the greatest advantages of AI in writing is its role as a personal brainstorming assistant. By offering suggestions for headlines, story ideas, or even identifying gaps in arguments, AI stimulates the creative process. This can be particularly useful in overcoming writer's block or in the initial stages of crafting an article.

Sidenote: Something interesting about AI that I’ve noticed. Ask AI to improve something poorly written and it does a great job improving it. Ask AI to improve something well written and it makes it worse by adding superfluous words.

Automation

AI's ability to automate routine tasks, such as grammar and style checking, allows writers to focus more on the substance and narrative flow of their work. This can increase productivity, enabling journalists and writers to tackle more projects or dedicate time to more in-depth investigations.

Final Thoughts

AI should be viewed not as a threat to writing and journalism but as a valuable ally. While apprehensions about AI in the workforce are understandable, the evidence suggests its impact on journalism and writing will be overwhelmingly positive - enhancing productivity, fostering creativity, and expanding content creation and distribution. Far from spelling the demise of the writing profession, AI represents an exciting frontier for expanding its possibilities.