AI for Writers

Brainstorming

In the brainstorming session on the right (below if you're on mobile), my creative challenge was to compose taglines for a product. I started with developing ideas myself and created 40 taglines based on target demographics. After exhausting my own ideas, I asked ChatGPT to generate more options, using my original work as its dataset. 

Some of ChatGPT's ideas were generic, but a few of them inspired new directions: I like the combinations of yourself/unstoppable and fuel/passion, and unleash and defy are a fantastic start for taglines with a competitive edge. For copy and UX writing, AI is like Watson to your Sherlock, enabling your imagination by bringing new ideas to your attention. 

Summarizing

In the technical summary sample, I asked ChatGPT to paraphrase an explanation of solar-cell efficiency. The big benefit for me here is the freedom to experiment with word count — just like brainstorming copy, asking ChatGPT for summaries provides options you may not have considered on your own. 

Are Technical and UX Writing Jobs at Risk?

Technical writing often describes new technology, and so far AI can only write about subjects covered in its training data. A future path for technical writers could be in generating original content and sharing it with an AI-supplemented reference system. 

UX writing engages with subtext, branding, and candid feedback from users. AI can generate microcopy that's worked before, but it can't empathize with user feedback or write richly layered copy (yet). Similar to the potential for technical writers, future UX writers could enter high-performing copy into an AI-based style guide and develop a large language model with the capacity to brainstorm on-brand copy. 

My conclusion is that AI doesn't appear to be a current threat to complex writing jobs. In fact, it looks like AI could be an opportunity for writers to add more value to their roles!