The Art of Balancing Automation and Creativity
By now, we’ve learned that AI can execute many tasks just as well as humans — if not better. In the process, we’ve also learned that some tasks make more sense for AI to handle than others. Rote jobs like customer service or accounting are ideal for AI, while creative disciplines like designing or writing are a bit more complicated, though still possible to a certain degree.
AI-assisted writing is on the rise. Tools like Grammarly, HyperWrite, Jasper and Writesonic are gaining momentum, appealing to a wide range of writers as well as editors, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. Even Google and Outlook have incorporated predictive text suggestions into emails, comments and more, introducing AI-assisted writing to the masses at a basic level.
Of all the fields that could benefit from AI-assisted writing, journalism is perhaps where these tools have the most potential. As AI tools expedite the writing process for formulaic articles such as reports and recaps, journalists can reclaim that time to take on more tasks that require them to think outside of the box.
Considering that AI can churn out copy more efficiently than most human writers, the allure of AI-assisted writing is clear. Predictive text tools certainly provide value and can complement our creativity, but at this moment in time, they are not yet ready for us to rely on them entirely.
In its current stage, predictive text often leads to boring and predictable writing. Although these tools can generate grammatically correct copy that gets a point across, that doesn’t always mean it will be unique or intriguing. And if your writing isn’t fresh, it’s not going to be fully effective — whether that means fewer clicks, subscriptions, sales or other calls-to-action attached to your writing.
Instead, writers in this new age must manage to balance automation and creativity, marrying tech with perspective and storytelling to achieve better results.
One of the best methods for balance is simply using these tools as a second set of eyes on your writing. At a base-level, AI-assisted writing tools can ensure your writing is free of errors and can go as far as providing more detailed suggestions and feedback, such as pointing out opportunities to improve word choices or identifying areas that can be condensed or rephrased. Applying your creativity during the writing process while automating your proofreading process can help your work reach new heights.
Or, if you prefer to automate the writing process, the method above can be reversed. Instead of inserting your creativity into the initial writing process, you can channel your creativity as you review and fine-tune the work. Even if the automated writing appears to be polished already, don’t stop there. Keep an eye out for opportunities to add more color to the writing, as appropriate.
You’ll also want to make sure that your writing isn’t biased, as AI bias can occur due to prejudiced assumptions made during the development of a machine learning algorithm. Counting on predictive text to be considerate of all the context at hand could be disastrous.
No matter which writing approach you prefer, all that matters is that your unique voice isn’t lost in the process. Automation has the power to make writing easier and more efficient, but as with anything else in today’s world, writers should learn how to coexist with automation, adding it to their arsenal of tools instead of making it the star of the show.
PRophet is the first-ever A.I.-driven platform, built by and for PR professionals, to use a proprietary combination of natural language processing and machine learning to predict media interest and story sentiment before you ever send a pitch.
