With everyone freaking out about AI replacing writers and editors, I thought I would provide a view from the trenches of freelance journalism. Is an AI going to take my job? The answer is a resounding maybe…
Has AI affected me or my work?
Actually, sad to say, but yes, it has. And I am pretty happy about it. I had a client for whom I wrote a lot of stuff about alt-coins and cryptocurrencies. It was pretty well-paid, and even though I only vaguely knew what I was writing about, I did a lot of research and learnt a lot. I was then asked to be an editor. I don’t want to gloat, but the quality of the work they were being sent was shocking.
Then ChatGPT came out, and it all ended. My turning non-native writing into more native-sounding writing had come to an end. To be fair, it wasn’t particularly taxing, and editors generally have a much harder time of it, and won’t be replaced by AI. I work a lot with editors, and the vast majority improve what I write. But those with more generic ‘content’ should watch out.
Speaking as a writer – my main job – I’ve been unaffected. Initially, I was both excited about how AI could help me write and concerned it would be so good I would be out of a job. I have since realised it isn’t all that good, either. Not really.
My client-based work is largely ghostwriting and requires a lot of research, and the problem with AI programs is that their facts are sometimes a little off. So you have to check everything. This takes time, and it is a lot quicker to simply do the research in the first place. Also, the writing it does is pretty generic. It sounds like a cliche, but the writing it produces is a bit soulless.
I think the only writers who might be affected are those who are new to the industry and are forced to write more generic content. Like promotional articles about crypto, for example. I’ve been a content writer (I need cash,) and that type of writing is probably more under threat than more in-depth pieces.
For me, the biggest threat posed by AI right now is for short fiction. I have been meaning to write more short fiction and pitch it to magazines. I got an email from the editor of Analogue a couple of years ago, saying they loved my story, but it was slightly too dark for their magazine. To be fair, it had cannibalism in it. The editor asked me to write more and send them in.
I am now writing a novel, but I still intend to write shorter work. Unfortunately, idiots and morons are using increasingly using AI to write short stories. While they aren’t very good, they are making life impossible for the editors due to the sheer amount. So, for example, Clarkesworld has had to stop taking on submissions.
I think this is down to the whole ‘hustle culture’ thing, and it is awful. It is ruining the market. If you are thinking of doing this, please don’t. You are making the world a worse place, and you won’t even make much money from it.
Conclusion
Right now, I don’t think AI poses much of a threat to the average professional writer. For those who do a bit of content writing on the side, I think things are getting tougher. Maybe that’s what is pushing so many selfish people to flood short fiction markets. I don’t know. But with a bit of luck, they will soon move on. What the future holds is a different story entirely.
