AI Software Is a Tool for Editors, Not a Replacement

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November of 2022, it seems like the dialogue around the topic of AI has snowballed. More and more news articles and think pieces are published to the internet every day covering something that has to do with AI technology. No matter what we do as content consumers, we can’t seem to escape the conversation. For new writers hoping to land more traditional roles in publishing, journalism, marketing, or museums, at times it can feel especially daunting to begin a career in the humanities when there’s so much fear-mongering about AI quickly replacing the role of an editor or proofreader (see this article in The Guardian by Henry Williams, a copywriter who is certain AI will take his job). However, what many often forget is that AI can also be a powerful tool when writing, editing, and proofreading. In fact, if you are a writer, or someone who spends a lot of their time writing, chances are you’ve already used AI as an editing tool. This technology – known more colloquially as “autocorrect” or “predictive text” – has existed for over 30 years. 

In 1993, Microsoft first developed the Auto Correct feature within their word processor (Herrman, 2013). The introduction of Auto Correct led to quite the excitement amongst Microsoft Word users, capable of accommodating their clumsy fingers by changing “adn” to “and”, “teh” to “the”, and even fixing the direction of quotation marks depending on where they were placed. It was also capable of learning a typist’s behaviour and correcting their most common mistakes. A couple years later came the development of T-9 – the predictive text software that was originally a feature of older cell phones with numeric keyboards (before the emergence of smartphones) – by a company called Tegic. T-9 had a different goal of making typing more accessible for people with disabilities (Green, 2013). Tegic eventually began providing predictive word technology for nearly all handheld devices (Green, 2013). Now, autocorrect is a core feature of every word processor we use today – Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, IBM Script, Final Draft, Adobe InCopy, and more. It’s also a major element of Mac OS, which means you’ve encountered this AI editing tool if you’ve ever used an iPhone or Macbook computer. Autocorrect is even there for us when we’re waxing poetic or creating grocery lists in the Notes app on our phones. 

So if we have been using a form of AI technology to help us write and edit for decades, why are so many people afraid and hesitant when it comes to AI now? In a 2016 article by Steven Overly for The Washington Post, the question of why humans constantly oppose new technologies is dissected. Throughout the piece, Overly references research conducted by Calestous Juma, a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. There is one reason in particular that can definitely help to explain why people are so afraid of AI today: “People typically don’t fear new technology, they fear the loss it will bring” (Overly, 2016). Overly states that humans have always been afraid of things they don’t understand. This sentiment is now more true than ever with the growing popularity of AI software like ChatGPT. Whether it’s a financial loss or a loss in their typical way of life that worries them, people are programmed to be wary of advancements in technology. 

The most common reason for worry today among writers specifically is the fear of being replaced. In his article, Henry Williams shares an anecdote about asking ChatGPT to write an article about “payment gateway.” He states, “The result was impressive. Sure, the tone was inhuman and the structure as sophisticated as a college essay, but the key points, the grammar and the syntax were all spot on. After a bit of a punch-up, it was perfectly passable as a sponsored content article … like the one that I, a professional copywriter, had just spent hours writing” (2023). Williams does mention later on that developers have admitted there are still constraints on what AI software can do, such as producing results that are repetitive-sounding or veering off topic when the inputted prompt is not highly specific. “The more we use it, however, the better it will become,” he writes. He also makes a strong point that if companies can improve their bottom line and save money by replacing editors and copywriters with AI technologies, they will. However, what he’s forgetting to consider is just how important it is for humans to have their hand in the editing process. There are several aspects of an editorial job that simply cannot be replaced by AI. In Overly’s article, he also states that according to Professor Calestous Juma, the best way for companies to keep people from resisting innovation is to include them in the design of new cutting-edge technologies. In a similar sense, it is possible for writers and editors to find their own place within the ever-evolving landscape of AI. If we open our minds to both the limitations and practicalities of AI, not only will we find that it cannot replace editorial roles – we can also use it to our own advantage as a powerful editing tool. 

In a 2023 article by Anne McCarthy for New York Book Forum, McCarthy states that, “One needs only look at declining e-book sales industry-wide—a format which was originally believed to be the beginning of the end of physical books—to understand that fears like these can be unfounded and overblown.” She later goes on to discuss the biases of AI and the reasons it cannot, at least right now, replace editors, copyeditors, or proofreaders. In addition to producing peculiar or unrealistic writing, AI software like ChatGPT also possess problematic biases regarding race and sex (McCarthy, 2023). McCarthy states that “AI is a tool, not a threat” and should be treated as such. If AI is going to be used in any capacity for creative or editorial purposes, there should be humans involved in every step of the process to observe, correct, and mold the final product. In an interview with journalist and author Alan Henry, he tells McCarthy with fervour that AI will not replace editors, copywriters, or journalists at any point in the near future. While he hopes that AI technologies can be used by skilled professionals to improve their workflow efficiency, Henry still believes that right now, AI is far too flawed in its output to completely take over the role of a human writer or editor (McCarthy, 2023). 

Before the launch of ChatGPT, there were already numerous editing AI tools in use amongst professional copywriters and journalists. Grammarly is one of the most notable examples – the grammar-suggesting software is not only popular amongst professional content writers, but also amongst countless university students hoping to give their academic essays an edge.

MindMeister is another AI-powered website that can create complex “mind maps” to assist with organisation. For a writer, being able to transfer notes or research topics into an outline that is interactive and clickable could be a huge time saver in the long run. There is also an entire online toolbox collated by the Society of Professional Journalists that is filled with AI tools for writers, editors, and proofreaders.

Some notable websites they mention include:

• Jasper, an AI copywriting tool

• QuillBot, an AI writing tool that paraphrases what you say

• Repurpose.io, a tool that automates workflow (such as auto posting to social media)

• Vista Social: AI Assistant for Writing Social Media Posts

• Reflect, a note taking software with AI integrations

• Postwise.ai, an AI writing tool specifically for Twitter

• Notion AI, a software similar to Canva Docs that can offer AI editing suggestions and more

• Lex.page, an online AI word processor

• DeepL Write, a website similar to Grammarly that can tell you how to improve a selection of text.

While the rise of ChatGPT has led to quite an uproar in the writing world, McCarthy states that “similar AI-powered products were already on the market, and there’s been no recorded job loss because of them” (2023). Books, magazines, news articles, academic essays, museum exhibit labels, pamphlets, podcasts, and other forms of professional writing will always require a human touch. There are many people who will say they can tell when something was written by AI – as smart as it is, ChatGPT still has yet to learn how to truly mimic the natural flow and cadence of a human voice. Despite its sophistication and continual advancements, AI is still no substitute for the skill set and lived experience of a human editor. As humanities professionals, we must remember this when we see a new fear-mongering think piece online about how AI is going to take over the world. For us, AI is simply a tool – not a replacement. Whether we choose to use it when writing, editing, copywriting, or proofreading is entirely up to us.

References:

Green, E. (2013) ‘How to Become “Autocorrect Famous”’, The Atlantic, 5 November. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/11/how-to-become-autocorrect-famous/281168 (Accessed: 14 April 2024). 

Herrman, J. (2013) ‘The Ancient Origins of Autocorrect’, Buzzfeed, 27 March. Available at: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jwherrman/the-ancient-origins-of-autocorrect (Accessed: 14 April 2024). 

McCarthy, A. (2023) ‘The Potential Impact of AI on Editing and Proofreading’, New York Book Forum, 10 May. Available at: https://newyorkbookforum.org/blog/the-potential-impact-of-ai-on-editing-and-proofreading/ (Accessed: 6 April 2024). 

Overly, S. (2016) ‘Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration. Here’s why we often hate new stuff’, The Washington Post, 21 July. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/07/21/humans-once-opposed-coffee-and-refrigeration-heres-why-we-often-hate-new-stuff/ (Accessed: 31 March 2024). 

SPJ Toolbox (2023) AI Tools for Journalists. Available at: https://www.journaliststoolbox.org/2023/05/25/ai-tools-for-journalists/ (Accessed: 6 April 2024).

Williams, H. (2023) ‘I’m a copywriter. I’m pretty sure artificial intelligence is going to take my job’, Guardian, 24 January. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/24/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-jobs-economy/ (Accessed: 6 April 2024).