Editor's Corner

A few months ago, our manager had us try ChatGPT and test how this artificial intelligence might work for documentation in the future. We produced a few fun items, but we found that ChatGPT is not able to write detailed instructions very well. In addition, you don’t want to test with company material because it becomes part of ChatGPT’s “encyclopedia” of information for the public.

Outside of testing ChatGPT, I’ve received numerous emails about how AI is going to make writers and editors unnecessary, and other emails about how you can’t just throw writers and editors away, because AI cannot understand the subtleties of writing and being human.

I heard an interview the other day with David Simon, the writer of the scripts for The Wire, among other shows. The interviewer was trying to get Mr. Simon to admit he might try AI for writing scripts. Simon’s response was one of disgust and he said, essentially, he’d rather be dead.

And I agree. It will be some time before creativity can be programmed…and why? It’s a great thing to be a human and be able to write stories, make things with your hands, and use your imagination. But I digress. I read a great article that my former manager sent my way. I’m only going to include some of it here, but the link is below if you’d like to all of it.

Why Learning to Write Well Is Still Important in the Age of A.I.

…It’s clear A.I. is advancing incredibly rapidly and soon will transform how a lot of white collar work gets done.

What exactly those changes will look like is the subject of fierce debate and is probably anybody’s guess at this point. But already impressive tools like ChatGPT make plain that a lot of routine writing will probably be done by bots in the future.

Marketers are already experimenting with having chatbots write social-media posts and ads. College professors are rethinking the essay for the age of A.I. Real estate agents are handing off writing listings to the bots. So if you’re a young person today, should you conclude that it’s time to decrease the time and effort you invest in learning to write well?

Writing makes you smarter.

Actually no, answers a chorus of experts. …(W)riting isn’t just banging out the right string of words to get your meaning across…. The most important function of writing isn’t to teach others, but to teach yourself.

"Writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about. Importantly, writing is also the process by which you figure it out," writes Farnam Street blogger Shane Parrish. "Writing about something is one of the best ways to learn about it."

…(E)ven those with not a shred of literary ambition—should perfect their writing. Not to persuade others, but to make themselves smarter.

"Everyone is full of ideas they’re not aware of. They’re gut feelings. Intuitions. You use them a dozen times a day. But you’d shrug your shoulders if someone asked why. How you react to career risk. Why you invest the way you do. Why you like some people and question others. We’re all brimming with opinions on these topics that we may never discuss, even with ourselves," Housel argues. Writing is the way to turn that "phantom intelligence" of hunches and half-formed opinions into usable tools for the betterment of yourself and your career….

If you want to learn to think, you need to learn to write.

One day in the not-too-distant future, a chatbot may be able to write a convincing email to your boss or polish up that important presentation in minutes. Use those abilities to your advantage. But no bot is going to figure out how complex ideas fit together and apply that to your specific situation any time soon. No bot can help you pick your way through a challenging intellectual puzzle. [KC-Emphasis mine. No bot can do this, but editors can!]

Chatbots can convincingly regurgitate human knowledge, but they still struggle to expand it or even combine it in new and enlightening ways.

In this world, empathetic, experimental, humane writing may end up being an even more valuable career skill. But even if you don’t plan to market yourself as a wordsmith or communicator, you still need to be able to think. And the best tool for thinking humans have ever invented—up to and including these mind-bending new A.I. tools—is good old-fashioned writing. So if you want to be able to think clearly and well, you still need to learn to write.

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