writing man being replaced by AI

Will AI Replace Content Writers? No, and Here’s Why…

by Dan Martin

Don’t Believe The Hype

Since the release of ChatGPT, you’ve probably read some of the scary blogs and doom-posts about how AI will replace writers.

“AI kills the need for freelance writing!” 

“Content writers are redundant in the brave new world of AI!” 

“Why pay a B2B content writer when you can use ChatGPT for free?” 

“ChatGPT is my new writing slave – Find out more on page 9” 

Revelations, Chapter 23, Verse 6: The good Lord sayeth “All hail ChatGPT. Down with human content writers!””

“ChatGPT AI is the worst thing to happen to writers since the typewriter was invented and made us realise how loud our thoughts can be!”

OK… enough – you get the picture.

Let’s clear this up once and for all – it’s all nonsense.

It’s just fear-mongering.

AI is not going to replace writers. Ever. Maybe you think I’m over confident? Let’s find out… 

 

Will AI change the way writers do things?

No doubt. 100%. Abso-flippin-lutely!

In fact, if you’re a B2B content writer who has started using AI already – you must have seen it first hand. Pretty impressive, right? 

If you’re a B2B content writer who hasn’t used it yet – start now. Like, ASAP now. You can’t afford not to.

And if you work for a B2B company looking for good content – make sure you hire innovative creators who know how to leverage AI, but add more value on top.

“Well, if AI is that good,” you may well ask, “how can you be so certain it won’t replace content writers?” 

Good question.

A Golden Idea Takes Shape

Let’s start with a story. A true one, no less…

One sunny spring afternoon earlier this week, while waiting at the school gates to collect my kids, an interesting series of thoughts popped into my head. 

I’ve been working for a lot of smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 companies recently and I started pondering the different industrial revolutions…

  • The First Industrial Revolution (1IR) gave birth to the mechanised economy.
  • 2IR (technological revolution) ushered in the manufacturing economy.
  • 3IR (digital revolution) paved the way for the information economy.
  • 4IR (Industry 4.0) is in the process of creating a smart manufacturing economy.
  • 5IR (Industry 5.0 – the rise of AI) marks the beginning of the creative economy.
  • In this new economy, ideas will be the main currency.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Ideas are the new gold. 

Creativity just went up in value

When you think about it, ideas have always been valuable. 

But now we’ve got AI in our corner to bring those ideas to life more quickly.

AI will help to free up more time to get creative and start generating more golden ideas.

As more and more people use AI tools like ChatGPT, it will spark a wave of creativity and innovation that exceeds anything we’ve ever seen before. 

It’s gonna be wild!

In fact, it has already begun, especially in marketing and content writing. 

Even B2B content marketing companies are beginning to loosen up in the rush to be more creative!

AI will help us bring our creative ideas to life.

I believe that the effect of AI on the world will be extraordinary. 

We’re moving into a golden age of innovation and invention, driven by creativity.

There is no doubt that AI will assist content creators to speed up the creative process.

To show you what I mean, let’s explain how this very blog post you’re reading came into existence.

 

From “Idea” to “Plan”

As soon as the idea for this blog post came to me, I didn’t want to forget the idea, so I whipped out my mobile phone, opened my notes app, and quickly wrote the seed for this article:

 

A New Creative Writing Workflow

Once home from the school run, I sat the kids in front of the TV and sprinted upstairs. I couldn’t wait to get started on this blog post. 

Admittedly, I won’t win any “dad of the year” awards for ignoring my kids like that, but I just couldn’t contain my excitement! 

Why was I so excited?

I realised that I had just created a new, more productive workflow for myself.

Now, I can jot down ideas on my phone whenever they come to me and incorporate those notes into AI prompts for content writing. 

So, I opened my notes app (which is synced to my phone), fired up ChatGPT, and popped this prompt into the command box:

ChatGPT did its thang and the blinking cursor wrote:

Hmmm, I thought, ChatGPT has pretty much nailed the key ideas here. Well done ChatGPT. I mean, it even picked out story-telling as one of the main ingredients of good content. Attaboy ChatGPT!

Aa any content marketer worth their salt will tell you – story-telling is everything.

What do you need to tell great stories? 

Creativity.

Welcome to the creative economy!

Finally, the starving artist stereotype will be laid to rest. Creatives will rule the world! 

OK, let’s not get carried away. 

But I honestly think that there’s good reason for content writers to be excited by the possibilities of AI.

 

From “Plan” To “Story”

As you’ve probably guessed by now, I decided not to use the exact outline given to me by ChatGPT. 

Not because it was awful. To be honest, it could have been turned into a half-decent, “bog-standard” article.

But the new creative economy is here – “decent” doesn’t cut the mustard.

Bog-standard belongs in the bog.

What you need is content that stands out from the crowd.

Rich, Magical, Creative Content

You need content that tells a story. Casts some magic. 

Yes, even B2B content.

Actually scratch that – especially B2B content!

B2B doesn’t have to mean bland to boring. 

Why can’t it mean not brilliant to ballistic? Bold to breathtaking? Bodacious to bombastic?

In other words – B2B content deserves to be just as exciting and engaging as B2C content. And ChatGPT doesn’t do “exciting”. Not without being heavily prompted anyway.

To be fair, the ChatGPT outline wasn’t too bad. But, well, how to put this kindly – it had zero magic. 

AI makes for a wonderful, robot assistant. 

It does great research. It can create content that is passable, but basic and utilitarian. 

The problem is – AI writing just doesn’t have a soul. 

AI is like the tinman in The Wizard of Oz – it has no heart. It wants one, but sadly it will never have one. Poor AI. In cyberspace nobody can hear you scream.

The ChatGPT outline did give me some food for thought though.

That’s why I decided to pinch some of the ideas it churned out, like the bits about collaboration and curiosity, as you’ll see later in this article.

As we said earlier, the most important thing when you produce marketing content is to create a story. 

And stories rely on the language of the heart, not the head. 

 

A New Language for B2B Content –  The Language of The Soul

B2B content creators need to speak the language of the soul. 

Can it be learned? Yes. How do you learn it?

Two words – Empathy and Intuition.

B2B content writing is no longer a career for cold, tough-minded, dispassionate business writers. AI can do that with its eyes closed.

Let’s face it, AI can write a bland, functional 800 word B2B marketing article in the time it takes to tie your shoelaces. 

For B2B content marketers this means one thing:

Rigid, rational writing is out. Empathetic, intuitive writing is in.

There’s only one way to stand out in the age of AI – get creative. 

That doesn’t mean you need to have some special gene or in-born talent.

I honestly believe that anyone can become more creative, even if you think you can’t. You just need to develop those two things – empathy and intuition.

 

A Quick Note On The Importance of Intuition In Writing

Some people may argue this, but I think it’s true:

AI will never be creative on its own.

To be creative, the full range of human consciousness and experience is needed:

  • Emotion 
  • Empathy and understanding of other perspectives
  • Cultural and social awareness
  • Rationality
  • Memory – visual, emotional, and sensory
  • Ability to adapt to new and changing situations
  • Imagination and the ability to think outside the box
  • And, arguably the most important of all – intuition.

These are things that most people possess, to varying degrees. 

Let’s concentrate on intuition.

What is intuition? Let’s ask ChatGPT.

Ok, so it’s pretty clear that intuition is important for good writing. Even academic researchers seem to agree on that.

Intuition helps you to create good content.

When you apply both empathy and intuition, you’re not just stringing words together or sharing facts and figures. 

You’re connecting with your audience on a deeper level. You’re making them feel something. You’re leaving a lasting impression. You’re speaking to their soul.

That’s what good content marketing is all about. 

 

Speak To Your Target Audience In Their Language

Empathy and intuition can be thought of as a sixth sense that guides you to understand what your target audience are really looking for. 

Empathy and intuition help you to identify your audience’s needs and interests, tap into their emotions, and deliver content that truly resonates

Empathy is the way to get people’s attention in the first place.

Intuition is the magic spark that turns good writing into unforgettable writing. The kind of writing that you can’t stop reading.

When you’re writing with intuition, you’re not just following a formula or a set of rules. 

Instead, you’re using your gut feeling to:

  • choose the right words 
  • craft compelling stories 
  • and create a unique voice that keeps your audience coming back for more. 

Good content writing is all about truly understanding how your audience is feeling, putting it into words, and creating a compelling narrative to make your content stand out from the crowd.

 

The Role of AI In Content Writing

Yes, AI can help with the process of content creation. 

But it can’t do it for you. Anyone who tells you otherwise is at best ignorant, at worst a liar.

If you’re a content marketer, there’s no need to fear AI. Embrace AI as an aid to your creativity and intuition, not a replacement for it.

If you’re a B2B company looking to create good content – empathetic and intuitive writing is essential. 

This goes for most types of B2B content, including brochures, one-pagers, and web copy.

But it counts double when creating shareable content. That’s when tapping into your target audience directly is even more crucial. 

This includes blog posts, white papers, reports, and news updates. In other words, anything that can be shared on social media platforms.

 

Curiosity + Collaboration = Creative Content

Do you remember the outline that ChatGPT generated earlier? Two of the ideas that it came up with were curiosity and collaboration. 

I agree that curiosity and collaboration are going to be the secret sauce for creating content now that the age of AI is upon us.

Curiosity: If you want to write amazing content, you’ve got to stay curious about the world around you. You’ve got to rediscover your inner child. Ask questions. Learn new things. Make connections. And, most importantly – keep an open mind. Being curious helps us to create fresh, unique content that really grabs people’s attention.

Collaboration: As AI tools like ChatGPT keep getting better, you need to work with it to create something exceptional. AI can provide ideas or basic outlines to get us started. It can help you to continue a piece when writer’s block kicks in. But at the end of the day, it’s we humans that make it shine. We give it a personal touch and storytelling magic. AI will never be able to do that alone.

As mentioned earlier, intuition is also an integral part of great writing. When you mix that with curiosity and AI collaboration, you can weave stories that really hit home. 

The kind of content that leaves a lasting impact.

Embrace the Collaborative Creative Economy

In this new and exciting creative economy, it’s not about content writers versus AI. 

It’s about AI and writers working together. 

It’s about using the power of AI to help us work smarter, free up time for more creativity, develop deeper empathy and intuition, be more curious, and put our storytelling skills at the front and centre.

At the end of the day, it’s the human touch, empathy, and expressing unique perspectives that  makes content truly special. AI can’t compete with that!

 

AI – The Ultimate Content Writer’s Productivity Tool

I recently read a PWC article saying that AI is expected to add around $15.7 trillion annually to the global economy by 2030.

Personally, I think that’s a rather conservative estimate.

Maybe I’m too much of an optimist and idealist, but I think we’re entering an exciting time for humanity.

Why?

I’ve seen plenty of first-hand evidence to suggest it.

In my own content marketing business, for example, ChatGPT has accelerated my writing workflows by approximately 50%. 

This means I can deliver even more insightful, revenue-generating content than ever before, in less time! 

My existing customers are ecstatic that they’re getting even more value for money from me and it gives me more time to take on other clients and work on passion projects.

More Time = More Creativity

Extra time opens up extra opportunities to be MUCH more creative! Faster workflows means that you can add real value to the content you write.

Before ChatGPT, I probably wouldn’t have found the time to write this article. More than likely, I’d still be busy finishing off a white paper or lengthy article for a tech client. 

Instead, I’m sitting in front of my computer on a Friday afternoon writing content that will help other writers and show potential (and existing) clients how much extra value I can offer.

It’ll also free up more time to work on my second children’s book (a follow-up to the first one I published last year: Mikey The Magic Poet.)

 

10 Things Content Writers Can Do With The Extra Time Gained by Using ChatGPT

AI has gifted content writers with several extra hours per week. 

But what are we going to do with it?

Let’s see what ChatGPT says when you ask it to list 10 things content writers can do with the extra time gained by using AI tools.

Here’s what it wrote (word-for-word):

  1. Enhance creativity: Delve deeper into creative thinking and come up with more innovative ideas, unique perspectives, and engaging content.
  2. Focus on storytelling: Spend more time crafting compelling stories that resonate with their audience and leave a lasting impression.
  3. Improve writing skills: Take time to hone their writing skills through practice, reading, or participating in writing workshops and courses.
  4. Engage with their audience: Interact with readers through social media, blog comments, or email, building a loyal following and gaining valuable feedback.
  5. Conduct thorough research: Dive deeper into research, exploring new sources and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and industry developments.
  6. Network with industry peers: Attend conferences, workshops, and networking events to connect with fellow writers, potential clients, and industry professionals.
  7. Diversify their portfolio: Expand their writing repertoire to include different content types, such as ebooks, case studies, or scripts.
  8. Collaborate with others: Work on joint projects or team up with other content creators to produce more comprehensive and diverse content.
  9. Pursue passion projects: Allocate time to work on personal writing projects, such as novels, poetry, or blogs.
  10. Focus on marketing and business growth: Develop and execute marketing strategies to attract new clients, expand their reach, and grow their writing business.

Sounds pretty good right? 

Smart writers out there will be using AI for all it’s worth. They’ll  use that extra spare time to be more creative. 

Look, even ChatGPT puts creativity at the top of the list, so it must be true!

 

Don’t Fear AI – Embrace It. Then Get Creative.

To sum up, I really believe that the fear of AI replacing content writers is overblown.

Don’t get me wrong – AI may well replace some job roles connected to writing and content marketing – editors, proofreaders, and researchers. 

But intuitive and creative writers should be safe, as long as they learn to use AI as the powerful tool it is.


3 key takeaways
for successful content writers to survive in the new creative economy:

Collaborate with AI: Work together as a team. Use AI for brainstorming, research, editing, and proofing while you bring in your unique voice, creativity, and storytelling abilities.

Use Your Empathy and Intuition: AI doesn’t have a clue about empathy. And it certainly can’t replicate a writer’s intuition. Both of these are crucial if you want to create content that connects with audiences on a deep level. 

Adapt To Change: Charles Darwin was quoted as saying: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.” As AI continues to evolve, content writers must adapt and grow alongside it. That means embracing AI as an aid to creativity rather than a threat.

Finally, the best thing you can do is use AI to help you write something unique. 

Don’t be a lazy content writer and use it to churn out subpar content. There’s no excuse for boring, same-old, same-old B2B content these days. Actually, there never was, but it’s even more important to be a pro-active writer now.

It’s time to add some creative je ne sais quoi to B2B content. 

Use empathy and intuition to guide you.

Start creating sparkling content that adds tons more value than AI. And remember – the creative spark is a uniquely human phenomenon, so there’s nothing to fear from AI.

 

Let UTB2B Power Up Your Tech Content Marketing

Are you a writer looking to work for an innovative B2B content marketing agency that embraces both technology and creativity?

Or are you a tech business looking for content that makes a lasting impression? A marketing manager looking for some extra support, perhaps? 

Whoever you may be, we can help you to create high quality content. 

We produce engaging articles, infographics, white papers, and brochures that will captivate your audience. 

Our writers apply industry knowledge from a wide range of verticals including smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0, cybersecurity, coding, software development, SaaS, web 3.0, crypto, and more.

But most importantly, we weave stories, creativity, and magic into every piece of content.

 

Business to Business Content That Pops

At UTB2B, we embrace the power of AI to streamline the content creation process, while still maintaining the human touch that sets us apart. 

Our business writing jumps from the page and speaks directly to the target audience.

Our designers look at the bigger picture – your target market, your offering, and the wider industry setting – and produce designs that are both functional and eye-catching.

To discover how we can help you create content that really resonates with your audience, get in touch today.

We are your high-quality content providers.
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