London Writes

AI Is a Tool, Not a Solution

So many companies are jumping on the AI bandwagon right now and, at the same time, an equal number of professionals are wondering what it means for them. Will it make their jobs obsolete? Can AI replicate what creative minds are currently doing in the workplace?

I believe the answer is that AI has it’s place – it can certainly automate rote tasks, for example – and we cannot ignore that it’s here to stay. But it’s a mistake for company leaders to think they can rely solely on AI, especially when it comes to their company communications.

The reason is this – AI generated content is not creative, nuanced, or personal. It may make what you want to say prettier, but it cannot get to the heart of the meaning because it’s only cobbling together random pieces of content – content that was originally created for some other purpose, specific to some other company. And since the world is constantly changing, generating text based on old content is destined to fall flat. All of this doesn’t even cover the fact that the information AI is generating may not be accurate.

This means that when it comes to injecting tone, or honing its message to a specific group, or bringing the human element to a sensitive topic, AI may be able to draft a message, and it may be able to shorten a message appropriately, but that draft still needs a human touch before it’s unleashed into the world. It needs to be checked for accuracy of information. It needs to be spell-checked. It needs to coalesce with company branding and values. It needs to be evaluated for messaging.

The human element cannot be overstated. Consider this excerpt from an article by Eve Fairbanks in the Atlantic:

Is this how a company wants their communications to clients and employees to be perceived? Of course not!

No matter how your company currently handles communications – whether it’s with a standalone communications department, or through outsourcing to independent communications professionals (like London Writes), it’s important to take a hard look at the value your communications team brings. I’m willing to bet that a company who abandons their writers and editors won’t do so for long.

Why Hiring a Freelance Writer Can Make Sense for Your Company

Small and mid-size companies don’t often have the budget to add a full-time communications professional to their payroll. Instead, when there’s a need for occasional internal or external written communication, leadership cobbles something together themselves, or assigns it to an admin, or plugs a prompt into AI, and considers the end product “good enough.”

The result is ineffective use of time and an email, article, or press release that either doesn’t get read or doesn’t convey the intended information effectively. The thing is, there’s considerable nuance to writing good communication! Length, sentence structure, audience, intended message, voice – all of these need to be taken into consideration. And, no – AI can’t do this for you. This is why having a contract writer in your back pocket makes sense.

A talented freelancer can work with stakeholders to gather knowledge such as the purpose of the communication, the audience, the desired tone, the information to be conveyed, and the method of delivery. They use this information to develop a polished, effective end product that actually reaches people. Best of all, a freelancer is cost-effective. A contract writer allows companies to have a communications professional available for occasional needs at a reasonable price.

As a freelance writer and editor, I bring a degree in journalism and years of writing experience to my clients to help them with their one-off communication needs. If your company could use a talented ‘occasional’ writing professional, shoot me a message. I’d love to talk with you further about how I can make your life much, much easier!