The blank page.

How has technology changed your job?

The scariest moment is always just before you start.

Stephen King

For the longest time, I’ve called myself a writer. I have a lot to say, even more, to share, and just that little bit more I’d love to experience. Honestly, writer is just one of the hats I wear. Communicator and negotiator are two more profiles I juggle. Earlier, I always opened a new document with trepidation because I had no clue where to start and no clue on how it would end. If I could wish for anything in the world, it would be to give me a page, that always had relevant information I could work with. Not a blank page start. To ensure this happens, I have started writing on the same document, I just push the earlier articles to the end of the page and start on the first page. So, at any point in time, the page I am working on always has content and there is never a blank page start. However, this content may not be relevant to the article I am working on. It’s just random content on the page. And this is where technology comes in. Much to my amazement, I discovered AI and its use to generate content a year ago, with the introduction of ChatGPT. Type your query in the search bar, and the app would give you results in a few seconds. So, you would never have a blank page start. The launch of this AI app created a furor amongst writers. An ex-colleague told me that they would just purchase the app and would no longer require me to write their blogs. I had moved on, and I was happy they had a solution to their requirement. Don’t get me wrong, I like to write. I love to read. I am amazed by technology. And AI, makes me marvel at the world. But I don’t think AI will replace me. At least not just yet.

Because I don’t know what my POV is, when I start writing. My blogs are often a reflection of my life and experiences, and they evolve as I write. I let the argument develop and sometimes, I discover that my POV has changed. And AI has not developed enough to include my perspective. Yet. It is said that if you employ a lazy man, you may just discover the extent he would go to innovate and make his work easier. Maybe AI was invented by one such lazy man. Or maybe it is a group contribution. But it’s as radical as the wheel, the first spark, the first supercomputer, or even more recently, the first self-drive cars. And maybe AI may make your job or for that matter even mine redundant. But the journey promises to be memorable.

I am a juggler in the metaphorical sense, I juggle a lot of roles one of which is writing (which will change soon, I am sure). A big part of writing is research, background checks, factual edits, proof or evidence collection, editing, plagiarism checks, a couple more rounds of editing, and on a good day, publishing. This cycle can take anything from a few hours to a few weeks or even a couple of years. It is dependent on the length of the piece (500 words news story to 1000 word blog or a 10000-word booklet or a 500-page novel), the kind of writing it is (news story, blogs, marketing collateral, website content, fictional books, autobiographies) and the type of resource checks it requires (eg: a news story requires basic fact checks, an opinion piece would require facts checked and collaborated from respected authorities, autobiographies may require permissions from members mentioned in the book). The lists and the checks are infinite and every single one of them is time-consuming.

I love AI, or at least as much of it as I have worked with. I like the tiny pixels from FB to my website that give me customer details. I love those algorithms that walk through my website and help rank it up top on Google. I like the fact that I can ‘stalk’ my customers’ movements, without actually walking behind them every step of the way and still keep track and make changes as I go along. As a marketing/advertising consultant, I am aware of the chaotic deadlines I work with. Nothing is for today, it was required a week ago (if I am lucky) but usually, it was required a year ago.

AI, is touted as the ‘technology of the future’, and companies are investing in AI that helps generate content. And TBH, anything that helps generate content (write articles or blogs), is the next best thing to sliced bread. Writing in general and content creation in particular have always been situated in the grey regions of business development. While there are tons of information on how to start a business and even more checklists to ensure you remain on track as an entrepreneur, there is minimal information on content creation. Creativity in general and content creation in particular is relatively unknown and business professionals feel that they are not equipped to handle the requirements as it is not as rational or methodical as the credit and debit section of their finance ledgers. Today, AI apps can help generate information that can assist writers in creating targeted relevant content.  

AI programs take care of most of those timelines I mentioned earlier and hasten the process. For instance, I can get a rough first draft of what I want to say in a fraction of the time. I can then focus on the angle I would like to work on and fine-tune it. For generic blogs and articles AI, in this situation may just make the task seem almost effortless. But will AI replace me? As an individual writer, AI cannot replace me. It can polish what I write, and embellish how I present it, but the perspective based on my experience will be unique to me.

As I’ve already mentioned, AI apps are phenomenally fascinating, and they make research and fact-checking simple. Use the plagiarism tool to recheck the responses, and you will realize how exciting this makes writing. But remember, creativity is the key differentiator. Like always, your story becomes interesting, because of the unique angle you bring to it. And there is still a lot of time for AI to get creative.

So, AI is not the start of the end. It is a leap that we as humans have taken in our evolution and raised the bar. This is a new beginning in machine learning and automation and makes our lives more interesting. Like self-drive cars will not make drivers or the act of driving itself obsolete, AI apps like Chat GPT cannot make occupations obsolete. They just handle the boring end of chores, thereby giving you more time to enjoy yourself with what you do. Enjoy endless long drives on deserted roads and if and when you come to a challenging parking spot, engage the auto-park feature of your self-drive car.