How generative AI can assist with writing projects
Generative AI tools have revolutionized the writing of blogs, articles, websites, and other text-based materials, whether for marketing or generally conveying information. AI offers writers new avenues for ideation, content structuring, and reader engagement. However, the true artistry of writing remains in the hands of human authors. To create distinctive and compelling content, it’s essential to understand the complementary roles of the writer and AI tools.
While AI can generate text, summarize articles, and suggest ideas, it lacks the nuance, emotion, and personal insight that human writers bring to their work. The key to effectively integrating AI into the writing process is to view it as an assistant rather than a replacement. As Sherry Dolin, a Senior Writer with over 20 years of experience in radio, print, and digital copywriting puts it, “Don’t be afraid of AI. Realize how it can make you better, and use it as a collaborative tool.”
In constructing content, the writer plays the pivotal role of identifying unique angles, crafting narratives, and infusing creativity. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude can assist by providing background information, suggesting structures, and enhancing clarity. For instance, generative AI can help build out the background and explain underlying themes, offering a foundation upon which writers can expand.
However, it’s crucial to recognize that AI-generated content can sometimes be bland or generic in tone. Writers should review AI outputs critically, looking for opportunities to make the text more conversational and engaging. AI-generated drafts should never be used as-is but should instead serve as a starting point for further refinement and enhancement by a human writer.So how exactly does AI and a writer work together to produce great content? For the rest of this article, we’ll use examples from the Green for Growth blog.
Getting started: Developing a structure
One of the most valuable ways to incorporate AI into the writing process is to use it for structuring content when you’re thinking of what to write. AI excels at mapping out key points, refining logical flow, and flagging gaps that need more depth. It may even come up with ideas you haven’t thought of! A strong piece starts with structure—drafting a skeletal outline that sets the foundation. From there, the writing evolves, sharpened by AI’s ability to suggest, refine, and streamline.
So we need an outline for the post. The first step is to grab the readers’ attention by making the story relatable. The next step is to add in details and add the ‘why/what/how’ of the story. Next up is placing the story in context: are there elements of the story that can be expanded to other use cases? What are some key learnings from this story that have broader appeal? Finally, bring this all home with a short conclusion including any relevant links. For example, when writing about an organization like the Coral Reef Foundation, which uses technology to monitor coral health, you can ask an AI tool to take the role of a copywriter and provide a summary for the post. Here’s what an outline might look like, combining your own thoughts with those from the AI tool:
- Introduction: Make the case for why coral reefs are important and why they are in danger (AI)
- Explain what the Coral Reef Foundation is doing to address the problem: Using AI to measure coral reefs
- This is the same technology that Facebook and other social media platforms use to detect your friends in social media posts: Computer vision (AI)
- What this could mean in terms of monitoring coral reefs globally
- Why oceans are important indicator of climate changing (AI)
- What this story tells us about monitoring generally and how tech can help
- Conclusion: wrap-up and any relevant links
This feels like a good start. You may find there’s areas you want to take apart and go into greater depth – that’s fine. Remember, you can respond to whatever the AI tool suggests and ask for more depth.
Building out the bulk
Now we have the basic structure down, we can start filling in the gaps. Let’s look at this section: “Why oceans are important indicator of climate changing.” I rephrase this as a question and pose this to an AI tool (ChatGPT in this case):
There are actually seven points in total and most are good, but this isn’t exactly the format I want. So I can specify “give this to me in a paragraph” and this is what is receive:
Oceans are pivotal in signaling and responding to climate change. They absorb roughly 90% of the excess heat from global warming, making oceanic temperature rises a key gauge of the phenomenon. Concurrently, the melting of polar ice caps and the thermal expansion of seawater lead to sea level rises, threatening coastal habitats and human settlements. Additionally, oceans absorb a significant portion of human-released CO2, resulting in ocean acidification, which jeopardizes marine species dependent on calcium carbonate. The planet’s thermohaline circulation, or ocean circulation patterns, can be altered by temperature and salinity changes, impacting weather and marine ecosystems. Species are migrating due to changing temperatures, and warmer waters are causing coral bleaching, reducing marine biodiversity. Furthermore, declining sea ice in polar regions intensifies a feedback loop of increasing temperatures, while warmer ocean surfaces amplify the severity of tropical storms. Thus, the health and changes in oceans provide a multifaceted lens into the intricacies of our evolving climate.
Much better, but we are trying to be conversational here so this is a great time for me to step in and simplify this, making it more conversational, and only focusing on the key elements that are relevant to the story:
Oceans tell us a lot about climate change as they are an integral part of the Earth’s ecosystem. They absorb 90% of heat from global warming, so monitoring temperature rise in the ocean tells us a lot about climate change generally. Oceans absorb a lot of the human-released carbon dioxide, which makes the oceans more acidic. Therefore the acid levels in the ocean are a proxy for the amount of emissions we are releasing into the atmosphere.
You can continue this process for each of the sections until you have the full draft for the post built out. Once you complete this, you’ll have the bullet point structure turned into a flowing blog post. Review the whole piece once more, looking mainly for neat linkages between the paragraphs, and making the flow still makes sense. Beware as one of the issues with this approach is that you may find the AI tool offers the same idea just expressed differently. Strip out any of this duplication.
Writing with style
When it comes to style, AI tools are becoming better at crafting text based on different styles, whether that’s based on your own or one that you happen to like. As an example, this custom Chat GPT tool will take your text and rewrite it in the style of Wired Magazine – particularly useful if you have deep technical content that you want to make meaningful to a mainstream audience.
It can be great to look at pieces that have great style and think about what makes these stand out. Here are some great examples of writing with style to consider:
Leadership Blindspots That Make Employees Trust You Less
In this post on building trust in business, the style is informal, using short sentences, simple words, and a lot of ‘you’ to put the reader in the driving seat. This brings what could be a dry topic to life.
Floating solar on the equator could provide ‘limitless’ energy
In this case, the topic is sustainability and energy. You can see how a number of statistics are woven throughout the piece, but they support the story at each stage. It never feels like this is just a group of facts being thrown at you: the structure comes through clearly.
AI for specific writing tasks
Beyond structuring content, AI can be particularly useful for refining specific aspects of writing. Sherry describes how she incorporates AI into her workflow:
“Just recently, I wrote a blog, and I was fine with everything I wrote, except I didn’t feel there was a compelling closing paragraph. So I put in everything that I wrote, and I said, ‘Please create a closing paragraph that brings this all together,’ and that’s what it did.”
Similarly, AI can be a great tool for generating multiple subject lines or call-to-action (CTA) options. Sherry explains:
“Sometimes I’ll write the email. I’m perfectly comfortable with the email, but I feel like I need additional subject lines and CTAs, so it really is more of a collaborative process.”
One area where you might want to turn to AI for help is in the opening of a piece of content. It can be great to start with a strong hook to pull your readers in. For instance, Ivy Shelden writing for SmartBlogger suggests these hooks to posts. Based on this, you can use this custom ChatGPT tool to suggest some hooks for your post.
Remember, rather than relying on AI to craft entire pieces from scratch, you can use it to generate variations, explore different stylistic approaches, or enhance clarity.
Three practical tips for writers new to AI
For those new to incorporating AI into their writing process, consider the following advice:
- View AI as a collaborator: Use AI tools to complement your writing, not replace it. Let AI help with brainstorming ideas, but ensure the final content reflects your unique style and perspective.
- Proofread diligently: AI-generated content can contain errors or repetitive information. Always review and edit to ensure accuracy and coherence.
- Test different prompts: When using AI, refine your prompts to get better suggestions. Asking for multiple subject line options, alternative headlines, or variations of phrasing can help you land on the best version.
The Future of AI-Assisted Writing
The rise of generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for writers. While AI can enhance productivity and provide valuable assistance, it’s the human touch—insight, creativity, and unique perspective—that ultimately makes content engaging and memorable.
As Sherry emphasizes:
“I’m always afraid when I’m using an AI tool that the output produced is based on something that’s someplace else… So I try to make my posts be mine as much as possible and then use the tools to make whatever I write better.”
Sherry goes on to raise a key concern about the widespread use of AI:
“When everyone is using these tools, it begs the question—how do we stand out? How can you create something that people will look at and remember as being yours?”
This is the challenge and opportunity for writers in the AI era. The goal is not to let AI dictate content but to leverage it in a way that enhances creativity and efficiency while maintaining a unique voice.
Wrapping things up
AI is a powerful tool for writers, but like any tool, its value depends on how it’s used. By viewing AI as a collaborator rather than a replacement, writers can unlock new efficiencies without compromising creativity or originality. Remember, writing is a process and there is no better way to learn than to try and explain what you know. Even if you think you know a subject, as soon as you try and write about it, often this will expose gaps in your knowledge. Filling in those gaps will help you and your readers. Don’t short-change the process!
From structuring content to refining specific sections, AI can streamline certain aspects of writing, but it’s up to the writer to bring depth, authenticity, and a human touch. By implementing the best practices outlined here—maintaining originality, using AI for inspiration, and refining AI-generated content—writers can ensure they are getting the most out of these emerging technologies while still standing out in their respective fields.
Tools
Here are the tools mentioned in this article that can make your content stand out:
Wired Wordsmith
Take functional content and give it a twist – works especially well for making deep technical content more readable.
Write me a Hook
If you are trying to find a fun or provocative way in to your content, check out the examples this tool suggests.
Resources
How to Use AI to Write Blog Posts
This BloggingPro article explores how AI can enhance blog writing by generating ideas, structuring content, and refining tone while emphasizing human creativity.
Use AI to Improve your Writing
The LinkedIn Learning course “How to Research and Write Using Generative AI Tools” offers guidance on leveraging AI to enhance writing skills, including techniques for effective research and content generation.