Reading time: About 3 minutes
Are you rethinking your career as a writer in the age of AI? Read this post before you do that!
Some people see AI as so disruptive they believe it’s going to eliminate the need for writers entirely. Cue apocalyptic music.
While I have lots of concerns about AI (to me, the environmental ones relating to electricity and water are the most alarming), I don’t believe it’s going to eliminate writers.
Here’s why I’m not panicking yet: Calculators didn’t eliminate mathematicians. Instead, they freed them from tedious computation to focus on theory, proofs and creative problem-solving. And electric dishwashers didn’t replace kitchen staff. Instead, they eliminated some of the grunt work so cooks could focus on actual cooking. Nor did power tools eliminate carpenters, photography eliminate painters or auto-flight eliminate pilots. (Thank goodness — I’d like a human in the cockpit, please.)
I think the same will apply to writers because here’s what they can do better than any computer:
- Original reporting and investigation (going out and finding actual stories in the actual world).
- Content requiring genuine lived expertise, not just whatever AI scraped from Reddit.
- Persuasive writing based on deep audience psychology and relationship-building.
- Editorial judgment: understanding what matters, what’s interesting, what’s true.
- Synthesis of complex ideas into fresh perspectives.
- Building trust and voice with specific audiences over time.
Here’s where you can actually look for work
If you’re a writer who’s struggling to find work because of AI, here are eight ideas to check out. None of them involves crying into your keyboard:
1-Ghostwriting and thought leadership
Executives, consultants and experts often need their insights articulated for newspapers or websites. This work requires interviewing skills and the ability to make convincing arguments. AI can string words together, but it can’t charm a CEO into revealing their thoughts over coffee.
2-Niche business-to-business content where you have expertise
Writing for industries you understand deeply will help you get more clients. This demands more than surface-level content marketing (which AI can churn out faster than a content factory). It requires detailed understanding and the ability to spot when someone’s full of it.
3-Case studies and customer stories
This work requires interviewing real people, telling stories and extracting insights. AI can’t do this! It can’t even order coffee from a real person without getting confused.
4-Editing and content strategy
Some companies think they can save money by using AI, but they still need professionals who can help manage AI output, maintain brand voice and decide what’s worth creating. If you’re skilled with AI, you could be the person who does that. Think of yourself as the AI whisperer — or the person who saves companies from publishing robotic gibberish. Or fake book lists.
5-Newsletters for businesses
Some companies want to maintain relationships with clients by providing newsletters. But if those newsletters contain only AI slop, why would their clients bother to read them? Spoiler: They won’t. Real writers can help build genuine relationships.
6-Book collaborations
Sure, AI might help with creating books, but it can’t do the entire thing, at least not interestingly enough. Look for subject experts who need help with generating proposals, writing text and developmental editing.
7-Grant writing
This is an important — and highly specialized — area. Funding comes from grant applications, and therefore organizations need to hire people who know how to write effective ones. This job requires understanding organizations deeply, understanding the expectations of grant-giving agencies and an ability to craft interesting narratives. Plus, grant reviewers can smell AI-generated applications a mile away.
8-Long-form content for premium brands
If you’re looking to make money, look for companies that make a lot of it themselves. If someone is selling a box of paper clips for $2.99, they’re going to have less money to spend on writing and marketing than if they’re selling luxury yachts that cost $5 million apiece. Follow the money, folks.
How to position yourself
Here are four tips on how to be the person who gets the work:
- Develop deep, genuine expertise in something specific. Always work to position yourself as a specialist, not a generalist. “I write stuff,” is not a positioning statement.
- Learn to use AI as a brainstorming assistant (and maybe an editor) without letting it flatten your voice. This will save you time and make you more valuable to anyone who hires you. Use AI as your intern, not your replacement.
- Build a portfolio showing your irreplaceable human qualities. What can you do that AI can’t? You can interview. You can find human interest stories. You can synthesize. You can show original thinking. You can tell when something’s boring. AI cannot.
- Focus on outcomes and insight, not word count. AI can do word counts. YOU can provide clarity and foresight that will help companies reach their objectives. Anyone can hit 2,000 words. Can you make readers care about those 2,000 words? That’s the question.
Brave new world? More like an awkward transition
Times seem tough for writers now, but we’re in the “shakeout” phase of AI. No one really understands what the future holds, and for some it looks as though computers can do all the writing for free or at a fraction of the former cost.
I don’t think that’s true, and, in fact, research from Yale has found that, in the three years since ChatGPT made its debut, the impact on employment has been largely invisible.
But I also believe it’s wise to attend to warning signs. The future belongs to writers who are realistic about the threats of AI and strategic about the opportunities. And who can still write a sentence that doesn’t sound like it was written by a toaster.
If you can learn how to manage AI — not ignore it — you are far more likely to succeed. Welcome to the future. Bring your sense of humour.
If you liked this post, you’ll also like a popular one-hour course I offered on AI earlier this year. The cost is just $50. If that interests you, here’s where you can buy it.
*
Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. The program cost is rising after the end of this month, so this is your last chance to get it at the current rate. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
*
My video podcast last week addressed how to improve your transitions. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
*
What are your tips for anyone who wants to be a writer in the age of AI? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the comments section, below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by Nov. 30/25, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the related posts links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
