3 reasons why editing is an essential skill when using AI writing tools

As the world moves towards automation, AI tools are becoming increasingly popular among marketers and communication professionals. While these advanced writing technology platforms can make our lives easier, it's important to remember that these tools are designed to assist us not replace us. Indeed, no matter how much we are aided by machines, creativity and human input remain essential components of effective communication.

One area that is still critical to creating a well-written piece of persuasive content is editing. Starting out in medical communications, specifically publications planning, I quickly learned that having a skilled editor review my draft content was essential. From learning the difference between an en-rule and a hyphen to ensuring I didn't include any hanging comparators in my work, I relied on the expertise of a professional editor to ensure my content was succinct and grammatically correct. Similarly, this same principle applies when using AI writing tools, such as Writesonic, JasperAI and Rytr.

The first reason is that a well-trained editor will be able to review and refine content generated by AI technology, and essentially humanise it. Editors are well-versed in the nuances of writing and can spot mistakes or typos that an AI may miss. Moreover, an editor can read the content with a critical eye to ensure that it is still aligned with the original plan and accurately conveys the intended message.

So it is clear that having an editor review copy already generated using an AI assistant is important, and I assume that many organisations use a 'final human review' step as part of their quality control workflow before publishing. However, there is another role for editing that may improve not just the quality of the final output but also the speed at which it can be generated, saving time and resources.

AI writing tools use a process known as "look back" to generate copy. This is exactly what it sounds like, with the AI tool taking into account any previously written content and using it to help create new content that is contextually relevant and grammatically correct. For example, JasperAI has a 3000-character lookback limit. So the second reason that editing is important is that real-time reviewing and editing of your writing can better guide the algorithm and therefore improve the quality of the AI-generated text being suggested. In short, the better the input the better the output. This is also why AI-created content generated towards the end of an article will be a lot more accurate, with less editing required, than copy generated at the start of the process.

The third reason that editing is critical is to avoid any inadvertent plagiarism generated by AI. Tailoring the text by moving around or drafting new sentences, and changing words and phrases, will ensure your final article is an original creation. Plagiarism detection software exists, but I still think taking control of your copy from the beginning is a smarter way of working. After all, you are the 'author'!

So the art of reviewing and editing one's work is still a much-needed skill, and copy that is simply generated by AI and published will not only be ranked lower by search engines, it may even be automatically removed from the web. Ultimately, it’s about finding ways to make machines work smarter so we humans don’t have to work harder!

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