AI Versus Original Writing
As someone who loves to write and explore new ideas, I am intrigued by the intense debate “to be or not to be” an advocate of AI. While I am quickly learning how to effectively utilize artificial intelligence and other technology tools to enhance my productivity, I remain focused on writing original content for my business, finance, investment, and legal clients. If you have a passion for writing, as I do, time spent converting data and important ideas into actionable content yields profitable results. I help organizations share their knowledge with clients and prospects. I enhance my skills as a writer with every new assignment, like a tennis player who perfects her abilities with subsequent games. It’s a win-win situation.
Words matter, which is why it’s imperative to understand the benefits of original content. According to John Warner, author of “More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI,” Basic Books, 2025 (Joseph Epstein, 2/21/25 Wall Street Journal review), original writing reflects the thought process of the writer. I concur. Whenever I write (using a detailed outline, storyboard, data analysis, conference call and/or contractual scope of work description), I constantly evaluate whether, and how, my content comports with the needs of the target audience. Is the voice appropriate? Does the text simplify complex concepts? Do my statements logically support one another? Have I clearly motivated the audience by stating the reason for this content? How will my text empower readers to decide on an optimal path for themselves or their companies? How can I keep the audience engaged? The list of quality checkpoints is long.
When I worked as a tenured finance professor, I required students to write investment reports. The students who applied course principles reinforced their understanding of them. Those individuals who purchased files from a report mill and called them their own did not. It was easy to identify the errant students who failed to do their own work. Their reports sounded overly formal, replete with dense charts and conclusions they could not explain when asked. The process of writing original content versus relying on AI cements logical thinking. It facilitates the kind of iterative question and answer activity that is necessary to produce superior work.
AI is undeniably useful for multiple tasks and is destined to improve over time. I am excited to continue learning what artificial intelligence can and cannot do. I plan to complete additional AI courses. However, I believe that, unless you are writing for yourself, your audience deserves articles, books, and other content formats that reflect your communications acumen, experience, knowledge, and critical reasoning. A blend of millions of unvetted paragraphs, algorithmically generated, has its limits, at least for now.
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Susan Mangiero
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