Why You Shouldn't Completely Replace Your Editor With An AI Tool

Have you been watching the rise of AI and thinking that it might be an interesting way to save some time and money?

I mean, there seems to be an AI tool for just about everything nowadays, hey?

It can feel unnerving sometimes, actually. You go onto the internet or social media, and you have to wonder... did a robot write/create that, or did you?

Soon, we'll be living in a world where we have robots cleaning our houses and cooking us meals (anybody else grow up watching the Jetsons?)

But here's the thing with all AI tools...

There are always limits.

Sure, AI tools can actually have some level of creativity, and they do a pretty darn good job at many things simply because of programming, but should we really throw in the towel with all humans who do the same work simply because the marketing for AI is great and everyone is practically forcing it down your throat?

No.

First of all, humans require jobs and money to live, so I'd rather pay a person who is going to use that money to put food on the table for their kids.

Second, there are still just so many things that humans do better than AI.

Why you shouldn't completely replace your editor with an editing software:

1. Software's don't catch get all the nuances

Don't get me wrong, I have Grammarly active for everything. It's a very useful tool that helps alert to me particular problem areas while I am editing a piece of work for someone. It can definitely speed things up and catch things I might have missed.

However, if you let Grammarly (or whichever tool tickles your fancy) do all of the work and just accept all of the changes, you will have a document that makes absolutely no sense. For instance, it often underlines the names of people and tells you to take out words from sentences which would leave the sentence not quite right.

It's the not-quite-right piece that softwares get hung up with.

2. Softwares are missing that 'human' aspect

Given that softwares are programmed to follow the rules and sometimes to add some character humans like to play around with the rules, editing softwares can actually take some of that away, amirite?

These programs do have some level of creativity... ish, but it does not compare to the unlimited potential of the human mind. A human editor can read a piece and look beyond just simply the rules and decide if a sentence reads well, is intriguing, is exciting, and they can give suggestions for ways to make it more fun. Sure, there are copywriting tools that can do that a little bit, but the editing softwares don't quite have that feature.

3. Only humans really know how to connect with other humans

There is so much more to marketing than simply writing 'sales words.' Humans connect with humans. Humans have stories, empathy, and can pick up body language, facial cues, etc. People don't want to get to someone's Instagram account and figure out they're talking to a bot.

It's more than simply stats, data and grammar rules. If you want to know if your piece of writing will land with and connect with people, real humans, then run it past a real editor, not just a software. Human editor's jobs are so much more than simply a glance over for spelling, grammar and sentence structure. They can take your piece further and ensure you're putting your best foot forward.

Editing softwares are a great tool that can help speed up the editing process and give you peace of mind that your piece is, at least, mostly free from silly mistakes that can dissuade your reader from continuing to read.

No one wants to keep reading a sales page and then spend $1000+ on something when the page is full of grammatical mistakes. No, the program won't get everything (believe me, I have been using Grammarly for years now), but it can be a great help.

This being said, it's not time to toss aside your human editor just yet (or ever!). Like any piece of technology, it's not perfect and definitely has its limits.

There are some great options out there. Personally, I use Grammarly. I love that it has an extension for website browsers, so I can have it active on every page. There are also other options such as ProWritingAid, Typely, and Polishmywriting.