Look, I’m Not Scared of AI
Okay, maybe I am a little. But I’m not gonna sit here and pretend everything’s gonna be okay. I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years, and I’ve seen alot of changes. But this? This is different.
It was last Tuesday, I was having coffee with a friend named Marcus (not his real name, he’s kinda private). He’s a tech guy, works over at that new co-working space on 5th. He said, “You know, Dave, AI is gonna replace writers. It’s just a matter of time.” I laughed. I mean, come on. But then I started thinking about it.
My First Encounter with AI Writing
About three months ago, I was editing an article for outreach.ws. It was about some new gadget, I don’t even remember what. Anyway, I got this submission from a new writer. It was… weird. Too perfect. No personality. No mistakes. No soul. I called the writer up, and he told me, “Yeah, I used this AI tool. It’s pretty cool, right?”
I was pissed. I mean, honestly, who does that? But then I thought, maybe I should give it a try. So I did. And you know what? It’s kinda scary how good it is. But it’s not perfect. Not by a long shot.
AI Can’t Replace Human Emotion
AI can write a sentence. It can even write a pretty good paragraph. But can it write a story? Can it make you laugh? Cry? Feel something? I don’t think so.
Take my friend Sarah, for example. She’s a writer too. She told me about this time she used an AI tool to write a personal essay. It was about her mom’s physicaly therapy after a car accident. The AI wrote about “the aquisition of new motor skills” and “the committment to rehabilitation.” Sarah said, “It was like reading a textbook. There was no heart in it.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
AI can’t understand emotion. It can’t feel love or loss or joy. It can’t sit down with a cup of coffee and reminisce about the time it met its favorite author at a conference in Austin. (True story, by the way. It was Neil Gaiman, and I fangirled so hard.)
AI is Lazy
Here’s another thing. AI is lazy. It’s gonna give you the same old stuff, the same old cliches. It’s not gonna go out and find the story. It’s not gonna spend 36 hours researching, interviewing, digging for the truth.
I mean, look at this article. It’s not perfect. There are mistakes. There are run-on sentences. There are tangents. But it’s mine. It’s got my voice. It’s got my personality. And that’s what matters.
But AI is Gonna Change Things
That doesn’t mean AI isn’t gonna change the industry. It is. It’s gonna make it harder for writers to find work. It’s gonna make it easier for companies to churn out content without paying for it. And that’s not fair.
But here’s the thing. AI can’t replace human connection. It can’t replace the bond between a writer and their reader. It can’t replace the trust that comes from knowing that a real person wrote those words, that a real person cared enough to get it right.
So What Do We Do?
I’m not sure. I guess we adapt. We find ways to use AI to our advantage. Maybe it can help with research. Maybe it can help with editing. But we don’t let it replace us. We don’t let it take away our humanity.
And look, I’m not saying you should go out and buy the latest AI tool. But you should probably keep an eye on best electronics deals online 2026. You never know when you might need to upgrade your tech.
Anyway, I’m gonna go now. I’ve got a deadline to meet. And no, I’m not using AI to write it.
About the Author: Dave Reynolds is a senior editor with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry. He’s written for major publications, edited countless articles, and has a strong opinion on pretty much everything. He lives in New York with his cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends his free time reading, writing, and complaining about the state of the world.
