In some circles, AI is something that pops up every day. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ve seen one or two posts about AI blog writers and what it means for professional writers in general. Today, though, I want to dig into a topic that is a bit more future-centred. It’s an understatement to say that AI has changed this for professional writers (and every other creative professional), so let’s address what it means in business content writing.

AI and the business content writer world

I’ll start this off by saying that there absolutely is still an important place for business content writers in a post-AI world. We are far enough out from the AI world, now, that we can see how it’s going to work moving forward. Here are my thoughts so far on what that looks like for business content writers.

• The human touch is the most important part of the project: I put this first because I think it’s probably the most important and most validating change that I’ve seen as a professional writer. Customers are now specifically asking for the human element because they have seen how robotic the AI content feels to them, as well as their customers. What is considered the human element may differ from project to project, but it’s still nice to see.

• The customers will prioritize the final effect more than the content: While SEO and other metrics still have value, my experience has shown me in the most recent years that customers are also striving for content that reads well and speaks to the human on the other side. Pre-AI, I found that some clients were more focused on simply hitting SEO goals with readability being secondary.

• There is ample room for creativity: Instead of being given content briefs that tell you to do A, B, and C as straightforwardly as possible, I’ve noticed that clients encourage writers to be creative. They want humour and sass and personality so that it is clear that the writing has been done by an actual human. As a writer with plenty of personality, I really appreciate this change!

Professionalism and creativity are better than the tech

This was probably always the case, but professionalism in all aspects of the job is definitely now much more important than the speed at which you can get something done. A customer who wants the job done right is now going to be more likely to give you the time to do it right. They also may listen to you a bit more (or with less of a fight) because they will take your professional training and expertise more seriously.

In some ways, you could say that AI really helped professional business content writers (and all other creatives) earn the respect that they have been deserving for so long. It probably doesn’t always feel that way — I know that I certainly don’t see it this way most days — but it is a really interesting perspective to think about.

But I also acknowledge that I may be entirely alone in that thought. What do you think? Am I way off base?