Artificial intelligence has been a popular topic in editors’ gathering places online and in person. Some editors want nothing to do with it, but it’s getting harder to avoid. Keep in mind that we’ve been using some AI-based tools for quite a while: predictive text on your phone and Siri and Alexa. It’s the generative AI that warrants more caution, especially as it has improved since it burst on the scene. Gen AI responds to the user’s prompts to generate or “create” something, whether text or other outputs. As long as you’re up front with me about your use of it, I’m happy to work with you.
AI proclaims it can write a book for you and edit it too. You may think you can come up with some good prompts to write most of the ideas you want to share. Then all you have to do is read the manuscript, fill in some personal stories and examples, and run that document through an automated editing program. Voila! A new book.
Think of artificial intelligence as an “artificial intern.” Assign research and idea generation to AI tools as you would to an intern. An intern is beneficial for you but typically lacks the experience and creativity to produce a finished product. You wouldn’t want your intern or assistant to get credit for your book.
Are you using AI tools for research? Watch out for this, as AI still hallucinates—where it generates false or misleading information. Ask it to supply verified sources, not just a summary of what other sites have. And then confirm the sources yourself or include that task in your editing request. Some writers use it to help organize and outline manuscripts. When that aids your efficiency, go for it.
The Human Advantage
While you may want to save money, it’s worth the investment to have a real person proofread your document. AI grammar checkers are fast and effective at catching basic errors, which makes them great for a first pass, but don’t exclusively rely on the tools.
An experienced human editor can also watch for:
- Nuance: AI misses the subtleties in meaning and tone.
- Grammar: Humans fix more than typos; we check for flow, repetition of words and sounds, and logic.
- Industry terms: For industry-specific content, a human proofreader brings subject-matter knowledge to catch correctly spelled terms used incorrectly.
- Style guide application: Which, if any, style guides has the AI program been trained with? If you follow one of the major guides (The Chicago Manual of Style or Associated Press) but have certain exceptions, the AI could change your style.
Regarding confidentiality, you can’t know where AI got its information (stolen from someone else?), and you can’t be sure that text you ask it to edit for you wouldn’t be shared with others. Your documents are safe with me.
The Best of Both Worlds
While I may use tools built on AI (for example, Word’s spelling/grammar checker), those are only for initial and final checks. But it’s me using the tools, so I am completely involved. I’ll follow your customized style guide, ensuring words align with your voice. AI still misses on this. Consistency of style is vital, whether you like the serial comma (yes!) or not.
Ready to ensure your writing always makes the best impression?
- Learn to use prompts and how to refine results, as these are key to getting useful output.
- Realize that most AI writing is stilted and safe.
Write your words, then hire me to ensure your message comes through. You want your book to share your thoughts in your words—your voice. Not what AI thinks you sound like.
Let’s work together as people who know how to properly use the tools we have access to. The human touch of the author and the editor remain indispensable.
If you’d like to read another’s view on artificial intelligence, please see this podcast transcript (audio version also available there) by Thomas Umstattd Jr.: https://christianpublishingshow.substack.com/p/is-ai-okay-for-christian-authors.