Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed how we manage everyday communication and record-keeping in the workplace. Although numerous individuals wonder whether AI will take over their workplace writing, recent studies show that it can generate text faster than humans can. Nonetheless, it does not possess the unique human essence that makes it connect with the readers. To use AI effectively, there is a need to know when to let it take the lead and when to intervene. The above approach allows us to remain productive and preserve the values in human-written work that make them unique.
AI can assist in expediting the tedious and repetitive writing tasks in the workplace. For example, AI drafting assistants and/or AI-based brainstorming help develop ideas, identify gaps in literature reviews, and generate draft versions of emails and technical reports. Furthermore, AI plays a preponderant role in handling lower-order rule-based tasks, such as checking grammar and basic data summarizations, which, in turn, reduce the mental fatigue on employees. The result of utilizing these lower-order functions for assistance is that there is a significant increase in productivity from the writers who are able to spend more time analyzing areas machines cannot accomplish on their own.
While AI provides rapidity and speed over human authorship, it is still less effective when the task requires creative thinking or establishing a strong emotional connection with the intended audience. Many professional writers have also noted that machine-generated content sounds lifeless or robotic. This is because the content lacks the personal voice of human authors. For instance, AI may produce a summary of a scientific paper, but it often relies on generic phrases and rarely produces excerpts or persuasive pieces that resonate with real-life experiences of readers. For this reason, humans continue to be better at establishing the contextual and empathetic understanding required to communicate sensitive information, and that is why storytelling will always be their key attribute. As such, the human element will make the workplace writing feel more authentic.
The need for human oversight in workplace writing is even greater when the stakes are high, with no room for accuracy and ethical errors. Studies have shown that AI struggles when it comes to understanding knowledge within specialized fields. For instance, technical vocabulary such as “load” in engineering or “container” in software development are often misinterpreted by AI with their common, non-technical meanings. Apart from that, AI has the tendency of creating misleading information, often in the form of inaccurate references and citations. Without human review, these fabricated texts could escalate into serious legal and ethical implications. It is therefore essential that humans should be responsible for the quality of the final product. By doing so, they will ensure written content is factually accurate and aligns with the organizational values.
As our responsibilities evolve, humans take on the roles of editors and project managers for the drafts produced by machines. Authorship is no longer a matter of who physically writes the words into a document. It is defined by the person who is directing the process and taking responsibility for the meaning. A lengthy draft may take AI seconds to generate; however, a human should determine whether or not the content is relevant and consistent with the values and standards of the organization. This collaborative effort challenges us to reconsider how we assign value to workplace writing. Indeed, the time spent typing is less valuable than the quality of thinking and depth of ideas that is put in the work. To ensure the final product is a reflection of human input, there is a need to keep humans engaged in the writing process from the start.
