On the issue of AI-generated content and freelance writer jobs.

I made a funny post on my Facebook wall about this topic last week and saw a lot of fun responses.

I thought it was all jokes until I started to see angry posts flying around.

There are those like Paul Graham, who are indiscriminately censoring content that looks like it’s AI-generated.

Also, some freelance writers struggle with the unreasonable expectations of AI lovers.

Recently, I have worked with a client to complete a book project we started since last year.

AI Dependence Makes Freelance Writer Jobs Unduly Tedious

When I offer ghostwriting services, I let my clients know that I’m not cooking up unreal stories so I interview them, ask them for any rough drafts or journals they have.

This informs the writing journey.

It is authentic and as original as it gets. The goal is to dig for gold and illuminate organic stories that are worth reading.

At the beginning of the project, this client complained that the last writer they hired completed a full book with AI. They wanted guarantees that this would not happen. I assured them and let them know what my processes were.

After we started the book, I noticed every time I asked this client for feedback or suggestions for the book, each section they added to would have the word “tapestry”. And the word would even appear totally unprovoked and sometimes inappropriately.

Having had sufficient time and experience writing books and content for businesses, I know when something is off in the language a writer uses.

I confronted them about sending me AI-generated text and they couldn’t deny it.

It begs the question about why they were upset about a previous writer using AI if they are going to also send such texts as material for my work.

There are times I outsourced work to young writers and would be able to detect when they had copied from other writers online because the usage of the words were off and sounded unnatural to their writing style.

Freelance Writer Jobs Require Authenticity and Experience

This is what makes AI-generated content also sound spooked. It feels almost always like a forced mashup of shallow ideas and thoughts. Repetitions stick out like sore thumbs and you almost feel the monotony in the high-sounding vocab it uses.

From one paragraph to the next, you don’t get any new substance or depth in the body of the work. And when you see words that people have listed, like “tapestry”, thrown into such a collage of robotic texts, you know there’s something fishy.

So, I don’t think it’s enough to just accuse people of AI-generated text because they use certain words. That would be misleading and careless.

However, if I know I am simply delving into my work with an unwavering focus and dynamic style that’s original to me, why would I be bothered that anyone thinks I used AI?

I once wrote an article about how AI is bound to destroy originality and authentic thoughts. And we cannot deny that this is already happening. Lecturers are sending whole classrooms back to redo assignments. Business owners are cutting down their budgets for content and asking writers to “just use AI”.

It is important to have these conversations! I think it immature for anyone to take this as a personal attack on their vocab. AI has limitations as it continues to learn. However, it also has a social and economic impact on the value of work and how much premium is placed on originality. We shouldn’t censor select words and tag them as AI content just because they are being abused by the algorithm. However, we need to be able to tell the difference somehow.

Are you looking to hire a content writer for your product, store, or brand launch? Check out my gigs.