AI as a Collaborator, Not a Writer

Open yourself up to teamwork, not unemployment.

👋 Hi, I’m Till and welcome to AI Anxiety, a weekly newsletter all about AI for the AI-avoidant. Let’s learn together.

---

Happy Thursday, everybody.

Let me be completely transparent with you here.

I was going to start this series with a newsletter titled “What is AI, really?” because it seemed like the right place to start. As it turns out, it wasn’t; it was actually quite a boring place to start.

That combined with the fact that it completely misses the promise I’ve made to you in my About section – that each newsletter you read here will have at least one actionable takeaway – made me decide to scrap the idea.

This isn’t meant to be an intro to AI newsletter. I’m not qualified to write that newsletter. If that’s what you’re looking for, Google has the answers. Or maybe Chat GPT, to stay on theme.

So instead today, we’re going to talk about using Chat GPT as a writer.

It’s conflicting. Sure, we’d all love for someone else to write our article for us … up until they actually do. How can the experience of taking 5 minutes to write one sentence just because you can’t figure out the “perfect” way to phrase it feel so painful yet so absolutely necessary all at once?

Even if you’re someone who hates to write – someone who would love nothing more than to outsource all that fickle, finicky work – using GPT to write is just as much of an art form as writing itself.

I used to think GPT was coming for my writing career.

Turns out, there’s room to collaborate. As a general rule, that’s usually the case: people tend to think adding another seat to the table means less on their plate, when that whole overused metaphor is based on a scarcity mindset where resources are always limited and, therefore, constantly at risk of being taken.

What if we can reframe that metaphor so that using AI in our writing is more akin to adding another cook to the kitchen, rather than an unexpected +1 at the table?

This ad from Fiverr puts it perfectly, I think.

Reframe: AI as a writer ➡️ AI as a collaborator.

Let’s get one thing straight. Chat GPT isn’t writing your final draft. I mean, it can, if you’re writing a simple email or if you simply don’t care enough about what you’re sending out into the world. For the most part though, it’s a collaborator, not a writer.

Let’s say you’re writing a cover letter for a new job, an essay for school, or a summary for a report at work.

Often times, we can get caught up in how to word things correctly, and requesting a second pair of eyes for suggestions seems like a big ask, not to mention unnecessarily time consuming as you wait for their response.

In this case, let Chat GPT be your second pair of eyes. Give it a word, phrase, or paragraph to read and ask it to provide you with alternatives.

No time spent waiting, no worrying that you’re annoying them (GPT will never admit to it, anyway), and an unlimited amount of redos and edits at your request.

It’s the perfect formula for when you know what you want to say, but don’t know how you want to say it.

Which, in my experience, is half the struggle of writing.

This is where you’ll find that GPT is actually really creative, as long as you feed it something creative to work off of (input = output).

Here’s an example: Not long ago, I was asked to draft emails to media contacts in our sector for potential PR placements. This got me to mess around with GPT, and of course, I got distracted pretty quickly.

Cut to this masterpiece – GPT 4 writing an email drafted by the CEO of the company, written as if he were a giraffe. All identifying information in the email has been changed to retain privacy ;)

“Hello Susan,

Greetings from the treetops! I’m Greg, the tallest (and possibly the only) giraffe leading a Y Combinator startup, Evo. Up here, I’ve got a unique perspective, and at Evo, we craft unique bioactive ingredients for innovation in cosmetics.

I’ve stretched out my neck to read your article on Symphony Beauty’s James Jo and your insights on L’Oréal. I believe our endeavors at Evo would pique your interest. We’re all about innovation and sustainability. Plus, there’s some fresh news sprouting on our horizon that your readers might find delectable.

If you’re up for a chat (don’t worry, no tall tales, just genuine conversation), I’d be thrilled. Perhaps you can share a bit about your writing adventures, and I can tell you more about Evo from my lofty viewpoint.

Leafy regards,

Greg the Giraffe 🦒

*BTW Chat GPT added the giraffe emoji itself. I thought it was a nice touch

If you’ve been hesitant to use GPT to write, I suggest you give it a try. Mess around with it and see the wonders delegating your writing can do (even if its with white knuckles).

Remember: GPT is a collaborator, not a writer.

You’re opening yourself up to teamwork, not unemployment.

Week 1 AI resource: ‘What AI Means for Your Product Strategy’, Lenny’s Podcast

Since writing this first letter, I’ve been doing a lot of research on AI – reading newsletters, watching YouTube interviews, listening to podcasts etc. I’ve found so much interesting content that it’s hard to just boil it down to one suggestion, but that’s what I’ll try to do for you at the end of each newsletter here.

This week, a podcast episode from Lenny’s Podcast. A Substack legend. In fact, I’ve been listening to Lenny’s Podcast for a while, and it’s amazing as a whole.

This episode is chock-full of positive and cautionary insights about AI that can interest everyone – regardless what field you’re in.

---