Writing should look natural. At work, stop using AI for every step of the process

The workplace can be filled with bad writing. From long-winded sentences and passive language to changing tenses and poor sentence structure, a good deal of writing that comes out of the workplace would barely pass a high school grammar test.

Enter artificial intelligence – the workplace answer to this decades-long problem. But instead of it being used as an aide, it’s being used as a crutch or a replacement for the work someone should have written themselves or at least attempted to. Is authenticity becoming something of the past, and is taking a half effort approach to communications the new normal?

Consider this deadpan AI response when I asked Copilot “Write me a five-sentence paragraph with three points telling me how great my coworker Eileen is” to describe my three strengths.

“Eileen is an exceptional coworker who consistently elevates the performance of our entire team. First, her outstanding communication skills ensure that everyone stays aligned, informed and focused on our shared project goals. Second, she possesses remarkable problem-solving abilities, always approaching unexpected workplace challenges with a calm attitude and innovative solutions. Finally, her strong work ethic and willingness to support others make her a highly reliable colleague who everyone enjoys collaborating with. Her unique combination of these professional strengths makes her an invaluable asset to our organization.”

Really? How thoughtful, AI.

When word processing replaced typewriters and dictaphones (for the most part), it eventually came with spelling and grammar checks, which you had to activate. Now, it is automatic. My teenage daughters only know autocorrect. What they don’t learn is how to spell the misspelled word properly because it’s automatically corrected.

Job descriptions and job profiles often state “strong oral and written communication skills” to be successful. What does this mean going forward when employees use AI to write paragraphs, proposals and other work-related materials? Is being able to string a sentence together still necessary?

Integrating these AI practices and programs in the workplace, aimed at improving quality and efficiency, may instead be discouraging basic communication skills. Instead of AI enhancing our work, it’s lowering the bar for what we bring to the workplace in terms of writing.

In speaking with my network, I hear employers say AI writing is high quality, efficient and inexpensive.

So good, fast and cheap. However, as the saying goes, you can only ever have two of the three – the one left out in this situation is what the product is lacking. It can be fast and cheap but it’s not going to be good.

Being able to express oneself through words is a valuable skill. Not only is it marketable but, perhaps most importantly, it’s memorable. Writing lets us capture our thoughts and communicate them to others in ways that affect our lives. Whether it is a postcard (yes, they are still sent and, when received, appreciated), a note of apology or a memorandum of understanding, writing is a basic human skill that can’t be replaced by technology and still hold the same meaning, impact and sincerity.

Of course, not everyone has a gift for the written word or enjoys writing, but it’s a basic requirement in many jobs.

AI should help us write so we can be better and faster, but it shouldn’t do it all. It’s a tool like any other and should be used as an enhancement. Consider the following before you rush to immerse your efforts with AI:

1. Try writing your material on your own first, which means take the time to think and articulate your ideas. Not matter what aide you use, nothing can truly get in your head and understand what you want to say.
2. Use AI selectively, rather than writing the whole piece of content. Reshaping a paragraph you originally wrote will read like you wrote it, because you did. Trying to make something originally written by AI sound like you wrote it will take you way longer.
3. Read and proofread before you declare the work complete. AI, like spell check, isn’t foolproof. Make sure the meaning is still there. Often with AI it isn’t or the point you are trying to get across is lost or not at the forefront.
4. Most importantly, learn from it. Take note of what AI helped you with, so you improve what you do and maybe you use it less or for purposes other than writing.

Think of AI use as plastic surgery. It should look natural and normal, not fake or unrealistically enhanced. Writing should be easy on the eye, not busy or complex, where you need to take a second or third look. Finally, if it’s your writing, it should look, sound and feel like you, with just a little help to smooth out the fine lines.

Eileen Dooley is a Calgary-based talent and leadership development specialist and leadership coach.