"I think we have it backward with AI.
We should use AI to create the first draft and the human as the editor.
At least for content marketing."
That's wrong, I thought! I was fuming inside but held it in.
I wanted to explore why this person thought this.
As they shared, I suspended judgment as they mentioned things like speed and how that's where AI can have the most impact. I've used it that way before, so I can relate.
Let's try to steel man why this could be a useful tactic (before sharing a better way):
It saves time and can better leverage "keywords" naturally. If done right.
Caveat: "Done right" means prompting the machine with the proper context uploaded (e.g., transcripts, customer job info, brand guide). And use human-in-the-loop prompting to get a better outcome.
Only then do you have useful fodder to edit.
Writing the first draft is the third most feared thing, behind spiders and public speaking (I made that up). But we all dislike it.
And we slug 🐌 through it. So, to "skip" that part of the show is luring.
It allows us to focus on other things we can do better, like editing and strategy.
Ask anyone who has had a human editor, and their writing hasn't been the same.
Even if it took a bit to take in all the constructive feedback. Human editors are sooo powerful.
The thought is that using AI to whip up a first draft frees us up to have more time and energy for editing. Where the magic of a written piece happens (IYKYK).