Let’s face it, many writers now use AI to brainstorm ideas, create outlines, check grammar, or improve awkward sentences.
Even researching a topic has changed, with AI-powered search tools becoming part of the way many writers find information and explore ideas. Whether writers like it or not, AI is now part of the writing process.
But at what point do AI tools stop being simply a helpful assistant and start encroaching on the creativity and independence of a writer?
Almost every writer’s workflow is now a little bit AI. The question is, how much is too much?
AI is already part of writing
Before AI, writers used dictionaries, spell checkers, grammar checkers, thesauruses, writing software, search engines, and outlining or paraphrasing tools.
No one questioned the role of these tools in writing or the writer for using them.
However, once AI arrived, terms like AI-assisted and AI-generated writing quickly became part of discussions in writing forums, SEO articles, and even newspapers.
It suddenly seemed that even just a little bit of AI was too much for many.
But the truth is that technology has been part of writing for decades. Unless you write entirely by hand, it’s almost impossible to avoid it.
Almost every stage of the writing process, apart from the thinking perhaps, now relies on technology.
Even basic word processors have inbuilt tools, and some like Word or Apple Pages incorporate AI tools.
What’s surprising is how quickly people have adopted AI. Millions now use ChatGPT, Gemini, or AI-powered search as part of their daily lives.
But if a writer admits to using the same technology, it can carry an immediate stigma.
And that’s the dilemma many writers face. They may be comfortable using AI as an assistant, but they’re often reluctant to admit it for fear that readers will assume the AI did the writing.
Okay, I’ll stick my neck out
Yes, I use AI in many ways to help me write and maintain my website.
In some cases, I use AI extensively, especially for technical tasks. For my site, I use AI coding to add features, widgets, callouts, and even design pages.
The free writing tools page, for example, uses code generated by AI and then modified by me to add new elements and improve the layout options.
Without my input, testing, editing, and decisions about how it should work, it could not become a finished feature on my site.
When I want to analyze my site traffic and performance, tools like ChatGPT and Gemini give me a quick way to find my best performing themes and topics.
This saves me from hours of wading through long tables of raw analytics data.
That’s all pretty much acceptable for most people. But when it comes to my writing, it’s a different story.
Do I use AI a little, or a lot? My answer is that I use it when it’s practical, beneficial, and time-saving.
I’m writing this article in my word processor, so the ideas, structure, and first draft of every section come from me.
The idea for the article is mine. My original title was “Can Your Writing Be Just A Little Bit AI?” But I checked my title idea with a headline analyzer and ChatGPT for possible alternatives.
It might seem trivial, but I agreed with the AI suggestion that the title worked better without the word “just.”
As I write, I sometimes use AI to check a new section for inconsistencies, incorrect facts or assumptions, or to smooth out awkward transitions.
Of course, when I finish writing this article, I’ll check it with my writing and grammar correction tools, which now naturally include AI functions and suggestions.
So, do I use a little bit of AI, or a lot? The answer depends on where you draw the line. For me, the important question is not if AI was involved, but whether the writing still reflects my ideas, judgement, and voice.
Is 100% human writing a myth?
If you use a grammar checker, does that make your writing partially AI-generated?
The answer is usually no, but it can depend on the number of corrections and changes.
If you accept hundreds of changes that alter your meaning, style, or sentence structure, then the tool is doing much more than correcting spelling and grammar.
Ideas are another gray area. Did you use AI to find the topic or subject for a new article or essay?
Finding a topic has never meant owning an idea. Writers have always researched what people are interested in, and very often with search engines. The difference now is that AI can participate in the research process.
If you then asked AI to create an outline of topics or themes to write about, is it AI-assisted writing?
Another question to consider is how much of what you read now is AI-assisted.
Much of it is difficult to identify, but AI-generated and AI-improved writing is now present across the internet, including in some professional publishing environments.
Even if you have your suspicions, most AI detection tools are unreliable at best and can often mistake 100% human writing for AI writing, or the reverse.
But the fact remains that AI is becoming ever-present and more difficult for writers to avoid.
The real question for writers is no longer whether technology is involved, but where to draw the line.
What’s the problem with AI writing?
We’ve all heard the expression “AI slop” to describe the vast amount of AI-generated content flooding the internet.
That creates a very real problem for writers and publishers, because it decreases the chances of discoverability.
While search engines are doing their best to filter out this low-value content, the sheer volume makes it a very difficult task.
Another concern is Amazon, where the growing number of AI-written books has created new challenges for authors and readers.
However, a more important issue for writers is copyright protection.
In many jurisdictions, purely AI-generated content cannot receive copyright protection, and writers need to be careful about how much AI-generated material they include in their work.
Lastly, and possibly the main problem for writers, is perception.
While people have generally accepted AI as a new and normal part of their online activities, professional tasks, and research, writers are still exempt from this acceptance.
Summary
I very much doubt that any writer has not used, is not using, or has never used AI tools or an AI assistant.
The technology is available, mostly free, and from all accounts, will become part of our daily lives.
For writers, however, it will remain a nagging question that might be better hidden from readers.
Whether you use only a little bit of AI in your writing process, or depend on it regularly, is a question only you as a writer can answer.
But if you want my thoughts, I use AI regularly to save time with some tasks. I never use it to write my words.
Related Reading: AI Steals Every New Word I Write 1,000 Times
English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.
