How Do Writers and Content Creators Stand Out in the Age of AI?

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“As AI overwhelms the web, we will need a way to distinguish people from machines.” —Andrey Mir, Big Think

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AI is everywhere. You can’t step into a digital space without encountering some form of AI.

It is believed that AI-generated content will soon overtake human generated content in the internet. The fortress of writing has fallen to the machines.

AI-writing resembles human writing closely.How do we differentiate human output from those of machines?

Human writers face the unenviable task of proving their humanity. Loud protestations of own effort or self-certifications of writing one’s own words seem inadequate when there are no objective measures to stamp hman creativity. Most AI-checkers are ineffective.

Human writers face another challenge. Their exposure to AI-writing will make them internalise the writing styles of the machines.

When I search for ideas or research a subject, AI steps in to help me. Platforms have integrated AI into search engines.

I recently noted that I have become fond of writing contrast framing of sentences like, “X is not the answer, Y is.”

I guess I might have picked up this style from reading AI- generated content.

When human writers start writing like AI, it flattens the langauge and strips it of creative diversity. Standardisation of writing hollows out the uniqueness of human creativity.

Homogenisation of writing happens in a self-reinforcing loop: AI learns from human writing and humans unconsicously imitate AI’s style.

In this article, Sanjay Pugalia, the CEO of AMG Media Network, says human writers can use AI for research, but never let it write for them. He says,

“The problem with AI writing is not that it is bad. It is that it is too perfect. Too free of the hesitations and instincts that make writing feel like it came from a person working something out. Human thinking and, by extension, writing, is a product of friction. The odd stumble, the sentence that goes somewhere unexpected, the argument that admits its own uncertainty.”

Andrey Mir, in this Big Think article, suggests three ways for content creators to prove their humanity:

1. Show ID
2. Show proof of effort
3. Show human flaws

He agrees the above steps have downsides.

Displaying government-issued ID could lead to surveillance.

Proving effort could be more performative than creative.

Embracing imperfection could glorify errors and underachievements.

There are no right answers to the question, “How do writers and content creators prove their humanity in the age of AI?”

The only consolation is the goodwill of connisseurs and discerning readers who can easily spot and appreciate authentic human content.

Thanks for reading!

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