Generative AI like ChatGPT has been controversial since its release in 2022. Some have wholeheartedly embraced the new technology, while others were resistant to its adoption, concerned about what such technology might mean for their industries. And while nothing can replace human experience, creativity, insight, and strategy, we shouldn’t ignore tools that can help us write better.

So how can writers use generative AI as a tool?

#1: Don’t Let AI Be the Writer

The most important thing is for the writer to still be a person. Replacing writers with generative AI will remove that human creativity and insight from content. Plus, it could also harm SEO strategies; Google’s latest core update (the March 2024 one that took a whopping 45 days to completely roll out) included an improved spam filter intended to eliminate the usage of AI to mass-produce content in order to manipulate search engines. However, if your goal is to use AI in order to create the best possible content for your audience, then you can still use the tool; Google has its own AI tools and isn’t looking to ban its usage altogether.

#2: Reduce Time Spent on Research

Writers may have to be experts in a lot of different topics; this means a lot of research that can take a long time. It might even take longer than the writing itself! Depending on the topic, though, AI can help with the research process and make it go a bit faster. ChatGPT shouldn’t be where you do your research because AI can hallucinate, provide inaccurate information, and may not have access to the latest data. But in subjects where the research is particularly complex, AI can help to simplify difficult subjects more quickly.

#3: Create a Content Strategy

Another way AI can be used as a writing tool is to generate ideas for content. For example, if you’re planning a blog, you can ask ChatGPT to suggest topics to you. Not all of them will be ones you’ll want to use because you know your audience better than AI does, but AI can provide a list of possibilities that you can choose from, which is faster than brainstorming from scratch.

#4: Produce an Outline

Similarly, you can ask ChatGPT or another generative AI program to produce an outline on a specific topic for you. This can provide you with ideas for what you should discuss in your writing. Of course, you should only use what actually works for your content but using AI for this can help to reduce the planning time for your content.

#5: Clean Up Your Writing

Another option for AI usage is to ask it to improve your content after it’s written. Grammarly and other spell checkers typically find typos and grammar and spelling errors, but generative AI can take that a step further. For example, if you know that you tend to be wordy in your writing, you can ask ChatGPT for suggestions on how to make a paragraph more concise.

#6: Keep Your Audience in Mind

No matter how you use AI, make sure to keep your audience in mind. Google’s updates are all to improve their search results for users. If your end goal is to produce the highest possible quality content for your audience and everything you do is towards that goal, then your content will more likely be in keeping with Google’s standards than if you’re doing it to game the algorithm and manipulate your way into higher rankings.