At the recently concluded 25th Annual Conference of the Indian Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication in Pune, there was quite some discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on technical writing.
While myths and misconceptions abound, here are some reasons why I think technical writers will thrive because and despite of AI.
You may also be interested in this post that lists some skills that technical writers need to learn to be effective in writing for and about AI solutions.
LLMs need content
A Large Language Model (LLM) is an AI algorithm that applies deep learning techniques to analyse huge data sets of existing information and generate new content. ChatGPT is one such example.
Remember the age-old computing adage, “Garbage in, garbage out?” As with all computed data, it holds true for AI‑generated content as well. AI tools use existing content to answer questions or generate new content, and the output from AI systems is only as good as the existing source content.
This fundamental truth presents technical writers with a huge opportunity.
As the use of intelligent AI‑based systems grows, so does the need for accurate, in‑depth content. This need is even more accentuated by the growth of “vertical” LLMs (LLMs focused on a specific industry) that need insightful, domain‑specific content.
Who better than technical writers to create this content?
LLM-generated content has to be refined
AI‑generated content can rarely be used “as is”. Someone—and once again, who better than a technical writer—must use the AI‑generated content as a base to craft a unique message that that meets the specific needs of the target audience and accurately represents the company/solution’s value. In addition, the technical writer must consider who and how the content will be used, and present it accordingly. For example, most LLMs today generate text as a response, but certain information (like complex processes) is better presented as a graphic or as a video.
LLMs enable technical writers to focus on adding value
Organisations want relevant, engaging, useful content that helps the audience achieve its goals; be it a blog, case study, white paper, technical reference, user guide, tutorials, or social media post.
As they say, well begun is half done, so delivering truly high-quality content requires us technical writers to focus on developing audience profiles (motivations, pain points, requirements, concerns, etc.) as well as delving deep into the solution and the domain(s) it addresses. Only then can we design, create, and deliver content that aligns with the requirements of the user as well as the business.
Since holistic planning is the key to success, how can technical writers find the time to do more of it? By leveraging AI-based writing tools to handle routine tasks such as formatting, correcting language errors, some level of editing, and even research and initial content outline creation. We can then use the available time to focus on value-generating activities.
Conclusion: Leverage AI to do more
AI is here to stay, and it will evolve to present us with more challenges and opportunities. It is up to us technical writers to leverage AI to grow and thrive. Of course, we will have to upskill and possibly reshape the boundaries of our work. But then as Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”