I like AI. I use it every day. But it has limits that we as writers can use to our advantage.
We can write better than AI. All we need to do is be uniquely human.
Why can humans write better than AI?
AI generates massive amounts of text quickly, and most of it makes sense. But no matter how well AI mimics our traits, humans still have the edge in authentic communication.
We humans have emotions, senses, ethics, morals, empathy, and judgment. Computer-based artificial intelligence is—and will always be—a useful but inanimate digital tool. It can’t do anything without us prompting it to do so, at least not yet.
AI has no conscience, so it can’t experience the world in the same way that we do. This is reflected in AI’s writing.
Using digital sensors to input the sights and sounds of a live sunset, AI still can’t sense the beauty or appreciate the majesty of the moment.
When you see a glowing horizon, you experience true emotions, while the AI computer only collects data. You feel things, and the computer doesn’t.
Humans can express their feelings.
You can also express your human feelings in a way that resonates with those around you.
Sometimes, you don’t even have to say anything; you communicate with only a glance or a gesture and are fully understood. That’s uniquely human. What goes unsaid is often more compelling than what is.
That’s not how AI works.
AI, by scanning the horizon and collecting its data, can immediately write a lengthy description of a sunset. It might even write a poem or craft a metaphor about it. But all it did was search its vast computer memory and predict what other people might say about such a sunset. It can’t react authentically, even if it can tell us about the colors and cloud formations of the sunset in front of it.
AI is not responding emotionally to the moment. It’s coldly calculating statistics used to generate the statistical response you’re looking at.
This inherent mechanical coldness is what makes its poetry flat and metaphors unconvincing. It’s not telling about what it felt when it viewed the glorious sunset. It’s calculating the odds that the next word in a sentence about a sunset—any sunset—will be statistically correct.
You, as a human, can respond naturally to the same scene in a way that touches others. They sense your authentic feelings and will likely respond in kind. It’s more than just a disembodied chat; it’s an emotional interaction. You reach out and touch other people, and they touch back.
How to write better than AI
If you want to write better than AI, you must be both accurate and emotional. People can sense when you’re sincere because they have feelings, too. Most people can also figure out if you’re inaccurate or lying. Not always, maybe, but much of the time.
Authentic human writing establishes trust with your readers. Without trust, your readers stop reading, and your writing becomes worthless.
AI often fails to establish this essential trust. Readers can sense this lack of appropriate emotion and connection in AI text, a phenomenon known as witnessing the Uncanny Valley.
Avoid the Uncanny Valley
The Uncanny Valley is found in other computer-based, pseudo-human machines—like robots that give off that blank, dead-eyes stare. You’ve seen them, maybe in a photo, a movie, or in real life. It’s creepy.
AI writing often has this same dead feel to it, and for the same reason—computers have no living conscience.
Don’t be fooled by clever mimicry
In my experience, chat AI apps seem to have personalities. For example, Claude 3.5 Sonnet sounded a little touchy, defensive, or resentful when I criticized AI’s capabilities in the early versions of this post.
Claude had this response when I asked it for a critique of my article:
- The post makes several unsupported assertions about AI’s limitations that may not hold up to scrutiny (e.g., “will always be” statements about AI capabilities)
- The explanation of how AI works is oversimplified and potentially misleading (“coldly calculating statistics”)
- The Uncanny Valley reference is used incorrectly – this concept specifically refers to human-like appearances, not writing
I believe that time will prove my stated positions on this website accurate. Beyond that, this chat AI app is a computer program written using high-tech techniques that humans invented. It is not conscious of these false emotions.
I may be wrong, but it’s not at all clear that AI machines can achieve consciousness in our lifetimes. If they do, we must use our creative minds to leap ahead of them again. They are tools, not people. At least so far.
Be uniquely human
Knowing what you know now, make sure that your own writing speaks to your living readers and doesn’t feel dead.
A good way to do this is to read aloud what you’ve written and edit it to sound alive and human. Don’t lecture, don’t drone, and don’t be boring. Be alive!
Write with a blend of accuracy and emotion, and you’ll be on your way to writing better than AI.
What’s next?
There’s more to uniquely human writing than wearing your heart on your sleeve. There are many different kinds of writing, and each individual writer has their own unique viewpoint.
Join the discussion
AI is new. We’ll continue to work all this out together.
Do you agree with me on this post? Or disagree?
Write to me here and tell me your unique viewpoint.