In a recent Content and Coffee episode, “Is ChatGPT Going to Take my Technical Writing Job?”, Patrick Bosek, CEO at Heretto, Scott Abel, Content Evangelist at Heretto and Content Wrangler, and Mike Iantosca, Sr. Director of Content Platforms at Avalara, discussed whether AI would take over technical writing jobs in the near future.
The conversation sparked an engaging discussion on ChatGPT, large language models, AI co-pilots, content generation, and how AI will impact both organizations and individuals.
Technical writers and AI: A symbiotic relationship
Although AI advancements are both exciting and intimidating, we must recognize that technical writers play a crucial role in this phase. They will create, curate and verify much of the industry-specific content driving the next generation of AI systems.
Our speakers reiterated some key insights for those wondering about the future of AI in technical writing:
1. Current AI use is limited in scope
While AI is evolving rapidly, today's systems are still not sophisticated enough to replace humans in mission-critical applications nor will they be in the near future.
If you write documentation in industries such as software, finance, medicine, or manufacturing, you may need to be ready for more work, not less.
Why? Because AI models like ChatGPT are only as good as the data they have access to. They don’t think, infer or reason the way an AGI (artificial general intelligence) we see in the movies would.
These systems are the best auto-complete tools users have ever had. They are trained on how to respond by consuming vast amounts of curated text. This gives technical writers a huge advantage in how we use these new tools and how we make them better.
2. Content creation and curation skills will become even more important for technical writers
The growing adoption of AI will likely create a surge in demand for skilled writers, content strategists, and information architects.
These skills are vital for creating what we at Heretto call "intelligent content" or "structured content". The demand for structured content will keep growing as intelligent systems depend on high-quality sources of knowledge to function.
3. AI will (probably) make all our jobs more creative and fun
Intelligent content creators will increasingly use AI to help them do their jobs, by optimizing their work processes and ability to gain valuable insights.
Imagine always having a colleague you can bounce ideas off of, ask how they would write about a certain topic, or help generate content based on your existing notes.
You may not spend as much time physically writing, but more time thinking about what to write, how to write it, and curating the generated content.
If you enjoy the process of writing, there will still be plenty of that. Instead, AI's role will be to shift technical writers' focus towards high-value tasks instead of replacing them.
4. Information governance will be crucial to the success of technical writing and AI
“How do we know information is accurate?” is an age-old problem that persists in today's digital world. Unfortunately, as AI becomes more widespread, it will only become more important.
We will see a growing need for tools and professionals who understand the new lifecycle of information and the critical role of governance.
Technical writers will play a vital part in ensuring that AI systems are trained on relevant terminology and creating documentation for new products and services.
AI advancements in content creation can be both exciting and, at times, intimidating. However, it’s important to understand that AI is not here to replace technical writers—it’s here to augment and evolve their role. Technical writers bring a depth of knowledge, industry expertise, and human insight that AI cannot replicate. Instead of viewing AI as a competitor for our jobs, we should see it as a powerful tool that can streamline repetitive tasks and free up technical writers to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their work.
In fact, technical writers will be essential in shaping the very systems that rely on accurate, industry-specific content. Their expertise will be crucial in curating, validating, and refining the information that powers AI-driven tools and applications. As AI continues to evolve, it will demand a higher level of precision and context that only skilled writers can provide. Embracing AI as a collaborative partner will give technical writers the freedom to innovate and redefine how technical content is created and delivered.
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Still have questions about technical writing and AI?
As AI becomes a more integral part of content creation, the demand for skilled technical writers, content strategists, and information architects is only expected to increase. The more AI is used across industries, the greater the need for experts who can produce precise, well-organized, and reliable content that aligns with industry standards and best practices.
These skills are essential for developing what we at Heretto call "intelligent content" or "structured content." Unlike traditional content, structured content is designed to be modular, adaptable, and easily reused across multiple platforms. As AI systems rely on high-quality, context-rich information to function accurately, the demand for well-structured content will continue to grow. Technical writers will play a key role in creating and curating these critical content assets, ensuring that AI technologies are fed with clear, consistent, and credible sources of knowledge.
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