The Evolving Role of AI in Publishing: A Thoughtful Reflection

I'm not actually worried about AI replacing authors. Fresh ideas and ways of telling a story are not something I feel AI will ever be good at. I worry the real people that will be impacted are those in the trenches making what authors put out look and sound good. The proofreaders, editors, and others that have the labor-intensive jobs in publishing that could get automated.

Tools, like ProWritingAid, Grammarly, and others, offer rapid feedback on grammar, structure, and pacing. These tools are undeniably helpful for tightening up a draft, and as the technology improves, they’re only going to get better as the tech improves. However, these computer tools still miss the subtleties that human editors and proofreaders excel at—things like voice, tone, and the emotional resonance that make some stories truly amazing.

The shift I anticipate is how publishers may begin to rely more heavily on AI for preliminary reviews—dropping every manuscript into an AI system for a "first impression" before a human even sees it. Now I don’t know that they do this but it seems a logical next step. While this could streamline the process and filter the slush pile faster, it raises questions about what gets missed when an algorithm is making the initial judgment call on a book.

I don’t think AI will be able to completely replace humans any time soon. But as the technology evolves, the line between human and AI writing will continue to blur. The near impact could be on those who work tirelessly to polish the final product. We must ensure that we don’t lose sight of the human creativity and skill that are needed to make great writing truly shine.