17 UX Writers on the Future of AI
What does the future of AI hold for UX writing? In this blog post, we’ll dive into just that.
AI tools offer unlimited content with limited instructions. The content AIs deliver is based on the data it collects from predetermined algorithms and the information on the internet.
In the realm of UX writing, AI technology still has a long way to reach its potential to create content with precision. It is because UX writing involves personal experiences, opinions, familiarity with the product, and other aspects.
Though AI is not yet capable of producing such complicated content, the risk of automation taking over the job of a UX writer is still looming. This blog post has covered the views of 17 expert UX writers on how AI will influence UX writing in the future.
Let’s get into it.
1. Almer He, Content Designer, and UX Writer
As an expert UX writer, Almer believes that AI can’t replace human creativity and expertise in UX writing. She believes that AI-based tools can help companies and teams during iterations.
She says, “I don’t think AI can EVER replace human writers. Maybe only some corporate and legal document writing. But writing is not arithmetic. You can’t code a robot to do what is un-codable.“
According to her, UX writing might become a demanding career. However, with the advancement of AI technology, only top-notch professionals can survive in the industry.
She also believes that AI can help UX writers by acting as a source of current data and ideas. It transforms the job of a writer into an editor’s role.
To work efficiently with AI technology, writers need to focus on their learning and adaptation skills. They also need to learn the skills of writing prompts for AI to get the desired output.
According to Almer, the quality of AI-created content depends on the advancement of AI tools and the writer’s editing and decision-making skills.
2. Nicole Martinez, Lead UX Writer
Nicole Martinez is an expert in creating UX copy and content design for tax, payments, and compliance products. She believes that AI opens up new opportunities for writers. They need to become experts in creating prompts and employing them to realize the potential of AI effectively.
She says, “It’s important to remember IA is a tool, but people and data sources behind it are what makes it powerful.“
She believes that it’s the skills of a writer that makes AI-generated content stand out. Like an advanced TI calculator, AI tools like ChatGPT are only as powerful as the data input they receive.
She also believes that writers can assist in making AI tools more inclusive.
Moreover, he says, “We need to be holding the companies behind AI technologies responsible and push them toward rigorous testing to ensure the data and prompts being processed by these models are credible, accurate, and don’t reinforce human biases.” According to Nicole, writers and designers should raise their voices if they find discrimination signs in any AI model.
3. Erin Terada, UX Writer
Erin Terada has a wide and adaptive perspective on AI technology. She believes writers should be familiar with AI technology to work efficiently and effectively.
According to Erin, adaptability is a crucial skill for UX writers as they have to keep up with technological changes. They are encouraged to keep pace with the evolving technology and writing styles to create content effectively. Instead of getting terrified by the prospects of automation, they should focus on the opportunities it provides. Erin also believes writers should not be afraid of AI taking their jobs but rather use it to make their work easier.
She says, “The rise in AI may feel threatening to our jobs, but being proactive to grow as a writer by learning how to use new technologies is a great way to get rid of the mental block and negative attitudes towards AI.”
She noticed that employers are now concerned about hiring writers who are familiar with AI tools and know how to use them. In job interviews, they ask various questions about AI tools to gauge a writer’s efficiency and adaptability to ever-changing technologies.
4. Brooke Rahn, Writer, Editor, Technical Communicator, and Specializing in UX Writing
As an experienced writer and editor, Brooke believes that artificial intelligence or machine learning technology can’t replace human writers. We can leverage automation; however, completely replacing the human workforce isn’t possible.
In the future, some companies might try to replace human writers with AI technology to increase the profit margin, but Brooke believes that human writers will always remain the core part of the industry. This replacement will realize employers that human writers are more valuable than AI technology.
According to her, “Although AI output is at first impressive, it lacks the ability of truly creative and empathetic thought. Only human writers can deliver this, and once they are replaced by AI, I think this difference will be noticed and will make an impact on a company’s bottom line.“
AI technology will also change the role of UX writers from content creators to editors. AI can quickly generate content; however, a human writer is needed to edit it to make it clear and accurate. She also believes, “It can be difficult to discern between factual information and outright fabrications in AI content. This is where the editorial skills of a UX writer will be most important.“
Brooke believes that AI can assist UX writers in creating customized user copy. Moreover, to master any AI tool, you need to open it and start experimenting. It will enable you to get familiar with the tool and understand its capabilities. As a UX writer, you can create a user copy similar to or better with AI writing software.
The experimentation will not only help you to pinpoint the loopholes in software but also enable you to distinguish AI copies from human ones. According to her experiences, AI software creates outdated content, and the facts are usually wrong. The more she experiments with AI software, the more she becomes confident about the future of human writers.
5. Megan (Davison) Legawiec, UX Writer
Megan believes that UX writers need to be open to using AI tools and writing software in their workflows.
According to her, “Those who are afraid of AI (either because they don’t understand it or fear that it will take their jobs) and choose to shy away completely will wind up unable able to compete in terms of speed and skills that will become commonplace on resumes for writers in tech.”
She says that relying heavily on AI can lead to a lack of human touch which is an integral component of writing. Only those who will create a balance between leveraging AI and creating content with a human touch will be successful.
She also says UX writing is the most secure career among all other writing jobs as it always requires creative and empathetic content, which only a human writer can produce. “As long as UX Writers embrace AI and can adapt, I don’t believe they should fear for their jobs any time soon.“
She thinks that writers need “to have strategies and processes in place when working with AI” to create high-quality content with AI tools. As AI can generate false information, you must keep an eye on the content to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date.
She also thinks that “of equal importance is understanding the limitations of AI and not using it for tasks it isn’t suited for.“
6. Sarah Walls, UX Writer, and Content Designer
Sarah Walls is an expert UX writer who believes AI can help create content. However, it can’t replace human writers. It’s just a misconception, “when in fact, that isn’t and shouldn’t be the case.” AI can deliver inaccurate information and can’t understand human psychology, which is an integral part of UX writing.
She believes that AI can be a reference tool for writers and help writers get a direct answer faster. She used AI “for questions that might otherwise take a long time to sift through results and look up on Google. So far, it’s mostly been questions about grammar.“
According to Sarah, writers need to be adept in “prompt writing” to leverage AI technology effectively. She thinks writers should learn to employ AI tools to deliver faster and more accurate content to stay ahead in the competitive writing industry. However, as AI technology lacks accuracy, writers must review the AI writing to “make sure it fits the needs of their specific audience.“
7. Laura Widener, Digital Content Writer
Laura W. strongly believes that AI can’t replace humans in the UX writing industry. An AI tool doesn’t understand a company’s problems. It also lacks an understanding of a company’s unique design and content styles, brand voice, or customers.
Moreover, AI can’t know the latest UX research insights and verbiage legal said the company needs to avoid. Only a human can comprehend these aspects.
She thinks that “UX writers need to have strong attention to detail to work with AI to ensure they’re diligently checking the validity and accuracy of the information presented.” Critical thinking is also a crucial skill for UX writers to analyze data to extract valuable information from it to solve problems.
She says, “AI is helping UX writers generate ideas, which is helping both validate and refine their own ideas and ultimately helping writers be a little more efficacious.”
She also says that writers should never use AI-created content as is. They should put their due efforts into ensuring the accuracy of the content before using it.
She also thinks it’s a good idea to keep an eye on what technologies others are using to stay on top of the game. “There are many brilliant UX professionals who are sharing their experience of integrating AI into their workflow and processes, so there’s a lot of great information already out there.“
8. Emily Fong, User Experience Writer at Amazon
As a user experience writer at Amazon, Emily deeply understands customer needs, user experience writing, and technology.
She believes AI will never replace human writers because human-to-human conversation in any form “will withstand any desire for human-to-bot generated conversation.” Most people don’t trust bots, and “others avoid them entirely because it creeps them out and gives them Black Mirror vibes.“
She thinks that to create high-quality content, UX writers need accessibility. They need to be mindful of what an AI tool generates. They need to filter racist language, create anti-racist text, understand their readers, and accomplish various tasks that bots can’t do.
She believes that “the way information is delivered to users changes..daily. It’s difficult to pinpoint how product copy deliverables will stand, especially with how content is currently digested.“
9. Mauricio Escobar Deras, UX Researcher & Writer
Being an expert UX researcher and writer, Mauricio believes AI has a long way to reach the level of human-generated content.
He says, “If we then focus on the UX writing for an interface, there are a lot of verbs and directions that have to be given and choices that have to be made through a said interface (of which an AI will not be able to structure or invent a UI for these specific new convergences).“
He thinks UX writing involves research and design, and AI can’t do these tasks. Even with the advancement in the automation industry, we are decades away from having an AI tool that can provide accurate UX writing.
He also says, “The AI would have to ideate and iterate on its copy, staying true to human-centered design principles, and would have to “observe” and decipher the user using its prompts in a usability test.“
10. Lorja MacGregor, UX Writer at Amazon
As an experienced UX writer, Lorja understands the impact of AI in the writing industry.
She believes that feeling secure in entering a company’s data into AI software is the biggest challenge for UX writers to write content.
AI technology can have a dark side where companies may employ it to cut costs on hiring writers. On the positive side, AI can be a great companion for writers to develop more creative ideas. It can expand our thinking by offering multiple opinions.
She also believes that even in the future, AI can’t replace the human workforce as it lacks human emotions. “AI can certainly act as an aid, but it won’t have the same nuances that you get from human prose.“
Lorja says writers should try AI tools to learn about their flaws and advantages. It will help them stay ahead of the curve and coexist with AI in the future.
11. Ruth Temianka, Senior Content Designer and UX Writer
As a senior content designer, Ruth has considerable industry experience. She realizes the in-depth research and creative writing that UX writers need to do, something AI can’t replicate.
Ruth says, “While AI may help us craft content more efficiently, writers will always be of value.“
She believes that writers process and deliver information and viewpoint in a short time. The live context enables them to extract outcomes. The context and tone writers use change in unpredictable ways.
“None of that context is available to AI. While it may help writers sift through layers of language a little faster, ultimately, a human lens will always be needed to ensure the words actually make sense, translate, and resonate.“
She thinks that language is not something that is created in nowhere. It is influenced by the past as well as the future. That’s why bots can help writers but will never be writers themselves.
12. James Nutter, UX Writer
James divides UX writing into two areas. The first area is strategic, and the second one is the planning area. The strategic area leverages AI technology.
He believes, “In the strategic area, you’re going to have the AI pull in patterns, news, and people.” You can filter the patterns, news, and people. Patterns are filtered based on timelines or job roles. News can be filtered by trending topics or daily or weekly news. You can also filter people depending on their localities or other aspects.
He says, “And all those are related to eliminating those low-level tasks that we have to do and us
focusing more on the strategic outcomes.“
In the planning area, writers define primary and secondary tasks they want to accomplish. It will enable them to eliminate low-level tasks becoming more strategic.
13. Kaitlin Lindros, UX Writer at Nationwide
As a UX writer at Nationwide, Kaitlin believes AI technology is an excellent creativity tool. However, it can spread false information and has a potential for misuse. AI, like ChatGPT, can generate misinformation which is a major concern.
She says, “AI will be used as a tool by writers to help them come up with copy solutions. But we’ll still need human minds to strategize designs, empathize with human emotions, and see the whole journey.“
It is also an amazing tool for non-writers to help them create content. Companies that are short on a budget can use AI software to improve their content without investing in professional writers.
She believes a writer needs to be an excellent editor and fact-checker to detect false information and write the best content to meet the industry standard.
She thinks learning about using AI tools is crucial for UX writers to stay ahead of the competition in the future. “Learn about AI. Train yourself on how to use these tools. Technology changes fast, so it’s important to follow industry experts and news to stay competitive.“
14. Kathleen O’Neill, Sr UX Writer, Strategist, and Content Designer
Experienced in UX writing and content design, Kathleen doesn’t believe that AI will ever be able to replace human writers in the UX writing industry.
She says, “It’s a great additional tool, but I’ve seen the results, and they are not 100% accurate or human-friendly.“
She believes that AI will create a lot of UX writing in the future. But it would just be a way to generate content quickly, and it always requires human emotions to align it with user needs.
AI can change the job of a writer. It can help with fact-checking and writing suggestions. However, we always need human writers to make the content easily consumable by the users.
She also says, “Get comfortable using the tech and the tools, then leverage to see if it’s helpful. And don’t expect AI to replace human writers anytime soon.“
15. Kelsey Ray, Co-Founder of Brand Identity and UX Design Agency
Skilled in copywriting and UX writing, Kelsey thinks it interesting to observe AI software to develop their vocabulary. Many writers avoid adopting AI software “because it lacks accuracy and proper sourcing capabilities. But also because it’s not necessarily faster.“
Marketing leaders and executives suggest that their teams employ AI tools to handle workloads that would have taken longer.
Kelsey thinks, “AI tools that pull together SEO data or other comparable information to assist the writing process will likely contain the greatest value.”
UX writing involves creating detailed guidelines for using an app. AI can generate content for simple cases. However, companies need to rely on a human writer for complex navigation.
She believes that AI tools can never replace human writers in the UX writing field. “There are too many factors. Accuracy, sourcing, the ability to reason between different sets of data and assume which one will be best for the specific reader, are all examples of things AI writing does badly.“
Marketers and writers who use AI tools to get ideas and content and then do rigorous editing to refine the final copy. “In my experience, I usually cut between 60-80% of AI-generated writing due to its lack of relevance, repetitiveness, inaccurate claims, etc.“
She says that if writers want to create high-quality content that meets industry standards, they should understand that using AI tools doesn’t mean not writing. They need to focus on editing and strategy skills to create the best content.
16. Cargile Williams, UX Writer, UX/AI Ethics
As an expert UX writer, Cargile believes it’s hard to predict the future, but most chatbots, plugins, and apps can’t replace human writers.
She says, “OpenAI’s ChatGPT does not currently pass the bar for good, ethical UX writing. Its new inaccuracy disclaimer is tiny and easy to miss, and it’s missing a clear privacy disclaimer.” AI tools create these disclaimers, which are a clear sign of the lack of quality and accuracy in this technology.
The major concern is the “tech companies that are moving ahead on these technologies without adequately considering their limitations or the liability issues that could arise from uninformed use.“
17. Keshia L., AI UX Writer
As an AI UX writer, Keshia deeply understands AI and UX writing. She thinks the greatest misconception about AI technology is that AI can tell stories and connect like human writers.
In its early stage, people think that AI technology can help them save money. But AI technology is not a replacement for human writers.
She believes that it can be a great alternative for the time when most of writers are busy and need assistance to finish the job.
She shared her experience, saying, “So far, for me personally, it has helped me with research, finding target audiences, learning more about particular personas based on the information I gave it, and coming up with scenarios for those personas.“
Final Thoughts
Though AI technology has evolved in recent years, there is still a gap between AI’s capabilities and any company’s writing needs.
AI tools are still far from taking the place of human writers because they lack the human touch in writing and need to be supplemented with professional editing. However, AI tools can assist human writers in their work and are a great alternative when writers need assistance.
The future of AI writing is yet to be determined, but it’s certain that, for now, AI technology can’t fully replace humans in writing.
