The AI Question and AI's Answer

This is all you need to know right here!

It’s been challenging to implement my marketing plan for my new venture as a copyeditor and proofreader. Being able to reach self-publishing authors in a way that shows my professionalism and authenticity has been thwarted at every turn by AI.

To be clear, the issue I'm seeing is that many self-publishing authors are using AI tools as a replacement for human copyeditors and proofreaders in an effort to save money and time.

I woke up this morning determined to find a solution, so I asked Google this question:

“How to deal with AI-generated content?”

Here are the screenshots of Google’s AI Overview response:

If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know, then I do not know what does.

Let’s break down each suggestion into real terms:

Verify and Fact-Check

AI Overview suggests that you assume AI errors, meaning that the work you’ve already pored over for hours can be replaced with fabricated information that the AI tool plucked from its algorithm.

AI-generated content requires reference checks with primary sources, meaning that AI may misinterpret your factual information and replace it with unverified information or outright lies… meaning that you have to review and possibly rewrite what you already wrote.

It then suggests that you use specialized tools to detect AI-generated content that may have replaced your content. That is another time-sucker that may also cost you more money.

Humanize and Edit

Again, AI Overview literally tells you to review and rewrite what you’ve already written to be sure that YOUR voice is intact. That just makes no sense.

It goes on to suggest that you add personal experience, introduce “intellectual hesitation” and vary sentence structure. You already did before you employed AI tools… didn’t you?

So now – again – you’re rewriting what you’ve already written to ensure that AI does not take over your story. Do you see the redundancy here?

Use AI Responsibly (Best Practices)

Here AI is telling you to only use it as a drafting tool and to include specific context and characters to improve the quality of your writing. But, didn’t you start writing because you have a story to tell in your own words?

The message here is to use your own voice and be transparent about using AI tools for content. It’s all just adding more work to the work you’ve already done.

I also asked Google how readers feel about AI content. Here’s the screenshotted response:

Take special note of the fact that readers prefer “final content having a ‘human fingerprint’ through editing”.

That is a very telling statement especially given the statistics about transparency, trust and authenticity, and reader discomfort your readers feel about AI.

Manage AI Risks

Identifying biases, implementing governance and controlling over-reliance are key takeaways about managing AI. The most important advice in this section is to “ensure that human expertise remains central to your work, particularly for high-stakes decisions or creative endeavors”. I’d argue that your manuscript is BOTH high-stakes and a creative endeavor.

My interpretation of that statement is simple: human copyeditors and proofreaders are a critical part of publishing your book. AI may – or may not – help early in the process to an extent. However, it does not replace the human capacity for emotional depth, nuanced understanding or adherence to critical storylines that require complexity and deeper comprehension.

My message to authors who are self-publishing and working within a budget is this:

Please remember that your book is your voice, your story and your intellectual property! You write because you love it and relying on AI to do the very critical work that makes your manuscript shine and sell is taking a risk that very realistically may come back to haunt you.

Yes, I am new to this industry; but my experience and skills are real. Why not reach out to see how I can help you?