I’m writing this in the week that Britain has hosted the world’s first global artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit. The summit aimed to examine the risks of the fast-growing AI technology and launch an international dialogue on its regulation.
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| AI |
AI
technology is ruffling feathers, even in the political circles. AI has so
far turned many tables upside down, and from where I sit, I expect many tables
to turn. The U.K. hosted the global AI summit to seek answers and possible
interventions. The world leaders are asking themselves questions like, “Could
artificial intelligence create bioweapons, undermine democracy and threaten the
financial system?”
But this article is not about the
security concerns the world leaders grapple with now. It’s about the countless faceless
freelance writers who have become the first casualties of AI. For some, the tap water has started trickling instead of pouring heavily as it used to. For others, the tap has stopped completely, and the ground around has dried up.
Walter Akolo’s Early Retirement Announcement
Renowned Kenyan freelancer writer and trainer Walter Akolo has for years been training would-be writers. Walter Akolo is rightly a brand in the freelance writing industry here in Kenya. He has coached many writers and significantly shaped their future. He has trained possibly thousands of writers and changed their lives for the better.
Many of these people had no path to earning their own money to live decent lives. Some had given up on ever making it in life. Some had regular jobs, but by acquiring writing skills from Akolo, they increased their income by writing part-time.
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| Will ChatGPT replace all freelance writers? |
I learned about Akolo in 2017. In
those days, he was teaming up with one Nelly Mutua, a transcriptionist. They
coordinated their outreach targeting potential trainees. I have discussed how I became a
transcriber here.
Anyway, on Wednesday, 25 Oct 2023, 07:02, Walter sent me (and thousands of other subscribers) the following message:
“Hi Clement,
I’ve been training people for the last 10
years. It’s been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done.
I’m totally grateful for all the great reviews
that I keep getting.
However, everything that has a beginning must
have an end.
To be super productive in my current role, I’ll
be retiring from both my courses on 31 Oct 2023. This refers to:
To be 100% clear, here are a few pointers:
- The lessons
will stay live on the training website till the end of November 2023. After this, I’ll communicate with the paid trainees on how they can
continue accessing the information for future use. But there will be no
further updates to the lessons since I’ll have retired the courses.
- My blog, FreelancerKenya, will remain online for a while
and I may still make noise on social media. I’m most active on my personal Facebook profile.
- I may once in a
while send my useful free emails.
From the reports I’m getting, it’s been an
amazing year for many of you out there. I’ve seen many moving from simple
low-paying writing roles to becoming excellent at different aspects of digital
marketing. Kudos!
AI has made it easy to do all sorts of things. The wise have been using it well and reaping unimaginable benefits at breakneck
speed.
With all the advancements that have happened
since I started training, it’s now easier than ever to find information from a
myriad of blog posts, YouTube videos, free courses, AI (e.g. you can ask
ChatGPT to train you on something, assess your work, etc for FREE), other paid
courses, etc.
In short, those who cannot join my course now
will still have lots of places online to get information as I transition to
other things.
Once again, I’ll be retiring both my courses on 31 Oct So, if anyone has ever wanted to join in, the time is now. I have
excellent plans for 2024 for my current role, so I’d prefer to focus on it
100%.
Many thanks,
Walter Akolo”
When I asked him why he is retiring even his websites, he replied,
“The site will remain online but as you know,
the information will start getting outdated if I don’t regularly update it. For
that reason, I may either repurpose, sell, or take it down after a few years.”
I then asked my last question: what does he think about AI and the
future of writing? Of course AI has made things easy, but is there a future for
(old-school) writers?
He answered,
“Just like in any industry that faces
disruption: Brilliant future and super-normal profits for the hard-working. New
opportunities will come up, especially for those who actually open their eyes,
read a little bit, and do more than just writing.
Lots of loss of work for the old-school
writers, complainers, lazy ones, prophets of doom, etc. Some marketplaces will
also lose work and many will need to reach out to clients directly with better
propositions on how to impact the overall content strategy.”
My take is that as an old-school writer who understands
writing as “research, followed by typing an error-free, grammatically sound and
unique content,” the AI has quite turned things upside down on his face. ChatGPT can now write a 600-word, clean, unique article within a minute or
less. This is a work I’d do for about one and a half hours when I started writing.
I may be wrong, I’m just
speculating, but Akolo has retired as a silent protest
against the intrusion brought to his workspace by AI. Again, I am speculating. There is so much I don’t know about Akolo; I don’t know his immediate future
plans.
As bad, lazy writers celebrate
ChatGPT, self-respecting good writers are walking away in protest. Old-school
writers who became writers because they could speak and write good English and
passionately type clean content with no grammar issues have little to celebrate.
It would be said of Walter Akolo
that he was one of the most influential pre-AI freelance writers and trainers of his
generation. He brilliantly and tirelessly made good use of the skills
and ideas he acquired through learning. Life is all about capitalizing on what
you have now. Nobody knows what tomorrow brings.
He has made his mark, and I believe a fortune too. The fact that he has opted to hang his boots instead of trying to adapt to the changing times shows he can afford to resist change. He has simply said, “To hell with you AI. I’m going home,” then showed AI a clean pair of heels.
Are you in that position? I am not myself. The lesson here is: monetize your knowledge and skills when you have the time. Don’t wait; things change too fast these days. Make good money and walk away before the waters get muddied. Always remember Akolo’s straightforward answer: “…the information will start getting outdated if I don’t regularly update it. For that reason, I may either repurpose, sell, or take it down after a few years.”
He has fought a good fight, he has finished the race he had to run at a point in time when many passionate writers knew not where to start their freelance writing careers.
The Impact of AI
The impact of AI — like ChatGPT and other automated content generation tools — on the future of freelance writing is a topic of debate and ongoing exploration. As I said, even world leaders are concerned.
AI has the potential to change
the landscape of freelance writing in several ways:
- Content Generation
What They Say: “AI can assist writers by generating content quickly
and efficiently, which could lead to increased competition in some freelance
writing niches. Writers might need to adapt and offer more specialized,
creative, or value-added services to stand out.
What I Say: At a glance, this looks like an advantage to writers. However, it is not. By definition, writers are supposed to write, not be assisted by AI. The moment a writer starts depending on ChatGPT to generate content, that’s not writing, at least in its traditional sense. That’s content generation.
And nobody seems to remember that writing is a passion. I write because I feel good writing. Old-school
writers are passionate about writing, not generating content in a second.
Again, the clients who hire
freelance writers themselves can directly use AI to cut costs. Why hire a
traditional writer for a work Ai can do?
- Content
Quality
What they say: While AI can generate text, it doesn’t possess
creativity, originality, or nuanced human perspectives. Freelance writers can
continue to provide high-quality content that requires a human touch,
expertise, and personal experience.
What I say: True to some extent. But this is not much good news for freelance writers. Many of their clients will still go for AI and then add humane touches to the content independently. For instance, I generated nearly half of this article using ChatGPT and then added my perspectives. Hmmm?
Again, AI writes for humans, not
animals, so it speaks human language. It’s human enough, as far as
writing informative articles goes. It may not be as creative as humans, but
it sure creates the required information. We have been using Google for years. That’s where we go for information. We know Google is not human, but we rely on
the results on its search pages. We understand its strengths and limits. It is
all about programming. The same applies to AI. More and more people will turn to
it in spite of its limits.
- Content
Editing and Enhancement
What They Say: AI tools can help freelance writers by proofreading,
suggesting improvements, and optimizing content. This can streamline the
writing process and improve the quality of freelance work.
What I Say: Again, writers got paid to do such tasks. Who will pay
them if AI can do the same and faster? It only helps when writers write for
themselves, as I do for this website.
- Niche
Expertise
What They Say: Freelance writers specializing in specific niches,
industries, or subjects may find opportunities to thrive, as AI might not be as
proficient in generating highly specialized content.
What I Say: Tell me one niche AI “might not be as proficient in
generating highly specialized content.” This is false hope. AI is a work in
progress, so it will eventually cover all niches, in case it hasn’t yet.
- Client
Relationships
What They Say: Building strong relationships with clients,
understanding their unique needs, and offering personalized solutions can set
freelance writers apart from AI-generated content.
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| Work Relationship |
What I Say: True, though not all clients are seeking relationships. Some want their work done, and that's the end of the story. ChatGPT has proven that it can be instructed to curtail
its content to meet particular needs, etc. The more special instructions you feed
ChatGPT, the more you get content adapted to your unique situation.
If it can meet the client's needs, the client will start a long-lasting work relationship with it and forget human writers.
- Ethical and
Legal Considerations
What They Say: AI-generated content may raise ethical concerns,
such as plagiarism, copyright issues, and the spread of disinformation. Freelance writers who follow ethical guidelines can gain trust with clients
seeking original, reliable content.
What I Say: For me, ChatGPT is just a robot version of freelance writers. Have all freelance writers been keen on legal and ethical considerations? No.
How do they write their supposedly “unique, unplagiarized articles”? They research on Google and rewrite past articles
to meet the non-plagiarism score set by popular plagiarism detectors such as
Copyscape. That’s what freelance writers basically do, except for some breaking
news writers. Even the clients who hire them know this well. Why would the
practice suddenly become immoral when Ai is doing it?
However, I’m alive to the fact
that AI may massively manipulate critical information, distort facts, steal private information, etc. These are the issues the aforementioned AI summit has attempted to address. More such summits are in the pipeline.
- Adaptation and
Learning
What They Say: Freelance writers can embrace AI as a tool to
enhance their productivity and capabilities. Learning how to work alongside AI
can be a valuable skill.
What I Say: We all know what happens to factory workers whenever an
innovative machine is brought to help them do their work more efficiently and
fast. Some are laid off, while those lucky to remain have no good reason to ask
for salary increments.
Parting Shot
AI will likely "maim" if not outright “kill” old-school freelance writing as it reshapes the industry. I
understand some writers want to console themselves that they can’t be replaced
by machines, but this is a false hope.
Here is my advice to freelance
writers (the same advice I continue giving myself): don’t rely on
writing alone; learn other skills you can depend on working online. Your income will gradually come down if all
you do is write content for clients. I guarantee you that. Days when writers
were paid big money will soon come to an end.
AI is proof that all that could be written has been written. Freelance writers have merely been rewriting what's already available. In the next decade, writing will mostly be about rephrasing the information that's already there. The AI will be doing much of that.
Note that I haven’t said there
will be no writing opportunities. Don't misquote me-ooo. Freelancers writers who provide valuable, original,
and personalized content will continue to have a place in the market because some
clients prefer them over AI.