The rise of the bionic writer

A colleague recently described me as “bionic.”

I laughed at the time, but the phrase has stayed with me. Part human, part machine isn’t how I’d usually describe myself, but it does say something about the way writing’s changing.

This isn’t really about whether AI can produce written content. It can. In many cases, it can produce a decent blog, article or web page in minutes.

What’s more interesting is how it’s changed my role. Just a couple of years ago, a significant part of my job involved getting from a blank page to a first draft. Researching a subject and structuring an argument took time. Producing something worth reviewing often took even longer.

AI has shifted that. It can produce workable first drafts quickly, generate options and help structure thinking.

But speed isn’t the same as judgment, and volume isn’t the same as value.

I’m pragmatic enough to accept that we need to adapt to the world as it is, not as it used to be. That’s something people have always done. Woodworkers once did everything by hand; now they use advanced tools to work with greater speed and precision. But tools don’t make everyone a craftsperson. The creativity, skill and eye for what works still matter.

I think writers are facing a similar moment.

The blank page problem may have largely disappeared, but that doesn’t make the writer less important. It changes what clients need from us.

Today, I spend less time creating content from scratch and more time helping organisations work out what they should be saying, who they need to say it to, and how to turn a good idea into something useful across different channels.

A conversation might become a LinkedIn post. A case study might become a blog, a sales email or a set of useful client questions. A strong idea might become a campaign theme, a website message or a practical guide. AI can help produce the content. Human experience is still needed to spot the opportunity, refine the output, check what’s true and make sure the final piece sounds like it belongs to the organisation.

That’s particularly important when every business has access to the same tools. Companies spend years building their reputation and working out how to differentiate themselves. The risk is that, in the rush to create more content, they end up sounding exactly like everyone else. That’s where we humans still earn our keep.

In many ways, AI has made me more effective. I can move faster, explore more options and help clients get more value from a strong idea. So perhaps being a bionic writer isn’t really about combining human and artificial intelligence. It’s about knowing how to use both well.