The Human/AI Writing Partnership

In just a short time, AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT have gone from curiosities to tools that are being woven into the fabric of work. Whether it’s Shopify requiring the use of AI from its employees or Microsoft culling its workforce while replacing roles with agents, AI is showing up in our workflows, workplaces, and our writing.

And as CEO of a global leadership communications company, I’m here to tell you: it’s time to start using AI in your writing.

But not blindly.

Because if you simply turn to AI to do your writing for you, you’ll churn out the kind of generic written slop that turns off readers and makes you look bad. Instead, you need to think about it as a partnership,  one that uses AI tools to amplify and build out the ideas that should be at the heart of great writing.  

Here are two writing areas to use AI and two where you must steer clear.

Skip The AI When… You Begin With Intention

Great writing begins with your brain and your intention. Because you will be prompting and guiding the AI to assist you in the writing process, you need to begin with the spark of the idea you want to bring to life. 

You need to answer three simple questions:

1. Who is your audience? 
2. What action do you want to inspire them to take?
3. What is the central idea you want to share with them?

Let’s say you are an entrepreneur raising your series B capital round and you need to build your pitch deck. Your audience could be your existing venture capital investors. You want to inspire them to commit to the latest round and the idea you want to share with them is that more capital will accelerate your marketing efforts and double your customer acquisition pace.

This work of audience, action, and idea cannot and should not be delegated in the writing process because it distills the essence of your thinking and leadership. Don’t skip over it.  

Bring On The AI When… You Go From Idea To First Draft

One of the toughest things about writing is going from idea to the first draft. Whether you’re writing the executive summary of a request for proposal, a follow-up email to a donor, or a blog for your company's website (oops — no AI allowed here!), getting started is often the toughest part. That’s where AI can come in.

But don’t expect more than literary pablum if you don’t guide it. If you write, “write me a blog post on great marketing strategies” expect the quality out to reflect the effort you put into the request.

The key is to prompt it correctly, with substance and spark. For example, after a sales call where the client asks for a proposal, give AI what it needs to get rolling. Instead of saying, “write me a proposal”, provide the model with a past proposal, the transcript of your call, and direction on what the summary should contain. Or, if you need to draft a holiday poem, tell it, “here is a list of my team’s achievements this past year… now write me a holiday toast set to the theme of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas with my true love being replaced by Our Team’”. 

Skip The AI When…. You Go From Draft To Document

If you’ve used AI for first drafts before, you know its strengths — a lot of text quickly produced for you to work with — and its limitations — a generic text that doesn’t reflect your voice or the unique needs of your audience. That’s why it’s critical you invest the time and energy to move from a draft to a near-final version of your writing.

You’re going to have to do some work to make it your own. You’ll have to infuse your own “voice” into the writing. Be sure to use the style and tone that you want to convey to your readers. You will also need to make sure the document speaks to your audience. Only you can know what content and language your readers will respond positively to. And you will also have to add specific examples that can’t be found by an AI online, like references to past management meetings or other internal priorities that aren’t found in anything that ChatGPT can access.

Bring On The AI When… You Need A Good Copy Editor

OK, here’s the final thing you can and should delegate to AI: copy editing. Every writer knows that a great copy editor is invaluable. Someone who can check your draft for typos, inconsistencies or verbosity while helping you get to a polished, ready-to-submit final. This is where AI comes in, as your go-to-tool in this phase of writing.

Again, the key is providing clear direction, which can be helped by knowing your own writing style and limitations. “GPT, this executive summary needs more structural clarity for readers. Add headings to different sections of the document so the reader can follow the flow more easily.” Or, if you’re a sloppy writer, “GPT, review my article for spelling and grammatical errors.” Or if you are too verbose, you can say, “Reduce this whitepaper from 1700 words into 1300 words. Highlight what you recommend removing to keep the essence of the ideas.”

Moving Forward with AI and Your Writing

AI is here to stay. But it isn’t a replacement for your thinking, creativity, or leadership, it’s an amplifier. Start building the muscle of using it in your writing but never expect it to replace the spark and authenticity that only you can bring.

Want to take your communication skills even further?
Meet ELI, our AI-powered communication coach. Just like AI can sharpen your writing, ELI helps you strengthen your leadership presence every time you speak—giving you feedback on clarity, confidence, and impact.