Welcome to the digital age, where technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. In this era of rapid technological advancement, the availability and sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) has exploded. One area where AI has made significant strides is in writing, hence the term “AI writing.” But what exactly is this, you might ask? Simply put, AI writing is the use of algorithms designed to mimic human language patterns and generate written content. While it can replace human writers to some extent, it’s best used a tool to enhance their capabilities.
AI writing has found its way into various sectors, from journalism to marketing, and yes, even freelance consultancy. It’s a powerful tool that can drastically improve the efficiency and productivity of your work. This blog post aims to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of AI writing, its role in your freelance consultancy business, its impact on your work, and how you can leverage it to your advantage.
So let’s explore the world of AI writing. Whether you’re a seasoned consultant or a fledgling freelancer, this is a must-read for you.
Table of contents
- Understanding the Role of AI Writing in Consultancy
- The Impact of AI Writing on the Freelance Market
- How Consultants Can Leverage AI Writing
- The Benefits of AI Writing for a Freelancer
- AI Writing Tools for Consultants
- Practical Tips to Integrate AI Writing in Your Consultancy Business
- Where to Learn More About AI Writing for Consultants
- Conclusion: Embracing the Future with AI Writing in Your Freelance Consultancy Business
Understanding the Role of AI Writing in Consultancy
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
Ernest Hemingway
In the world of consultancy, effective communication is key. You need to deliver clear, concise, and compelling messages to your clients and stakeholders. This is where AI writing comes in handy.
Before we jump in, here is a more general step-by-step guide on how to implement AI in your consulting business. Now, let’s focus on AI writing in your freelance consultancy business.
1. Create high-quality content
It can help you create high-quality content that resonates with your audience. It can help you:
- Draft emails
- create reports
- write proposals
- and much more.
2. Analyze data and gain insights
AI writing is not just about generating content; it’s also about analyzing it. AI writing tools can analyze large volumes of data and extract valuable insights, which can be instrumental in decision-making processes. For instance, AI can analyze customer feedback and identify trends and patterns, which can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.
3. Automate routine tasks
Moreover, AI writing can help consultants automate routine tasks, freeing up more time for strategic thinking and problem-solving. For instance, AI can automate the process of writing weekly updates or follow-up emails, allowing you to focus on more critical aspects of your work.
The Impact of AI Writing on the Freelance Market
The advent of AI writing has also had a profound impact on the freelance market.
How many freelancers use AI?
To answer this, I used an AI based search engine that I had recently read about called Perplexity. The output from Perplexity was:
“According to multiple sources, a significant percentage of freelancers use AI in their work. Here are some statistics from the search results:
- 75% of US freelancers use generative AI in their work, according to SIA and Talint International.
- 3 out of 10 freelancers are actively using AI-based tools and software.
- 36% of freelancers use AI-powered tools once or twice a week.
- 11% of freelancers use AI tools occasionally
- 6% of freelancers have not yet used any AI tools in their work”
Based on an article by Stefania Volpe, Perplexity wrote:
“While the exact number of freelancers using AI may vary depending on the survey, it is clear that a significant portion of the freelance workforce is incorporating AI into their work. AI can help freelancers automate repetitive tasks, focus on higher-value work, and improve efficiency.
Some freelancers are even using AI to generate texts, brainstorm, create visuals, and develop and review code.”
You can leverage AI-based search engines to get deeper and more reliable information to support AI writing in your freelance consultancy business. In addition to Perplexity, you can use Bing, You.com, and Andi to search for useful facts. They provide links to the actual sources of information and I have found the material to be accurate.
How is AI writing affecting freelancers?
AI writing has upsides and downsides for freelancers
On the one hand, it has made it easier for freelancers to produce high-quality content more efficiently. On the other hand, it has raised concerns about job security, with some fearing that AI could replace human writers.
“However, the reality is far from this,” according to output from Writesonic. “While AI can mimic human language patterns, it lacks the creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence that only humans possess. Therefore, AI is not a threat to freelancers; instead, it’s a tool that can enhance their capabilities and help them produce better work more efficiently.”
AI output tends to paint a rosy picture
Writesonic has its own proprietary writing software that is currently based on ChatGPT. Like other AI-based Natural Language Processing, it tends to paint a rosy picture of the positive aspects of AI writing. So, Writesonic continues:
“For instance, AI writing can help freelancers create high-quality content in less time, allowing them to take on more projects and increase their earnings. It can also help them gain a competitive edge in the market, as clients are increasingly seeking freelancers who can leverage technology to deliver superior results.”
But before you accept Writesonic’s assessment at face value, consider this. In an excellent Forbes article Rashi Shrivastava, ‘I’ve Never Hired A Writer Better Than ChatGPT’: How AI Is Upending The Freelance World, highlights important problems. They cite a startup owner who stopped posting writing jobs on a freelance site after she began to use ChatGPT, which is currently free. Shrivastava also points out after interviewing freelance writers that those with less experience and without a specialized niche feel their jobs are threatened.
Very accomplished writers, who usually charge top dollar for their services, have difficulties. Some are complaining that clients don’t trust them anymore. Shrivastava also cited an example of a writer on a freelance site who had a client that wanted their money back, because the client believed that the writer generated the work with AI.
My own experience using AI writing
I ended up using AI writing to help generate content, instead of hiring writers.
Before Widespread Availability of AI
Before the advent of AI-writing, I wrote the great majority of blog articles myself. Though, I did hire some writers to produce articles. The least accomplished writers produced articles that required considerable rewriting. Writers at the top end needed minor tweaks and changes, but this was not because of their writing. I just tailored the articles to fit in with what I wanted to put forward on the blog.
After AI exploded into general use
AI writing was cheaper and faster than hiring human writers
Since the better writers were more expensive, when ChatGPT arrived as a public resource, I found it to be very useful. Suddenly, my work was much easier to accomplish and it was free. I did not have to search for and hire suitable writers. Some freelance writers would not be available sometimes when I needed them. The ChatGPT output was so rapid and I didn’t have to wait for at least days to receive a draft article.
Generation of new topics and articles was easier with AI
It had also been a challenge to think of new topics and to develop articles. ChatGPT gave an array of possible article topics and titles. It could then generate outlines to get started.
I could have ChatGPT expand on items in lists and string them together to produce longer articles. It could also produce short articles using the free version, which I could expand into longer articles.
I could then research these topics in detail, and tweak the writing to make it my own. After using AI-assisted writing, I did not hire any more writers.
I subscribed to a stand alone AI writing service
After a while, I subscribed to Writesonic. This AI writing service was affordable and kept adding new features. Without changing the subscription price, they dramatically increased the number of words per month.
Over time, I learned how to better steer the content in my own direction from the get go. Still, I need to carefully review the text produced and to research the topics further. The Writesonic articles need editing. I research relevant references, quotes, pictures, videos, as well as internal and external links. For some of the research, I use AI search engines.
Writers will need to adapt to AI
All people who write for a living will likely be affected by AI. Lower end writers will have more of a challenge adapting to the burgeoning effects of AI. They will have to leverage AI writing to produce higher quality writing more rapidly.
High end writers will still have a market for their services, but they are expensive. The highest end writers will be affected the least, especially those who are more original and cutting edge, and base their writing on deep expertise, or life experiences. The more difficult it is for AI to imitate their writing, the better off the top writers will be.
How Consultants Can Leverage AI Writing
As a consultant, you might be wondering how you can leverage AI writing to enhance your work in your own freelance consultancy business. Here are a few ways in which you can do so:
Firstly, you can use AI writing tools to create high-quality content more efficiently. Whether you’re drafting a proposal, writing a report, or creating a marketing campaign, AI can help you produce compelling content that resonates with your audience.
Secondly, you can use AI writing tools to analyze data and gain valuable insights. For instance, you can use AI to analyze customer feedback, identify trends and patterns, and make data-driven decisions.
Lastly, you can use AI writing to automate routine tasks and free up more time for strategic thinking and problem-solving. For instance, you can use AI to automate the process of writing weekly updates or follow-up emails.
The Benefits of AI Writing for a Freelancer
In your freelance consultancy business, you stand to gain a lot from AI writing. Here are a few benefits that you can enjoy:
Increased productivity and efficiency: AI writing can help you produce high-quality content in less time, allowing you to take on more projects and increase your earnings.
Competitive edge: By leveraging AI writing, you can gain a competitive edge in the market, as clients are increasingly seeking freelancers who can leverage technology to deliver superior results.
Higher quality of work: AI writing can help you produce high-quality content that resonates with your audience, helping you build a strong reputation and attract more clients.
AI Writing Tools for Consultants
There are numerous AI writing tools available in the market, each with its unique features and capabilities. Here are a few that you might find useful as a consultant:
Here are some links and information for a growing number of AI writing tools across various categories (which are not mutually exclusive):
1. Text Generation:
AI models can generate human-like text based on input prompts. These models, often based on deep learning architectures like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), can produce coherent and contextually relevant sentences, paragraphs, or even entire articles.
- OpenAI GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) – ChatGPT by OpenAI
- Google’s BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers)
- Google’s Bard and Gemini. Gemini has evolved to more extensive AI applications beyond Bard.
- EleutherAI’s GPT-Neo – Much of their work is focused on research and the interoperability of models. They have been involved in the development of many AI models, such as stable diffusion.
- Inferkit – According to their website they offer “state of the art text generation” and “InferKit offers a web interface and API for AI–based text generators. Whether you’re a novelist looking for inspiration, or an app developer, there’s something for you.” According to IBM, an API can be defined as: “An API, or application programming interface, is a set of rules or protocols that let software applications communicate with each other to exchange data, features and functionality.”
2. Grammar and Style Checkers:
AI-powered tools can analyze written content for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation issues, and stylistic inconsistencies. They provide suggestions for improving clarity, coherence, and readability.
- ProWritingAid
- Grammarly – This is a popular AI writing tool that can help you produce error-free content. It checks for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style errors and offers suggestions to improve your writing.
- Hemingway Editor The goal of Hemingway to make your writing “bold and clear.” Major aims are to simplify complex writing by making sentences shorter and make it bolder by eliminating passive voice.
- LanguageTool –“.. an AI-based spelling, style, and grammar checker that helps correct or paraphrase texts across languages.”
- WhiteSmoke – “Fully integrated, state of the art English writing tools”
3. Content Optimization:
AI algorithms can analyze existing content and provide insights for optimizing it to better meet specific goals, such as improving search engine rankings (SEO), increasing engagement, or enhancing readability.
- Surfer SEO
- Clearscope
- MarketMuse – According to their website “You can’t guess your content strategy.” They emphasize that their AI tool analyzes your whole website rather than using generic data for better insights and planning.
- SEMrush Writing Assistant
- Atomic Reach
4. SEO Writing:
SEO writing, also known as search engine optimization writing, refers to the practice of creating content that is optimized to rank well in search engine results pages ( SERPs) for specific keywords or queries. The goal of SEO writing is to attract organic (non-paid) traffic to a website by ensuring that the content appears prominently in search engine results when users search for relevant topics or information.
- Frase.io
- Text Optimizer – It was fun to use a free link to assess a page on my website. It showed words that affect SEO that were missing on the page.
- Topic
- WordLift
- Copywritely
Key elements of SEO writing
“Here is an example of output from ChatGPT on this topic.
Key elements of SEO writing include:
- Keyword Research: Identifying and researching the keywords or phrases that are relevant to the topic of the content and have high search volume. This involves understanding the search intent behind specific queries and selecting keywords that align with the target audience’s interests and needs.
- Content Optimization: Incorporating target keywords strategically throughout the content, including in headings, subheadings, meta tags, image alt text, and body copy. However, it’s essential to prioritize natural language and readability to ensure that the content remains engaging and informative for human readers.
- Quality and Relevance: Creating high-quality, informative, and relevant content that addresses the needs and interests of the target audience. Search engines prioritize content that provides value to users, so focusing on creating valuable, well-researched content is essential for SEO success.
- User Experience: Ensuring that the content is easy to read, navigate, and understand for users. This includes using clear formatting, incorporating visuals and multimedia elements where appropriate, and optimizing page load speed and mobile responsiveness.
- Link Building: Building links to the content from other reputable websites, as well as internally linking to other relevant pages within the site. Quality backlinks from authoritative sources can improve a page’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.
- Regular Updates and Maintenance: Continuously updating and optimizing content based on changes in search engine algorithms, keyword trends, and user behavior. SEO is an ongoing process, and regularly updating and refreshing content can help maintain and improve its visibility in search results over time.
Overall, SEO writing involves a combination of keyword optimization, content quality, user experience, and ongoing maintenance to improve a website’s visibility and rankings in search engine results. By following best practices for SEO writing, content creators can attract more organic traffic to their websites and increase their online visibility.”
5. Plagiarism Checkers:
If you use AI writing in your freelance consultancy business, some tools are designed to decrease the chances of plagiarism. Make sure that you edit the output to make it your own. AI writing assistants can check written content against databases of existing content to identify potential instances of plagiarism and ensure originality.
- Turnitin
- Copyscape
- Grammarly Plagiarism Checker
- Quetext
- DupliChecker
6. Language Translation:
AI technologies enable automatic translation of text between different languages with varying levels of accuracy and fluency. These systems leverage deep learning models trained on large multilingual datasets to produce translations.
Many AI writing assistants support automatic translation of text between different languages, enabling writers to reach a global audience and create multilingual content.
Content Generation for Specific Purposes:
- Writesonic (for ad copy, blog posts, product descriptions)
- Copy.ai (for social media posts, email subject lines, blog outlines)
- ShortlyAI (for content generation, brainstorming, summarization) “Make writer’s block a thing of the past.”
- Jasper (for generating blog post outlines, social media captions, ideas)
7. AI Writing Assistants:
- Rytr The headline on their website site is: “Rytr’s AI generates original and compelling content that sounds like you, not a robot.” They include a free plan that does not require a credit card for sign up. Rytr indicates that it currently has been used by more than 8 million people.
- Jasper
- Writesonic
- ShortlyAI
- ContentBot
8. Voice Assistants for Writing:
AI-powered voice recognition systems can transcribe spoken words into written text, facilitating note-taking, dictation, and transcription tasks.
- Otter.ai Their website says that this is a general AI for meetings. “Never take meeting notes again. Get transcripts, automated summaries, action items, and chat with Otter to get answers from your meetings.”
- Descript According to their website, Descript is “One tool for your full workflow. Descript is the only tool you need to write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts.”
- Trint This service highlights the founder’s background as a journalist emphasizes its benefits from the point of view of building your story. To accomplish this, you can “Verify, edit, playback and search transcripts just like a text doc. Then pull quotes from multiple transcripts and use editorial tools to create articles, podcasts, scripts and soundbites.” Overall, their pitch is: “ Never take meeting notes again. Get transcripts, automated summaries, action items, and chat with Otter to get answers from your meetings.” They also highlight how it can be used to build your story.
- Speechnotes This is a tool for transcribing dictation or recorded audio, including from videos.
- Sonix “Automatically transcribes, translates, and helps you organize your audio and video files in over 40 languages.”
9. Code Writing:
AI models trained on code repositories and programming languages can assist developers in writing code snippets, generating documentation, or providing suggestions for problem-solving.
10. AI Writing Plugins and Integrations:
- WordPress Plugins (e.g., WordLift, Yoast SEO). WordLift emphasizes automating your traffic, getting more organic traffic and reaching a more qualified audience. I use Yoast on my website. It has really good tools for SEO and writing. It will point out, among many features, if your text has too many long sentences, too much passive voice, or how readable your text is.
- Chrome Extensions (e.g., Grammarly, Writefull). Writefull is geared toward academic writing.
- Slack Integrations (e.g., Sapling, an AI detector). Slack also has a Slackbot function that can, e.g., send notifications that a task is complete.
11. Custom AI Writing Solutions:
- Custom-built AI models tailored to specific writing tasks or industries.
Remember to assess the features, pricing, and user reviews of each tool to determine the best fit for your specific needs. Additionally, keep an eye on emerging tools and updates in the AI writing landscape as the field continues to evolve rapidly.
Overall, using relevant AI writing tools can be useful in your freelance consultancy business to improve the quality and efficiency of your writing.
Practical Tips to Integrate AI Writing in Your Consultancy Business
Integrating AI writing in your freelance consultancy business is not as daunting as it may sound. Here are a few practical tips to help you get started:
1. Start small:
If you’re new to AI writing, start with simple tasks such as checking for grammar and spelling errors or generating content for your blog or website.
2. Experiment with different tools:
Numerous AI writing tools are available in the market. Experiment with different tools and choose the one that best fits your needs.
3. Be patient:
Like any new technology, AI writing has a learning curve. Be patient and give yourself time to learn and adapt to this new technology.
4. Check, check, check:
Beware of AI hallucinations for one thing. You will find very convincing use of “facts” that are completely untrue or for which no references can be anywhere. This is all the more important when AI writing cites references. I have extensively searched for quoted references that don’t exist. To my mind, these hallucinations are based on the probability estimated by the AI that such facts or references might exist.
5. Make it your own:
Don’t just rely on the writing produced by AI even after you checked all the facts. Make sure that it reflects your style and the message you aim to convey. You should use it as a tool and not as an independent writer.
Where to Learn More About AI Writing for Consultants
If you’re interested in learning more about AI writing for consultants, there are numerous resources available online. Websites like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer courses on AI writing. There are also numerous blogs, websites, and forums where you can learn about the latest trends and developments in AI writing.
One interesting website belongs to Joe Dysart, an accomplished journalist and editor with many years of experience in this area. The site is called Robot Writers AI and it addresses how AI is automating writing.
Conclusion: Embracing the Future with AI Writing in Your Freelance Consultancy Business
In conclusion, AI writing is a powerful tool that can drastically improve the efficiency and productivity of your work as a consultant or freelancer. It’s not about replacing human writers; instead, it’s about enhancing their capabilities and helping them produce better work more efficiently.
So why not embrace the future and explore the potential of AI writing in your freelance consultancy business? You might be surprised at the results!
For more on the topic of leveraging AI see: The Power of AI in Consulting: How Integrating Artificial Intelligence Technology Can Benefit Your Business.
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