Are Robots Taking Your Job?

I’m convinced Hulu only has about seven different commercials. Every show my wife and I watch repeats the same ones over and over. One of the go-to ads is for a car company that built the Smart Approval Machine, or S.A.M.

In the ad, the car buyer asks if S.A.M. is a real machine. The car-seller says, no. They just built it for fun. At that point, the machine says, “S.A.M. is for fun. Ha. Ha.” The joke is stupid, but it makes us laugh.

In reality, companies are building robots left and right that enable automation, quicker processing, and reduced labor costs. No industry is immune to the robot apocalypse, not even writing. That said, artificial intelligence still has a long way to go before you, and I are replaceable.

Don’t believe me? Test out any of the AI tools available on Google. They all “work,” albeit with significant limitations. And while any human or robot can string together words and phrases, artificial intelligence cannot replicate your experiences and voice. Every time you sit down to write, your past becomes present and pours out through your fingers. I’d like to see a robot try and replicate that.

Remember, you are a person with worth. And while automation is a good thing, human writers are irreplaceable.

How has artificial intelligence affected your writing?