Will AI replace Writers and Authors?
AI can do 100% of the work Writers and Authors do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 5 of their 20 tasks, while 15 more are ready but barely used so far.
AI is already doing this5 · 32% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.Mostly automated13% of time
- Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.Mostly automated8% of time
- Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information.Mostly automated4% of time
- Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly.Mostly automated4% of time
- Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material.Mostly assisted3% of time
AI could do this next15 · 68% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher.8% of time
- Write advertising material for use by publication, broadcast, or internet media to promote the sale of goods and services.8% of time
- Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.8% of time
- Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.7% of time
- Work with staff to develop script, story, or advertising concepts.6% of time
- Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy.4% of time
- Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted.4% of time
- Consult with sales, media and marketing representatives to obtain information on product or service and discuss style and length of advertising written material.4% of time
- Present drafts and ideas to clients.3% of time
- Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.3% of time
- Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products.3% of time
- Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.3% of time
- Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.3% of time
- Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work.1% of time
- Write to customers in their terms and on their level so that the script, story, or advertisement message is more readily received.1% of time
Still needs a person0 · 0% of time
No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.
- Every task in this job is touched by AI or robots in some way.
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
AI can already do almost all of this work at least twice as fast. Real use is still behind at 26 out of 100, so the change here is only getting started. Expect the role to shift toward deciding what to do, checking AI's work and owning the result.
What to do next
- Do the 5 tasks AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
- Get ahead on the 15 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
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