What happened
AI's proficiency in generating formulaic text automates the "ordinary business of quotidian language," making mastery of the banal obsolete for writers. The author, who previously published AI-generated works, observes that AI excels at producing "dead language" and average content, as evidenced by the cancellation of Mia Ballard's novel "Shy Girl" by Hachette due to AI reliance, despite initial reader acceptance. A recent survey indicates 86% of college students regularly use AI for tasks like essays and memos, signifying a widespread shift in routine language generation.
Why it matters
For writers and creative professionals, AI's ability to generate formulaic content shifts the value proposition from producing standard text to purpose-driven work and control over the technology. This mechanism reduces the need for human mastery of style in routine tasks, impacting young writers and those whose craft relies on generating standard text. Content strategists and procurement teams must now evaluate content generation tools based on their capacity to produce unique, non-formulaic output, rather than merely volume.
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