3 Ways I’m using ChatGPT That Changed How I Edit
I’ve seen a lot of fear in the editorial world about losing work to AI. I’ve read forum posts of individuals claiming to lose clients because they are switching to using ChatGPT for editorial services, and I’ve recognized the fear of replacement in myself too.
Let’s start off by saying, I don’t agree with using any AI services as a replacement for an editor. There are good reasons to keep human editors around. The fact is, when dealing with any product where the target audience is a human, you need a human’s touch.
To be a good editor, one has to be a reader. At the end of the day, AI will never understand the experience of reading a book quite like we humans do. For example, if you’re dealing with a technical manual, it may make perfect sense to a robot, but what about the normal person who has to use the manual? Or, how much editing fiction has to do with how a text will make readers feel? Or, how does the pacing of a text affect the scene? There is nuance and understanding that comes with editing that can only come from the human experience itself. Artificial intelligence will always be just that, artificial, and unable to compute the way you and I will interpret or experience something.
Also, part of being an editor is knowing when not to edit, and only we can determine when to break the rules. AI-generated text alone can feel stiff and boring. Sometimes we have to use experience to figure out what works. Instincts may be a human’s most valuable commodity, and editors definitely have to use their instincts sometimes. That’s something AI will never be able to replicate.
If you’re not using AI in your career yet, it’s time to start. As an editor, I’ve found some great ways to use AI as a tool to streamline my process, be more efficient and accurate, and work smarter. Here are some ways I’ve personally found ChatGPT to be invaluable.
“Summarize this text for me”
The summarize feature is particularly useful when editing non-fiction or technical documents. I wouldn’t say it’s as useful for fiction, but perhaps I haven’t found the correct way to use it yet. By asking AI to summarize a text, you avoid some of the headaches of deciphering what a technical document is about and receive a pretty accurate outline to help you process the information in a concise manner. ChatGPT is particularly useful in recognizing the key points of a document. Comprehending a lengthy technical document and determining what are the key points is time-consuming, and this trick can cut down some of that comprehension time. I recently used this trick for a technical how-to manual I was editing, and it saved me a lot of time understanding a topic that I’m personally not all that familiar with.
2. “Simplify this sentence”
This is another trick that comes in handy especially when technical editing. A lot of times, authors of technical manuals write in a more roundabout way, just because that is how the words came to them. But as we editors know, simple is best. If you come across a particularly wordy sentence that may be grammatically correct, but difficult to understand, asking ChatGPT to simplify the sentence can give you a great starting point for revision, but ultimately we have to use our judgment as editors to maintain the author's voice. I’ve rarely been able to take a suggestion for a simplified sentence verbatim, but I’ve had a few “oooooh” moments by putting the sentence into ChatGPT for a simpler suggestion.
3. “Check this text for typos, misspellings, and wrong punctuation”
AI by no means takes the place of a human proofreader, especially when dealing with particular style guides, images, style exceptions, and formatting. One limitation of AI is that it cannot fully comprehend the text like you and I. I consider myself pretty good at spotting typos and extra spaces, but I’ll never be as good as a computer. Running text through ChatGPT after proofreading can save you the pain of missing that one missing period or misspelled word.
I’m sure there are many, many more ways we can use ChatGPT in the editorial world. Instead of fearing it and avoiding it, why not use it as a tool? The truth is, it’s an inevitable part of the future of how everyone works, so we might as well use it. Using AI in editorial work, especially copyediting and proofreader, will only elevate the finished products we work on and enhance the overall reading experience.
In what ways have you used AI to streamline the editing process?