What happens when everyone writes well

Apple is going to release a version of Grammarly for free and directly integrated into the operating system for a vast number of people¹. Samsung too. If you don’t know Grammarly², it is a spell checker on steroids. It can spellcheck, proofread, and rewrite your text to match particular styles. So, finally, everyone will write well. No spelling mistakes. No grammatical errors. Ai will write for us, sanitise our prose, and double-check it. Like a washing machine wash clothes. Ai is a washing machine for words, opinions, sentiments and feelings. Settings let us put in different detergents: professional, friendly, casual, à la Hemingway, etc. Akin to Instagram photographic filters but for text.

Is Ai going to teach us how to write well? Could we learn by example by seeing how AI recomposes, spellchecks, and gives feedback on our prose? The alternative scenario is that we will forget how to write. There is no need to put in the effort since our buddy AI will rewrite it for us and make it look good. Right? “Computer, make it look good”. From my experience, we had automatic spelling correction on computers for a while; however, I’ve not learned anything from it. The UX of current spell checkers doesn’t work as a learning tool. Grammarly is quite good at teaching us, but Apple intelligence seems to pass on this.

AI has the potential to make us better humans and better versions of ourselves. Introverts will be able to communicate fluidly and ask their burning questions to ChatGPT instead of an intimidating teacher. Better and clear conversations will speed up business and progress. But this all depends on the proper UX. Do you remember how we developed a new language with early phones and the advent of SMS in the late 1990s and early 2000³? “It is gr8 2 cu 2nite”. Tools or input methods forge new languages. Languages evolve with time and context. Ai writing tools might do the same and give us a sort of Newspeak⁴ that diminishes the range of thoughts and emotions. We don’t need to add details and use precise words in our communications; AI will do it by filling in the blanks.

Let’s give control to the autopilot. We will have each other’s AI compose and send answers on our behalf from pick up lines on Tinder to business communications. Words will be exchanged automatically on the network, passing through many filters, altered, summarised, abbreviated, and condensed. Your AI will summarise my AI-generated answer to your email because you don’t have the time to read it. I will be happier in a world where I can redact all the passive-aggressive elements from the communication I produce and receive. However, it might insulate me and make me live in an emotionless fantasy where everything is okay, everyone sounds intelligent, and prose is dissociated from the real emotions of the writer. Ultimately, why do we write to each other when voice, video, and recorded messages are ubiquitous in messaging apps? Writing is an inward action. You edit yourself. It is less raw and full of filler words like “um” and “err”. Writing produces more efficient content and lets the writer do more inward thinking. It is this conscientious inward thinking that is precious. How do I come across? Do I sound professional and authoritative? Are there any logical flaws in what I say? AI will be brilliant at helping us with that. However, there may be a consistency issue. People might start to say it doesn’t sound like Bob, and textual communication may lose credibility and appeal.