Where Do AI Tools Fit in the Editing Process?

There is no mistaking that AI is here and becoming increasingly integrated across industries.

There are numerous AI programs that can be used in editing. Yet, while AI can be a useful tool to enhance and speed up the editing process, it’s not the end-all. 

You still must use editorial skills and expertise to polish content. 

If you learn AI tools and apply them to accentuate your editorial knowledge, you can improve efficiency in your editorial team. Let’s take a closer look.

Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

Use AI tools in the editorial process to: 

• Check for duplicate content or plagiarism
• Identify AI-generated content 
• Adhere to style guidelines
• Enrich content with research (just remember to fact-check)
• Improve understanding of subject material
• Optimize content to improve SEO
• Improve headlines and subheadings
• Proofread for grammatical errors or typos

Get a patented content quality toolkit to streamline your editing process with the Originality.ai Content Optimizer, AI Checker, and Plagiarism Checker.

Check for Duplicate Content

Plagiarism can cause significant consequences:

• It can negatively impact brand reputation. 
• Causes issues for SEO rankings with duplicate content. 
• May result in copyright infringement.

An AI-powered Plagiarism Detector can quickly scan articles to help you identify potential instances of plagiarism or spot where to add missing citations.

Find AI-Generated Content

Studies have shown that humans struggle to identify AI.

Although the tone, cadence of the language, or obvious ChatGPT sayings can indicate AI-generated text, it is difficult for human editors and content reviewers to spot. 

Use an AI detector to confidently review whether a writer submitted AI-generated text, then watch a replay of the whole writing process from beginning to end with the Originality.ai Chrome Extension.

Use AI to Follow Your Style Guidelines

AI can check a piece of content for voice and tone that aligns with your style guide. 

To try it out, provide AI with examples of your brand’s tone and voice. Then, have it quickly check your writer’s content to determine if the article aligns with your guidelines. 

This step should support an editor (rather than replace them).

It can help point an editor in the right direction as to where the article needs improvement.

Enrich Content With AI Research

Think something is missing during content review?

• Perhaps the article may not have enough depth and needs more information to support assertions. 
• Descriptions may lack details and fall flat. 

In these instances, you can incorporate AI for research to find supporting statistics and additional sources to add depth to the articles. 

However, make sure to fact-check, as AI can produce hallucinations, such as with the AI book list scandal.

Understand the Subject Material

Similar to enriching content with details, using AI for research can provide an initial overview of the subject material prior to editing.

If you’re editing an article, it’s imperative that you understand the subject matter. Knowing the material lets you see if the writer is being too vague or even too detailed.

AI can gather information and summarize it into digestible bites. You can instruct it to simplify the jargon and technical concepts. So, instead of taking hours to learn about the subject, within minutes, AI offers a synopsis that aids you in editing.

Again, keep in mind that AI isn’t always factual. Use it as a way to generally become familiar with the topic. Then, any details should be fact-checked through proper sources. 

Streamline Content Optimization

Using the Originality.ai Content Optimizer with intelligent, AI-powered SEO insights can help you make genuine content improvements and identify relevant keywords for the topic (plus, it’s resistant to keyword stuffing).

Keep in mind that when optimizing content, keywords should be strategically placed throughout the article. Keyword stuffing should be avoided and is an outdated SEO tactic.

Improve Headlines or Subheadings

Looking for suggestions on how to improve headlines or subheadings? AI can help.

Input an article into AI and use an AI prompt to get suggestions on how you can improve the headings and subheadings.

Once AI has generated suggestions, these can be passed on to the writer as part of the editing process. They can then put the suggestions in their own words.

AI Proofreading for Grammar and Spelling

AI is invaluable for proofreading an article. It can help to ensure the content is free of punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors, such as with an AI Grammar Checker.

Even though you may be great at punctuation, a missed period or extra space may fall between the cracks. 

AI finds these errors and allows you to fix them quickly. This saves valuable time.

Final Thoughts

There are many AI tools available to help expedite the editing process. 

From SEO help to proofreading, these tools will streamline the editing process. However, it’s still essential to incorporate your editing skills. 

You still need to polish the final copy to ensure it aligns with brand voice and editorial guidelines.

Streamline your editing process with the Originality.ai Content Optimizer, AI Checker, Fact Checker, Grammar Checker, and Plagiarism Checker.

Then, learn more about AI and its role in editing and writing:

• Can You Use AI for Freelance Writing?
• Writer Checker: How to Check a Writer's Work
• Copywriters and AI — Best Practices
• 5 AI Skills for Freelance Writers in 2025