Can You Use AI for Freelance Writing?

Artificial Intelligence has had a huge impact on the content writing and marketing industry in the last few years. 

AI tools can be a powerful boost to a writing strategy, and freelance writers can increase their productivity by leveraging AI skills. 

Yet, balancing AI efficiency and human originality can be difficult to manage. 

This guide offers useful tips for freelance writers interested in embracing AI tools transparently to assist them while keeping their clients informed and satisfied.

Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

• Freelance writers and clients must discuss whether AI tools are permitted (and to what extent) at the start of a project.
• Writers must familiarize themselves with AI tools to determine what works best for their strategy.
• AI content needs proofreading just as much — if not more— than human-written copy.
• AI-generated information must be fact-checked every time.
• AI content can pose problems that it’s important to be aware of, such as Google Penalties, or content being classified by Google Search Quality Raters as lowest quality.

Maintain transparency in the content you create and publish with the best-in-class Originality.ai AI Checker.

1. Ensure Transparency in Contracts With Clients

With the widespread use of AI in writing and content marketing, it is necessary to address it in freelance contracts. 

When drafting a contract with a new client, be sure to establish clear guidelines that specify when AI can be used in the process (if at all) and to what extent. 

This can include whether an AI detector will be used to check the content and what the consequences of breaching the guidelines are.

Incorporating AI guidelines into a contract is professional, proactive, and ensures your client will be satisfied with the process and content produced.

Learn more about incorporating AI guidelines into freelance writing contracts.

2. Best Practices for Using AI in Freelance Writing

When choosing to incorporate AI tools into writing as a freelancer, it depends on the guidelines set out at the beginning of the freelance writing contract. 

If they are permitted, as a best practice, you could opt to use them for brainstorming, outlines, and content briefs to spark creativity.

Many writers also use AI to help them research or beat writer’s block. 

For example, tools like ChatGPT can create an outline for an article topic in seconds, complete with subheadings and bullet-point ideas to get you started. 

Writers can then review the outline and pick the most relevant points to add to their own article outline.

AI can also be used to help you brainstorm and kickstart research by producing relevant points or keywords related to your topic. This increases efficiency by initiating the ideation phase.

From there, you can craft high-quality people-first content for your project.

3. Proofread and Edit for Tone, Voice, and Brand Alignment

Proofreading is an essential part of writing. 

However, with the use of AI, the editing step becomes even more vital to the process. 

Any AI-generated content (even if it’s just headings and outlines) needs to be heavily edited by a skilled writer and/or editor to ensure that it matches the tone and style of other pieces the brand publishes

This is referred to as “brand alignment,” and it is a crucial part of building a trustworthy brand. 

As a freelance writer, always take the time to review your client’s other articles, blog, and web content. 

Use this as a starting point when developing tone in your copy. Adjust headings, prompts, and content to match this tone and style to maintain consistent branding for your client.

4. Fact-Check for Accuracy 

One of the most important steps when using AI tools to assist in content writing is fact-checking AI-generated content. 

AI can hallucinate (and generate false information that it presents as fact), so verify the validity before you click publish. Just recently, several US newspapers published a list of books that were, in fact, AI hallucinations (learn more in our article on the AI book list scandal).

So, it is imperative that you, as the writer, fact-check any information provided by AI. This includes ideas and facts provided in the outline or brainstorming phase.

This stage is crucial to ensure that you’re providing accurate, reliable information for your clients. 

AI and Freelance Writing: Final Thoughts

Transparency about AI tools in freelance writing is imperative to maintaining client satisfaction and building a strong reputation for your freelancing business. 

Looking for a best-in-class suite of patented editorial tools? Check out the Originality.ai Grammar Checker, AI Checker, and Content Optimizer.

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