More Powerful than AI
AI is going to kill routine jobs. But it won’t kill jobs that require expertise and human judgment.
That’s why it’s important for editors to move beyond basic skills like proofreading. It’s not enough to say, “But homophones!” Most people will accept a small error rate if it means they can save three thousand dollars. Most people already do.
Why AI Won’t Take Over All Editorial Roles
But when an author needs help creating a more powerful ending, or can’t figure out how to solve a story problem, or doesn’t have the necessary skill to see their vision to fruition, they turn to an editor—a human editor. And that won’t change.
I’ve been at this a long time and over the course of my career, I have had to constantly learn new skills so that I don’t become obsolete. It’s a mistake to think that at some point you’ll know everything you need to know and now you can just do it.
Think about ways you can make yourself indispensable as an editor. I don’t mean by piling more work on your plate. I do mean by doing the kinds of work that only humans with expertise and judgment can do.
This is why I encourage you to explore moving into line editing, developmental editing, book doctoring, coaching, and the like. Humans do those things far better than AI can, or ever will.
