Understanding AI writing tools and writing assistants
Use AI writing tools, such as those in Word, to improve your writing, get work done faster, and minimize mistakes.
How can AI help me write?
AI writing tools refine content by checking spelling, grammar, and tone and making other suggestions for improvement. An AI writing assistant takes it a step further by helping generate content through prompts.
What do AI writing tools do?
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Generate content
Save time writing with an AI writing assistant. Simply tell it what you’d like to write about, specify the length you want, and include any relevant subtopics you’d like covered.
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Check for spelling and grammar
Most popular word processors have a spelling and grammar-checking feature built in to flag errors in your writing.
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Predict what you’re going to say
Word processors with an auto-complete feature will guess what you’re about to type before you type it, which speeds up writing.
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Summarize lengthy text
When researching background information for a topic you’re writing about, ask an AI writing assistant to summarize useful articles you find, so you get straight to the main points.
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Improve your writing
Regular use of an AI writing tool can enhance your writing skills. As you become familiar with the spelling and grammar corrections it suggests, you'll start to remember and apply these rules in your writing beforehand, ultimately becoming a more proficient writer.
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Make personalized recommendations
Depending on the AI writing tool you’re using, it may offer tailored recommendations that take your writing history and goals into account.
What features does an AI writing assistant have?
AI writing assistants vary in the features they offer. Here are some examples of what to look for when researching features:
- Writing style and tone adjustments. Different audiences are best reached by adjusting your writing style and tone to speak to their needs. Be sure to choose an AI writing assistant that has the flexibility to use different tones—for example, professional, academic, plain language, or playful.
- Help with brainstorming. Writing doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes just seeing a list of ideas can jump-start your own creative process, even if none of the ideas are quite right. For example, if you ask an AI writing assistant for a list of ideas to name a new product, you might not like any of them enough to use. But by taking this first step and seeing what doesn’t work, it can help your brain focus on what does. AI writing isn’t made to return perfect results every time, but to assist you in getting the process going.
- Search engine optimization (SEO). If you’re writing for the web, you probably know how necessary it is to use the right keywords so your content is findable in search results. Ask your AI writing assistant to suggest relevant keywords to help with SEO.
- Summarization. Some writing requires a fair amount of background research. An AI writing assistant can help you get to the main points of an article quickly by summarizing it for you, which reduces time spent researching.
- A plagiarism detector. Having a built-in plagiarism detector is a major benefit when writing with AI. Because AI writing assistants pull information from many online sources, it’s important to not only fact check any content generated but also make sure it’s original.
- Language translation. As you research background information for what you’ll write about, translate relevant articles in other languages to incorporate broader perspectives into your work.
- Voice-to-text conversion. If thinking out loud is a natural part of your creative process, this feature is for you. Choose an AI writing assistant that allows you to dictate your thoughts and convert them to writing.
- Text analysis. After you’ve written a piece—with or without AI help—consider using AI to analyze it from different perspectives. For example, maybe it’s a sensitive topic, and you want to make sure the tone is balanced and doesn’t sound like any unintentional bias is creeping in. Ask your AI writing assistant to analyze the piece for potential bias.
- Data visualization. Sometimes the best way to talk about data in a piece you’re writing is by showing, not telling. Help out visual learners by asking AI to convert a set of statistics into a pie chart or bar graph.
- Compatibility with other business apps. Having an AI writing assistant on its own is valuable, but having one that works with the other productivity apps that you use daily (for example, your email, chat, and slideshow apps) is a game-changer that opens up endless possibilities for how to get work done more efficiently.
What are the most used AI writing tools?
One of the most popular AI writing tools is something you may not think about as being AI—spellcheck and grammar check. This is a great example of how long AI has been helping people in ways they don’t always consider. By drawing on a large database of grammar and spelling rules, the AI uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze text, compare it against common errors, and suggest changes.
More recently, AI-generated content has also become a popular AI writing tool. And it’s easy to understand why. Much like how spellcheck and grammar check can accelerate the review process by preventing many errors, an AI writing assistant also cuts down overall time spent on writing.
That said, AI isn’t meant to be a replacement for humans. There’s simply too much nuance, exceptions, and specialized expertise that go into writing that call for human judgment. Think of AI as a powerful tool in the bigger picture of your role rather than something that can write perfectly without any oversight needed.
How do I use an AI writing assistant?
Short-form writing
This type of writing includes advertisements, article titles, product names, and email writing. Here are some example prompts:
- “Write an email to my team about our top priorities for next quarter based on this file: [file link].”
- “Suggest 10 compelling taglines for the new product discussed in this file: [file link].”
- “How can I more concisely describe time management?”
Long-form writing
This type of writing includes reports, articles, blog posts, white papers, and presentations. Here are some example prompts:
- “Create a presentation about how to effectively volunteer for a nonprofit organization with a slide about how to evaluate impact.”
- “Draft a business plan outline for a sustainable marketing company.”
- “Write a white paper about design thinking.”
Background research
Though not a form of writing, background research is often a big part of the writing process. Here are some example prompts:
- “What does this article say about executive roles and responsibilities?”
- “What font should I use to make this more readable?”
- “What arguments does this document make?”
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Frequently asked questions
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AI writing tools help improve and speed up your writing by generating content and proofreading for writing basics, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They can also summarize lengthy content as you research background information for the topic you’re writing about.
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Some benefits of using AI copywriting tools for content creation include:
- Writing more quickly.
- Generating lists of ideas.
- Unblocking writers’ block.
- Playing with different writing styles and tones to decide which is the right fit for your audience.
- Receiving automated writing help for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
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No. AI writing tools are a powerful way to get work done faster, but human oversight and editing are key parts of the AI writing process. It’s crucial for someone to review AI-generated content to make sure it’s accurate and well suited for your needs.
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Some AI writing tools have built-in plagiarism detectors that flag content that isn’t original by checking against what’s published online.
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The main disadvantage of AI writing tools is sometimes they get things wrong. This is why it’s important to always fact check any content that AI generates.
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