Reflections on training a critical writing friend
A lot of marketers are exploring AI to churn out content faster. I think that’s a mistake.
Using AI as a mindless content mill is a race to the bottom. The internet is already full of generic, soulless articles. The real, sustainable value of these tools is to augment the writer. Which can speed up the writing process, but not always. It’s about building an expert partner to elevate your craft.
This was the core idea I shared with my marketing colleagues at the University of Huddersfield this week.
Word got out after I’d helped a few of them develop their own “critical writing friends,” and I was asked to run a session on how I use AI in my own process.
We spent an hour looking at the difference a well-trained AI persona can make, moving beyond the generic “out of the box” experience to create something genuinely useful.
The 4-Step Blueprint
At the heart of the session was the simple, four-step blueprint I use to train an AI for a specific task. This is the same framework I use in my AI writing workshop:
- Intent: What is the specific job you are hiring the AI to do?
- Persona: Who do you need the AI to be? (e.g., an expert editor, a creative brainstormer).
- Collaboration Process: How will you work together?
- Tone of Voice & Style Guide: What are the rules of your brand’s voice?
Think “pair writing,” not automation
The best way to understand my approach is to think of it like a pair writing session.
When I work with a human partner, we don’t just automate each other’s work. It’s a dynamic, back-and-forth process. I write something, they edit it. They write something, I edit it. We interrogate and push each other’s copy to refine it and make it stronger.
That’s how I use AI. It acts as my tireless editor and my strategic sounding board. It helps me structure my thoughts and challenges my assumptions, but the final words, the core ideas, and the authentic voice remain mine.
It’s a slower, more deliberate process than just hitting “generate,” but the result is infinitely better. And it’s how we can all use these incredible new tools to elevate our craft, not just our output.