In a Couple of Decades, There Won't Be Many People Who Can Write

24 Nov 2024 #misc

There will only be writes and write-nots.

That’s Paul Graham’s prediction about the future of writing in the days of AI.

Here are my comments on Paul Graham’s post:

1. “To write well you have to think clearly, and thinking clearly is hard”

Clear thinking is the most important reason to write. You need to order your thoughts before putting them on paper or in a document.

If you know how to write and how to speak in public, you’re unstoppable. I heard that from Jordan Peterson somewhere on YouTube.

Write to think and don’t outsource your thinking.

2. “Writing pervades many jobs”

That’s true for us, coders and software engineers too. Writing is everywhere in our software projects. From README files to user stories to product announcements.

And, the higher up you go, it’s less about coding and more about communication. And except for meetings, you’ll spend more time writing than coding.

3. “Almost all pressure to write has dissipated”

Sure, AI can generate blog posts, sales pages, and any other form of writing.

But, by design, AI generates average writing. That’s its goal. We can tell it by looking at the opening line of any AI-generated text. “In the realm of…” or “In the world of…” Nothing screams AI more than that.

AI will bring more average content. We’re already seeing it. Try searching anything in Google these days.

The printing press didn’t kill books. Social networks didn’t kill bars. Instragram didn’t kill photography.

AI won’t kill writing. AI will only make writing more valuable than ever.