Professional writing is any type of writing used in the workplace. It can be used to convey factual information, persuade an audience or communicate internally within the company. In recent years, artificial intelligence has been making a significant impact on jobs for writers. AI can be used as a complementary tool, for example.

If you have a passion for the written word, you may be interested in pursuing writing as a career. Since AI has been incorporated into many different types of industries that rely on professional writing, it’s worth taking a look at how professional writing has changed in response.

What is professional writing like with AI? AI is being used in many different ways across industries, and sometimes its implementation has replaced professional writers with the intent of reducing business costs and boosting profits, according to the BBC.^{(See disclaimer 1)} Although AI does have impressive capabilities for content scaling, it is unlikely to replace professional writers entirely.^{(See disclaimer 2 )}

AI tools may create a workable outline for content, but they lack the critical thinking skills, emotional intelligence and human touch necessary to develop content that resonates with the audience. AI also tends to hallucinate, or fabricate information, and it lacks cultural awareness.^{(See disclaimer 2 )}Because of this, Upwork states it's often used as a complementary tool to supplement human professional writers.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

There are many ways to pursue writing as a career. Writing plays a central role in jobs such as:

• Grant writing to raise money for an organization or program
• Technical writing to clarify complex information
• Journalism to keep the public informed of recent events.
• Content marketing to elevate brand awareness and drive sales

These roles may often involve the use of AI tools to brainstorm ideas or create outlines for content.

Skills for Professional Writers

Professional writers can benefit from a diverse skill set, regardless of their industry. These days, that can incorporate skills needed for working with AI. Some examples include:^{(See disclaimer 3)}

• Fact-checking
• Quality control
• Emotional intelligence
• Editing and revising
• Writing AI prompts

Professional writing is needed in a wide range of industries and workplaces. It encompasses everything from consumer-facing marketing materials to technical manuals to fundraising grants to internal memos and beyond.

Here are seven industries that rely on professional writers to promote their products and services:

1. AI Product and Technology Companies

In technology companies, such as the ones that create and train AI algorithms, writers play a role in shaping the interactions between humans and AI systems. The goal is typically to help AI bots generate more accurate, human-sounding language.

Professional writers can help train AI algorithms by providing feedback and writing samples, along with refining the AI-generated content. For example, professional writers might offer an explanation of complex technical concepts, but written for a layperson audience to train AI bots to adjust language based on the audience’s needs.

2. Education, Online Learning and Credentialing

Professional writing is essential in the education field at all levels—from PreK-12 to higher education to professional development and professional certifications. Professionals rely on writing skills to develop curricula, lesson plans and structured, outcome-driven learning content. Writing is used to create instructional materials while ensuring content clarity, accessibility and alignment with the intended learning outcomes.

Professionals in the education field may turn to AI tools to enhance their work. AI may support personalization or help create content at scale. It may also be used to supplement assessment.

On the student side, it may be used to check grammar, brainstorm topic ideas or serve as a tutor. To ensure students use artificial intelligence tools in an ethical manner that does not disrupt the learning process, teachers may decide to require the submission of AI chat transcripts.

3. Healthcare, Public Service and Social Impact Organizations

Healthcare, public service and other social impact organizations rely on professional writing to convey information internally and to the public. Here, the focus is often on making complex, jargon-dense language more accessible to a layperson audience. Professionals can use clear language to provide clarity and increase trust among stakeholders, while keeping compliance requirements top of mind.

In these organizations, writers may create content intended for patients, citizens or communities. AI tools can be helpful for drafting the content or summarizing it, but owing to the priority on accuracy, human oversight is essential. Since AI algorithms tend to hallucinate and fabricate information, human writers must fact-check all content and exercise the ethical judgment that AI tools lack.

4. Marketing, Branding and Digital Experience Teams

Advertising and marketing campaigns rely on professional writing to convey a marketing message and encourage consumers to purchase products or services. Digital experience teams similarly rely on professional writing to ensure digital platforms and products, such as apps, enable users to navigate easily and find what they’re looking for.

AI can be integrated into this field. Writing teams can develop a strong brand voice and then train AI to develop drafts, outlines and other content aligned with that brand voice. Human writers can then edit and refine AI-generated content, ensuring the language sounds human. During this process, writers exercise editorial judgment, perform fact-checking and keep the audience’s needs in mind.

5. Research, Insights and Data-Driven Organizations

In any industry, organizations can rely on research and data-driven insights to make business decisions, set objectives and plan for the future while meeting the needs of today. Writers may use AI tools to analyze large data sets and summarize them. They may also synthesize the results of their research into accessible narratives, creating reports, charts and other executive-facing presentations.

6. Legal, Policy and Governance-Focused Fields

In legal, policy and governance-focused fields, precision is essential in professional writing. Writers may need to draft or explain regulations, policies and ethical standards. Responsible AI use, and transparency regarding that use, is crucial for maintaining trustworthiness. Writers may use AI tools for assistance with brainstorming ideas or developing outlines, but then create the draft of the content themselves.

7. UX, Digital Platforms and Service Design

User experience (UX) may be oriented largely toward the digital space, but it has a human-centered focus. The goal of UX is to ensure that digital platforms, services and products meet the needs and expectations of human users. Human writers may collaborate with AI systems to personalize or adapt content, but the human touch in this process is essential for creating intuitive, user-first platforms.

In any industry or workplace setting, the human element remains essential, as humans apply critical thinking, editorial judgment and ethical standards to the writing, along with essential fact-checking. This helps ensure that complex language is clear and accessible, and that the communication remains ethical and human-centered.

There is no universal pathway for pursuing a writing-intensive career, according to the BLS, but employers often expect job applicants to have a relevant degree, such as a degree in English, communications or journalism. It’s also helpful to obtain some entry-level experience, such as by completing an internship at a newspaper, nonprofit, advertising company or TV station.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

When developing your professional portfolio and looking for internship opportunities, reflect on the type of professional writing you’re interested in doing. You may also wish to become familiar with AI tools.

Grand Canyon University offers a broad range of liberal arts degrees for creative students who are interested in studying the humanities. You can earn a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing for New Media degree to examine professional writing in a variety of modern contexts, including multimedia writing and copywriting. You’ll examine how technologies, including raster- and vector-based graphics, can complement the impact of the written word.

Fill out the form on this page to speak with a university counselor about earning your degree in professional writing at GCU. Our Christian learning community strives to graduate community-minded servant leaders.