May 5, 2026
Don't give up your voice to AI
There’s a guy who occasionally publishes reviews on Reddit that are honest, informed and non-monetized. I trust him and have in fact bought one of the things he recommended. I use it often, and I’m glad to have it.
Lately, though, I’ve noticed something different about his reviews. They seem to flow a little better, the sentences are a little less awkward, the rough edges have been sanded off. Has he suddenly become a better writer? I would like to think so, but more likely he’s taken to running his reviews through AI.
What a shame.
Before, he had a voice, a personality that I could imagine with a passion he enjoyed writing about. Now, he’s . . . I don’t know what to call it. Some words on the internet?
If you really want to improve your writing, there are some great books to help you do that. A good start is On Writing Well by William Zinsser, which is itself well written and thus an easy read.
Here’s what he wrote in the book’s introduction in 2001:
Ultimately, however, good writing rests on craft and always will. I don't know what still newer electronic marvels are just around the corner to make writing twice as easy and twice as fast in the next 25 years. But I do know they won't make writing twice as good. That will still require plain old hard work — clear thinking — and the plain old tools of the English language.
Whatever you do, keep your own voice, even if it is unvarnished. It’s part of who you are, and we appreciate it.