ChatGPT Told Me How To Win At Writing Despite All The AI

I asked Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT how to thrive in a world of AI and only ChatGPT gave an answer I can live with

Words have always fed me. Six, seven years old, carrying books home from the library two blocks from mama’s house, crawling in and out of stories like ants in a log, bees in a honeycomb. Filling my belly.

Laying on the floor, a fat red pencil gripped in little fingers, writing clumsy poems and stories about butterflies and wise old trees that could talk.

Don’t know why words always meant so much to me, but they did.

To write for a living? Omg, a dream come true. You know?

First time I got paid for writing was a print magazine. Mailed off words in manila envelopes, crossed my fingers and sometimes they came back in the mail but other times they paid me and I just — couldn’t get enough.

I did every kind of writing someone would pay for. Copywriting, essays, ghostwriting, op-eds, tutorials, business articles, ad-copy, didn’t matter what kind of writing it was. It was just — the magic of stringing words.

Never thought there’d be a day words let me down.

Never thought there would be a day writing broke my heart.

But then, I never imagined a day when computers could write well enough to fool humans into thinking it’s human. But they can now, and they do.

Ask any kid how monsters show up, they’ll tell you.

You see the shadow first. And you watch, horrified. Because you know. The minute you look away, just for a blink, that monster is coming. For you.

ChatGPT launched in November, 2022 and just over a year later, 57.1% of the internet was AI generated text. Analysts say in 2025, 90% of the internet will be AI generated text. That’s sometime this year. That future is now.

I don’t hate AI. There’s a lot of great uses for it. It’s solving a lot of problems, like spotting cancer faster, saving lives, helping the environment. But it’s also a cheat that can write faster than a human.

And I’m sorry to anyone who finds it offensive, but AI isn’t writing.

The work of figuring out which words to put down? Coming up with the best words, editing, figuring out the clearest and the most impactful way to say a thing? That’s what writing is.

Now AI does that for you and no one even knows.

Some people don’t care if a machine wrote it. Why would someone who doesn’t write care about the craft of writing? They don’t. Other people like to think they recognize AI writing but truth is we can’t tell human writing from AI anymore. Maybe a few updates ago. Not anymore.

Know how that plays out for a writer?

Log into a writing site, see writers posting two, three stories a day. Sixty, seventy stories a month. Does anyone stop to realize a human being isn’t churning out that kind of volume unassisted? Most people don’t.

Log into another writing site, there’s a guy at the top of the leaderboard, teaching people to make a living writing using AI.

Log into a zoom call, a client asks if I can edit ChatGPT blog posts.

I read a Wired story that said AI feels like the nail in the coffin for writers.

And I feel that. To the bones.

I walk into my office with a Cappuccino from the little coffee shop up the street. Sometimes a walk helps clear the cobwebs. I’ve decided what to do. I’m going to ask AI what to do about the problem it created. See what it has to say. Y’all created this mess, y’all can tell me the way out of it.

I log into Claude first. If you’re not familiar with Claude, it’s another AI tool like ChatGPT, but owned and operated by former OpenAI researchers.

I type in the prompt.

The prompt: I’m a writer and I used to do really well. Now people are using AI, creating more content than I can compete with. Writers are struggling. How can writers like me thrive in the world of AI? Please answer concisely.

Here’s what Claude tells me.

Claude’s reply: As a writer witnessing the rise of AI, it’s natural to feel uncertain about the future of your craft. Writers can thrive alongside AI by focusing on these strategies:

• See AI as a tool rather than competition. AI can handle research, editing, and create drafts, freeing you to focus on creative direction and refinement.

• Learn to guide AI effectively. Writers who master prompt engineering and AI collaboration have advantages in efficiency while maintaining quality.

Claude tells me to become the creative director and let AI write my words for me. Tells me to learn prompt engineering. If you can’t beat them, join them? Thanks, but no thanks, Claude.

I log into Gemini next. Gemini used to be called Bard and it’s owned by Google. They launched it when they saw ChatGPT kicking butt.

I type in the exact same prompt.

Copy and paste, just to be sure.

The prompt: I’m a writer and I used to do really well. Now people are using AI, creating more content than I can compete with. Writers are struggling. How can writers like me thrive in the world of AI? Please answer concisely.

Here’s what Gemini tells me.

Gemini’s reply: It’s understandable that writers feel concerned about the rise of AI. However, there are numerous ways writers can not only survive but thrive in this evolving landscape. Here’s a concise breakdown:

Embrace AI as a Tool: Think of AI as an assistant. It can help with research, brainstorming, outlining, and drafts. Your role becomes curator and editor, shaping AI-generated content into something truly compelling.

Prompt Engineering: Learn how to craft effective prompts to get the most out of AI writing tools. This skill is becoming increasingly valuable in the age of AI.

AI is not a threat, but a tool to enhance and augment human creativity. Invest in your development by taking courses and workshops on AI. By adapting to the changing landscape, you can thrive as a writer in the age of AI.

I don’t want to be a “curator and editor.” That’s the kind of garbage people say when they try convince themselves they’re writers when they aren’t putting the words on the page. Thanks, but no thanks, Gemini.

Here’s what Claude and Gemini don’t get. Same thing people using AI don’t seem to get. AI is not writing. I’m sorry, but it’s not.

Coming up with better AI prompts isn’t writing.

Writing is copyrightable. As a writer, you own the copyright on words you create the minute you put them into a tangible form, like online.

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, there is no copyright protection for work created by non-humans, including machines. Therefore, the product of a generative AI model cannot be copyrighted.

And I know. People using AI don’t care about that.

They don’t care about copyright any more than the creators of AI cared about copyright when they violated the copyright of every writer whose work they took without consent or compensation to create AI.

You know who cares about copyright? Writers.

Finally? I asked ChatGPT the same question.

The prompt: I’m a writer and I used to do really well. Now people are using AI, creating more content than I can compete with. Writers are struggling. How can writers like me thrive in the world of AI? Please answer concisely.

Here’s what ChatGPT told me.

A real answer by AI, about AI.

ChatGPT’s reply: You’re not alone in this — many writers are feeling the impact of AI on the industry. But there are still ways to thrive:

1. Write Premium Content — Platforms like Substack, Patreon, and Ko-Fi allow writers to build audiences who pay for content. Newsletters or essays on these platforms can help you thrive. Use AI to speed up research or generate ideas.

2. Diversify Income Streams — Expand beyond freelancing. Consider teaching, creating digital products, or consulting. Writers who build strong personal brands can attract opportunities AI writers can’t compete with.

3. Fight for Ethical AI Use — Writers should fight and advocate for ethical AI policies in publishing, ensuring fair compensation and transparency.

In a word? Bravo.

Well done, ChatGPT.

So if you’re wondering how to make it as a writer in a world of AI? There you have it. Straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.