Who does what: you, AI and the blank page

Ask an AI to "write me a text about…" and within seconds you get something clean, correct, and just like every other text produced the same way. The problem isn't the quality of the language: it's that nobody is behind it. Your reader feels it, even if they can't say why.

So the right question isn't "can AI write?", but "what do I hand over, and what do I keep?".

What AI does very well

• Getting you unstuck: when you don't know where to start, it suggests ten angles, ten opening lines, ten titles. You may keep none of them, but you're no longer facing a blank page.
• Structuring: from scattered notes, it suggests a logical order, spots what repeats and what's missing.
• Proofreading: typos, overlong sentences, vague passages, repetition. It quickly sees what you no longer notice after rereading so many times.
• Offering alternatives: rephrasing a sentence that jars, finding a more precise word, adapting a text for another audience.

What stays with you

• The idea: what you have to say, your point of view, what you stand for. AI can rephrase it, not have it for you.
• Lived experience: the anecdote, the true detail, the precise memory. That's what makes a text unique, and it's what no tool knows about you.
• The tone: your way of saying things, your humour, your short or long sentences. You can teach it to the AI (that's the next lesson), but you're the one who judges whether it rings true.
• The final say: whatever goes out under your name, you approve it.

Three ways to work together

To know where you stand, one simple rule: the more the AI writes, the more you have to rewrite.

• AI as a coach: you write everything, it asks questions and critiques. Your voice stays intact.
• AI as an assistant: it suggests an outline or a passage, you rewrite it in your own words. The right balance for most texts.
• AI as a ghostwriter: it writes, you barely edit. Keep this for texts with no personal stake (instructions, a factual report), and even then, reread them.

A request to start in coach mode: "I need to write a few words for a colleague's retirement. Don't write it for me: ask me five questions to help me figure out what to say."