If you write for work — emails, reports, proposals, marketing copy — you’ve probably tried an AI writing tool. Maybe several. The question isn’t whether to use them. It’s which one and for what.

I’ve used ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and several others over the past year for various writing tasks. Here’s an honest assessment.

What AI Writing Tools Are Actually Good At

First drafts. Getting words on a page is often the hardest part. AI tools generate reasonable first drafts quickly. You still need to rewrite substantially, but starting with something is easier than starting with nothing.

Summarising. Turning a 5,000-word report into a 500-word summary. This is where AI tools genuinely shine. They identify key points and condense effectively.

Reformatting. Converting a document from one format to another — turning meeting notes into an email, a list of points into a paragraph, technical content into plain language. Structural transformation is a strength.

Brainstorming. “Give me 20 blog topic ideas about [subject].” The ideas won’t all be good, but they’ll spark your own thinking. Using AI as a brainstorming partner is one of its best applications.

Email drafts. Particularly for routine, professional emails where the content is straightforward. “Write a polite follow-up email about [project] asking for an update” saves five minutes of crafting the right tone.

What AI Writing Tools Are Bad At

Original thinking. AI produces plausible text, not original ideas. If you need genuine insight, analysis, or a novel perspective, the AI won’t provide it. It’ll give you a polished version of common wisdom.

Factual accuracy. AI tools make things up. They present fabricated statistics, non-existent citations, and incorrect facts with complete confidence. Never publish AI-generated content without fact-checking everything.

Your voice. AI writes in a generic, often overly polished style. If your audience knows your writing, they’ll notice the difference. AI lacks the quirks, preferences, and personality that make writing distinctive.

Emotional nuance. Sensitive communications — delivering bad news, responding to complaints, expressing genuine empathy — require human judgment. AI-generated empathy reads as hollow because it is.

Avoiding detection. AI-generated text has patterns that both humans and detection tools can identify. Overreliance on AI for published content is increasingly risky for reputation and SEO.

The Major Tools Compared

ChatGPT (OpenAI) is the most popular and most versatile. It handles a wide range of writing tasks competently. The paid version (GPT-4) is significantly better than the free version. Good for most everyday writing tasks.

Claude (Anthropic) tends to produce more natural, less formulaic text. It’s better at following nuanced instructions and maintaining a specified tone. Particularly strong for longer-form content.

Gemini (Google) integrates with Google Workspace, which is its main advantage for business users. Quality is comparable to the others for most tasks. The integration with Google Docs makes it convenient for document work.

Jasper, Copy.ai, and similar are marketed specifically for marketing copy. They’re ChatGPT with a marketing-focused interface and templates. Useful if you write a lot of ads or social media content, but not necessary if you already use a general-purpose tool.

The Right Workflow

The most effective approach isn’t “write it for me.” It’s “help me write it faster and better.”

Use AI for first drafts, then rewrite. Generate the structure and rough content. Then rewrite it in your voice, add your specific knowledge, fact-check claims, and cut the generic filler.

Use AI for editing. Paste your draft and ask for feedback: “What’s unclear? What’s too long? What could be phrased better?” This is often more valuable than having AI write from scratch.

Use AI for specific subtasks. Instead of “write a blog post,” try “write a compelling introduction for a blog post about [topic] that opens with a surprising statistic” or “rewrite this paragraph to be more concise.”

The more specific your prompt, the better the output.

The Ethical Considerations

If you’re publishing content, be aware that many publications, employers, and clients have policies about AI-generated content. Some prohibit it. Others require disclosure.

Beyond policy, there’s the quality question. If your content sounds like every other AI-generated article, you’re not adding value. The point of writing is communication that only you can provide. If an AI can replace your writing entirely, the problem isn’t the AI — it’s that the writing wasn’t adding unique value in the first place.

The best use of AI writing tools is amplifying your thinking, not replacing it.

Businesses working with Team400 and other AI consultancies are finding that the real value isn’t in the AI doing the writing. It’s in the AI handling the routine work so people can focus on the thinking that matters.

My Recommendation

Pick one tool and learn it well. ChatGPT or Claude are the best general-purpose options. Use it as an assistant, not a replacement. Keep your critical thinking and your voice at the centre of your work.

The people who use AI writing tools most effectively are the ones who are already good writers. They know what good writing looks like, so they can direct the AI and evaluate its output. If you want to get better at using AI for writing, get better at writing.