Using AI at Each Step of the Writing Process, Part 2: Planning

Undoubtedly, AI is a spectacular information giver during the first step of the writing process, planning. It instantaneously provides an overload of content within five seconds of a prompt. "Provide a seven-day itinerary of the Amalfi Coast avoiding the most touristy spots ... Create a list of ideas for a proposal to eliminate the New York City congestion tax ... Generate talking points for an appeal to management for a two-day-a-week remote work schedule ..." I was pleased with AI's results for all these prompts. In each case, I immediately received information in what would have taken me hours or days to gather and organize without AI's help.

But I did not accept any of these collections as comprehensive. Some of the information was irrelevant, excessive, insufficient, vague, unorganized, or premature. In no case was I ready to write a rough draft. Each situation demanded that I plan some more. 

Lessons learned:

• Determine the reader's concerns. Reflect on what your audience needs to understand your topic or make an informed decision—and by extension, what AI needs to know to give you what you want to write.
• Phrase prompts specifically. For examples, the Amalfi Coast request could have included the time of year and personal interests, the congestion tax proposal could have mentioned the concerns of the New York State governor, and the remote work appeal could have noted the types of affected jobs. 
• Decide on the best structure. AI lays out easily scannable information, but you must choose the structure that works best for your case.

It may be inaccurate to call AI creative; information collector would be a more precise term. Yet its ability to generate loads of content for us so quickly can spark new ideas for us as we review its results. We just need to remember that AI is merely a super-fast assistant, but we are the writer.