We’ve already looked at the ethics of AI in content – but before we go there, we need to face the hidden costs: the environmental toll, the erosion of editorial care, the quiet reshaping of creative work. And then there’s the problem that keeps being sold as a solution: AI efficiency.
I tested it. That last blog? Here’s what it took:
1× concept
20+ rewrites
A chat that lasted more than an hour
Me checking hallucinations, rewriting sections, choosing images, cutting fluff, fixing weird phrasing, hyperbole, and fragments
And trying to nail down a keyword the LLM kept losing
It wasn’t fast. But it worked. Not because AI made it quick – but because I didn’t treat it like a typing tool. I treated it like a partner. I gave it the time to think with me.
This is the AI efficiency myth in action: the belief that AI will save us time. That it’s quicker. That it scales content seamlessly. But speed isn’t the same as value. And AI often isn’t even that fast - it just moves the friction into prompt engineering, rewriting, revision, confusion loops and deep cleans. It looks fast if you skip over that messy middle. But that middle is where meaning and quality live. The work is still there. It’s just different.
And yes - AI can be faster. It can accelerate drafts, surface ideas, and automate repeatable tasks. But that doesn’t mean it’s effortless. Where writing once meant staring into space, hunting for quotes, and willing a structure into existence - now, AI lets you do all of that at once. Ideas, references, and rough shapes appear in seconds. But what that saves in the front end, it demands back in the edit. You still have to interrogate every output. Check every fact. Weigh every phrase. If anything, the pressure to verify, refine, and take responsibility is even greater.
And yes, the traditional content process is slow. Meetings. Briefs. Approvals. Versions called “final.final_v9.” But the answer isn’t to replace all of that with something automated — it’s to reintroduce care at speed. That’s the real opportunity.
When we use AI to think, not just type, we do something radical: we keep quality at scale. We protect tone and truth while increasing reach. We move fast - but stay thoughtful.
Because to write with AI, you still have to read - all the outputs, all the variations, all the rewrites. You need editorial judgment. You need to focus on what matters: the lock, not the dogs.
That’s why this blog, like the last, isn’t AI-generated. It’s AI-assisted. And it’s better for it. Not just because it’s slower - but because it’s smarter. As researchers have noted:
“AI will be more effective if it augments (rather than replaces) human managers.”
It’s not a replacement for thinking. It’s a companion to it.