A technologist's perspective on whether AI will replace writers

Today I’m thrilled to bring you the first of what I hope are many columns by my friend, publisher, and technologist . Chelle is one of the smartest people I know working in publishing, and her depth of knowledge about AI and technology in general is staggering.

She has brought all that knowledge to bear as the publisher of Indie Author Magazine, a publication I was lucky enough to guest edit last year with my business partner .

I’m very smart when it comes to tech but Chelle is about ten levels above me with the level of granular detail she has studied this stuff. If you don’t know about Indie Author Magazine, then you’re in for a treat.

I was fortunate that early in my career I worked for a company that understood precisely what they sold, and further, uniquely valued time and innovation. The owner of the company was someone in constant search of ways to do things smarter and faster. Ways to incorporate technology to replace the rote and inane tasks so that the people that worked for him could do the thing that he felt was key - working with customers. 

Like a snowplow on a mission for empty streets during a blizzard, he saw it as his sole job to get stuff out of the way of his employees having meaningful interactions with people. 

He formed an internal team focused on studying the processes of the company and its departments. One representative from each of the nine departments would gather each month and take turns educating the rest of the team on its workflows from end to end. Part of that education would include a time study the department had completed to understand how the customer’s transaction started and ended with their department and how long each “touch” took. From there, as a group, we would pick apart the workflow and consider ways to improve.

It was enlightening in two distinct ways. First, after the time study, the department head had a clearer picture of their own internal processes and often spotted quick fixes before the broader group could tackle ideas for improvement. Second, they looked the data at with 360-degree view from different department perspectives. The human resources representative looked at it from the employees’ perspective. The IT Department eyed it with ideas on how to employ technology. Finance looked at ways to save money, and so on. 

As the CEO, he understood he needed two things to see critical opportunities.

• Data

• Diverse perspectives

With a common shared purpose - finding more time to talk with customers - and armed with information, ideas came flooding in. Some were simple; if we reduced mistakes, then we could reach out proactively to check in. If we batched tasks together, or moved them from one department to the other, we could free up time and increase our satisfaction scores. 

Sometimes it felt counterintuitive to my techie brain. I desperately wanted to automate those interactions, rather than increase the person-to-person connection. My arguments were sound. It was efficient. It was more accurate. It took the possibility of human mistakes out of the equation. 

But my boss was right then, and it’s an important idea now. 

Sure, there was email that made the interaction faster. There were forms that could make things streamlined. The website could standardize information. But nothing could replace the person-to-person connection that he saw as the actual thing he sold. 

Just for the frame of reference, the industry was corporate travel management. But, honestly, it doesn’t matter what industry it was. The big idea remains the same. 

Technology in any form — including “AI” such as it is  — can’t replace the basic human connection at the heart of commerce. It can streamline it. It can simplify it. It can improve it, but it can’t replace it. 

I say this because as part of a new series that Russell’s asked me to write, a lot of what I’ll share is about using technology to streamline your author business. I have an entire playbook of recipes to automate the shit out of your business. 

But it’s important to start with this anchor. Technology won’t replace you. It won’t replace your imagination or your ability to tell stories. It won’t replace your connection with your readers, nor their insatiable curiosity about your art. 

What it can do is free you from the time-suck of repetitive marketing and publishing activities that keep you from what only you can do — creating, dreaming, ideating, and sharing. That’s my goal as a technologist and business strategist in this series. To help you get absolute clarity on what only you can do (which hopefully overlaps with what you love to do as well) and to automate or at least streamline or outsource the rest.

Chelle Honiker is an advocate for the empowerment of authorpreneurs, recognizing the importance of authors taking charge of both their craft and careers. In response to this need, she has founded a media and training company dedicated to supporting these creative professionals. As the co-founder and publisher of Indie Author Magazine, IndieAuthorTraining, Indie Author Tools, and Direct2Readers.com, Chelle’s team of more than 80 writers, editors, trainers, and support staff provides resources and insights that help authors navigate the complexities of self-publishing. Her role as the programming director for Author Nation, an annual conference in Las Vegas, further exemplifies her commitment to fostering a community where authors can grow and succeed. With a career spanning over two decades in executive operations and leadership, Chelle has honed her skills in managing complex projects and delivering impactful training programs. Her experience as a speaker and TEDx Organizer has taken her to many countries, where she has shared her insights with diverse audiences.

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