Best friend, worst enemy — a crystal ball perspective

What's the writing business going to look like 5 years from now? Do you think it's going to be more or less the same, or will AI and other technology trends transform it dramatically - if so, how? 

by Dietrich

What will it look like in five years? I don’t have any answers, but it does bring up some questions. Like will there be a seismic shift driven by AI? Will the business of writing be a little different, or will it be unrecognizable?

Some writers are already finding AI useful for brainstorming, refining drafts and taking over tedious tasks like grammar checking and formatting. Some may feel that leaning too heavily on AI might stifle their creativity. Then there’s the issue of ethics around using AI-generated content, especially if it’s not disclosed to readers or publishers. There’s also the question of potentially over-saturating the market, making it harder for human-crafted stories to stand out.

I’m on the side of the human touch—a writer’s style and voice without algorithmic influence—believing it preserves emotional depth and originality in storytelling.

Let’s face it, technology is reshaping the landscape, and in five years writers will certainly be able to use AI writing tools for more than polishing grammar and checking facts. A writer may be able to feed an AI a rough draft and have it collaborate, co-create narratives, suggest plot twists and character arcs. It may be able to analyze reader preferences and predict trends. For some of us this will feel like a dystopian takeover and raise questions like: Will human writers still steer the ship, bringing emotional depth and cultural nuance that AI can’t replicate? Will data be the writer’s new best friend or his or her worst enemy?

Technology promises to redefine how stories are consumed. I recently read that by 2030, we may be crafting narratives for immersive platforms, where readers enter a story via VR headsets. Imagine a thriller where the reader chooses a character’s next move, with AI adjusting the plot based on their decisions. Writers may need to master non-linear storytelling, blending traditional prose with game-like interactivity. A shift like that would demand new skills where the writer becomes part coder, part experience designer. 

Will real-time analytics be able to fine-tune a writer’s work and optimize it for viral potential? And could the downside lead to formulaic writing and predictable patterns, with more focus going to trends than originality? AI generated content could flood the market, but if the quality suffers, it may bring readers back around to craving novels written by humans.

And where will the new technology leave traditional publishing? Will legacy publishers need to pivot to stand out in an AI-saturated market? Will self-publishing move to the forefront as AI tools increasingly help writers edit, design and market their work directly to readers. Will writers need to certify their work as AI-free or disclose AI’s role in the process?

There’s no doubt that technology is advancing, but I’d like to think the core and creativity of storytelling—human emotion and connection—will hang in there and that technology will be there to assist to that end. And that a creative mind and a distinct voice will remain the writer’s best currency moving forward.