Content Writing 11 Ways to Use AI To Improve Writing – Level The Field with Native Writers!

When you apply for writing jobs, the first thing you will notice are the clients constantly demanding “Native Writers” – these writers are essentially born or raised in English speaking countries. It’s something that hits close to home for me as a non-native writer. Day in and out, I witness the struggle and frustration of non-native writers – how we silently tolerate being excluded from job applications. It is unfair given the dedication and effort non-native writers put into their craft. But trust me, you’re not alone in this journey. In this blog, we’re going to unlock the secret to success for non-native writers who want to use AI to improve writing.

As you read, I want you to keep an open mind and be receptive.

There are More Non-Native English Speakers Than Native Speakers 

Yes, you read that right. 

Out of 1,453 million global English speakers, 373 million are native speakers and the remaining 1,080 million are non-native speakers. English is the 3rd most spoken Native language worldwide. [2]

Let’s Face It – AI Will Not Take Your Job But …

It has become an inevitable part of the writing journey. We can not ignore it or hate it for the changes it has brought in our writing career. 

Worst case, we can just ignore it and live with it. Best case, we can adapt it to our advantage and win in the writing industry. 

AI is a fast growing industry. Experts predict that AI will be responsible for 7% of total jobs in the USA by 2023. [1] Imagine what AI can do on a global scale!

Before things get out of control and you find yourself stuck in the native/non-native and AI/Non-AI writing war, here are some tips that will help you stand out from the crowd and establish a strong writing career.

How AI Can Help Non-Native English Writers Improve Their Skills?

AI acts as your personal writing assistant – it means that in literally any way you like. It can be your English teacher, language evaluator, grammar specialist and content style guide. Here are some ways in which you can improve your writing skills like native English speakers using AI:

Say Goodbye to Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

AI-powered writing tools are like your personal grammar and spell-checking superheroes. They catch those sneaky mistakes, like misplaced commas or embarrassing misspelled words, so you can write with confidence.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Use AI-powered writing tools to automatically check your grammar and spelling. Pay attention to the corrections and learn from them.

For Example

You can use an AI writing assistant to proofread your essay. It will point out common mistakes like the use of “your” instead of “you’re” in a sentence among others.

Here is you can ask AI to detect and fix grammatical errors:

Choose Better Words to Enhance Your English Writing

Get ready to level up your writing skills with AI by your side. AI suggests better words, offers awesome synonyms, and helps you craft sentences that sound more fluent and impressive.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Utilize AI’s word suggestions and synonyms to improve your vocabulary and add variety to your writing.

For Example

AI suggested that instead of repeatedly using “big” in my story, I can use its alternatives like “enormous,” “massive,” and “gigantic.” Incorporating these words enhanced my product descriptions to make them more vivid and engaging.

Valuable AI Language Assessment and Feedback 

AI doesn’t just point out mistakes; it gives you valuable feedback to help you dominate your writing skills. It’s like having a supportive mentor who guides you on your path to becoming a writing rockstar.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Take AI-based language proficiency assessments to identify your weaknesses and focus on improving specific areas.

For Example

I asked AI to prepare an English writing assessment for me and here’s what I got:

Expand Vocabulary Expansion and Engage Your Readers 

AI is your secret weapon for expanding your vocabulary arsenal. It provides you with cool synonyms, idioms, and expressions to make your writing more diverse, engaging, and downright awesome.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Use AI-powered tools to explore synonyms, idioms, and expressions to enrich your vocabulary and make your writing more captivating.

For Example

You can ask AI to give you synonyms for any word:

Interactive English Learning to Match Native Level

AI-powered language learning platforms make learning English addictively fun. You can ask AI to create interactive lessons and exercises tailored to your writing needs. These exercises will hook you in and improve your writing skills in no time.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Engage with AI-powered language learning platforms regularly, complete interactive exercises, and take advantage of personalized lessons to practice and improve your English skills.

For Example

You can ask AI to create interactive English learning exercises for you 

Writing Style Analysis: Mind-Blowing Techniques

Unleash your inner writing genius and analyze the techniques of successful English authors. AI helps you understand their mind-blowing writing styles so you can develop your unique and captivating writing style.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Analyze the writing styles of accomplished English authors using AI tools. Pay attention to their storytelling techniques, sentence structures, and use of literary devices to enhance your own writing.

For Example

I used an AI tool to analyze the writing style of my favorite author Jane Austen. I noticed their use of realism, irony, free indirect discourse and wittiness. Inspired by their technique, I incorporated similar elements into my own writing, making it more immersive and captivating.

Translation Assistance: Break Language Barriers 

AI-powered translation tools break down language barriers, allowing you to express your ideas with ease. Say goodbye to confusion and hello to clear, effective communication in English.

Actionable Native English Writing Tip:

Review the AI translations carefully to ensure accuracy and clarity when using an AI translator to translate content in any language.

For Example, 

You can use an AI-powered translation tool to convert any article from native English to Spanish. After receiving the translated text,  you can review and adjust it to ensure the intended meaning was accurately conveyed.

Limitations of AI in Content Writing – Beware of these AI Writing Mistakes

Like we discussed before, you can not rely only on AI content generation. The reason is that AI is a machine which reflects the data and programming it has been trained upon. Ultimately, it is the humans who get to decide which type of content output is valuable. Here are some more limitations of AI content writing:

AI Has Limited Contextual Understanding: 

AI models struggle with grasping context, often generating content that doesn’t accurately reflect the intended meaning. This can lead to inappropriate or inaccurate output.

AI Takes Things Too Literally!

Here is what it had to say about “breaking a leg”

My Intended Meaning was “I hope to perform exceptionally well at the concert tonight!”

But AI fails to understand the common idiomatic expression “break a leg” and produces a literal and incorrect interpretation.

AI Generally Lacks Creativity: 

AI tools rely on existing data, making it difficult for them to produce truly original content. They may churn out generic or formulaic text lacking the uniqueness and innovation humans provide.

You must have used AI For creating business intro and it must have given you a response similar to this:

Although the text is grammatically correct, it lacks originality and reads like a generic promotional statement.

AI Can Not Replace Domain Expertise:

 AI models lack specialized knowledge, resulting in technically incorrect or shallow content for niche industries. Human expertise ensures factual correctness and maintains credibility.

Content Inconsistencies and Errors: 

AI writing tools are prone to mistakes like grammar errors or awkward sentences. While useful for initial drafts, human review is necessary for polished, error-free content.

See this AI Output: 

The AI generates contradictory statements, causing inconsistency in the company’s messaging.

AI Can Not Replace Common Sense: 

AI tools struggle with logical coherence, sometimes generating text with no flow or contradicting established facts. Human intervention ensures logical and accurate content.

Check this AI Output:

You can easily spot fluff and redundancy. It kills content impact and unfortunately. 

AI Can Not Fully Get in The Shoes of Your Audience: 

AI models may not fully understand the target audience or their preferences. Human writers provide insight and tailor the content for maximum impact.

For example, most AI responses involve the use of words like “may”, “might be”, “can” 

Such a writing style reduces argument impact and confuses the reader rather than offering clarity. 

Bias and Ethical Writing Concerns: 

AI models can produce biased or discriminatory content if trained on biased data. Human oversight is vital to identify and rectify biases, ensuring fair and inclusive content.

This is because:

• It is trained on a massive dataset so its responses reflect the views and opinions expressed in those sources. For example, if the dataset widely contains USA data and information, then the responses will be more inclined towards US context.
• AI is programmed via neural networking and it is more likely to generate factual and objective text rather than subjective arguments.

To mitigate AI bias, you must use it in conjunction with other tools and resources.

Polish Your Professional Writing With Additional Tools 

Keyword Research Tools

SEO keyword analysis is an integral part of SEO writing. A good Keyword research tool identifies the right keywords to use in your writing, which can rank your content higher in SERPs.

Do: Use keyword research tools to identify the right keywords to use in your writing. This will help your content rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Don’t: Use the same keywords over and over again. This can make your content look spammy.

Who Should Use It? Keyword research tools can be used by SEO writers, copywriters, and anyone else who wants to improve the ranking of their content in search engines.

Popular Examples:

Content Analysis Tools

Content analysis tools identify what’s working for your competitors. You can improve your content strategy and bring more value to your text by using content analytics. 

Do: Use content analysis tools to analyze your competitors’ content. This can help you identify what’s working for them and what’s not.

Don’t: Rely solely on content analysis tools. They can’t tell you everything you need to know about your competitors’ content.

Who Should Use It? Content analysis tools can be used by SEO writers, copywriters, and anyone else who wants to improve the quality of their content.

Heuristic Analysis Tools

Like most non-native writers, you may use inappropriate phrases or words which do not really resonate with your audience. Additionally, you may face another challenge of constructing a clear and engaging argument to convey your point. Heuristic analysis tools check your content and identify areas for improvement. Based on their analysis, you can improve your overall content quality.

Do: Use heuristic analysis tools to assess the quality of your writing. This can help you identify any areas that need improvement.

Don’t: Use heuristic analysis tools as a replacement for human judgment. They can only provide a general overview of the quality of your writing.

Who Should Use It? Heuristic analysis tools can be used by SEO writers, copywriters, and anyone else who wants to improve the quality of their content.

Popular Example: Hemingway Editor & Flesch Kincaid Readability Test

Plagiarism Checkers

Original content is loved by readers and search engines alike. If you are just spinning content, you are not really bringing any new value for your readers. In fact content spinning and plagiarism are ethically and practically discouraged. Instead of copying anyone’s style, be authentic. Search engines and readers frown upon such content. To curb this issue, you can use plagiarism checkers to check your writing’s originality and avoid search engine penalties for copyright infringement.

Do: Use plagiarism checkers to ensure that your writing is original. This is important for both SEO writing and copywriting, as plagiarism can get you penalized by search engines.

Don’t: Rely solely on plagiarism checkers. They can’t tell you if your content is original in terms of ideas.

Who Should Use It? Plagiarism checkers can be used by SEO writers, copywriters, and anyone else who wants to ensure that their content is original.

Popular Example: Copyscape & PrePostSEO

Grammar Checkers

Non-Native writers often make the most common grammatical mistakes such as incorrect punctuation, improper sentence structure, and too much use of indirect or passive voice. Grammar checkers can help you identify and correct grammar errors in your writing, which can help you improve the overall quality of your content.

Do: Use grammar checkers to identify and correct grammar errors in your writing. This is important for both SEO writing and copywriting, as grammar errors can make your content look unprofessional.

Don’t: Over rely on grammar checkers. They can sometimes flag correct sentences as incorrect.

Who Should Use It? Grammar checkers can be used by SEO writers, copywriters, and anyone else who wants to improve the grammar of their writing.

Popular Grammar Checkers: Hemingway Editor and ProWritingAid

Content Style Guides

Native writing has an entirely different writing style and flow than your perception. If you really want to engage a non-native audience, you need to write content which flows seamlessly from problem, argument to solution. Content style guides provide you useful content structuring tips and suggestions which you can use to improve content formatting and information flow. Style guides also remind you of English grammar and style rules so you can improve your overall content impact. 

Do: Read style guides to learn about the rules of English grammar and style. This is important for both SEO writing and copywriting, as good grammar and style can help your content look more polished and professional.

Don’t: Rely solely on style guides. They can’t tell you everything you need to know about grammar and style.

Who Should Use It? Style guides can be used by SEO writers, copywriters, and anyone else who wants to improve the style of their writing.

Popular Style Guides:  The Chicago Manual of Style [3] and The Associated Press Stylebook [4]

The Bottomline

AI writing tools bring a ton of benefits for non-native writers who want to improve their skill and level up their writing proficiency. Using AI writing tools smartly in conjunction with additional content writing tools brings more value for the audience and improves overall writing skills. 

References:
[1] AI Statistics – SearchLogistics 

[2] Ethnologue 25th Edition Released Feb 2022 – Ethnologue

[3] Guidelines – Chicago Manual of Style 

[4] Associated Press Style – AP