AI is a Tool for Technical Writers
Listening to other Technical Writers, you wouldn't know that, though.
AI is here and if you listen to a lot of Technical Writers, they FEAR it, “OH MY GOD, THE AI IS GOING TO REPLACE ME!!!”
No… no… it’s not. Not right now, anyway.
Good technical writers will start using AI as a tool while the doom and gloomers are quickly replaced because they are holding onto a time and era that is over. They refuse to see AI as a tool and are quick to post their negativity to the world.
Here’s the scoop: Garbage in/garbage out.
If companies just drop dev writing into an AI to train it, it’s going to result in some piss poor results. AI lacks the reasoning and hands on ability that a technical writer has. And let’s be blunt here… MOST Devs hate doing documentation and for the most part, when they do it, it leaves a lot to be desired. It is nowhere near ready for a customer, user, or integrator, to use.
Meanwhile… The innovative technical writer can up their game by using AI to polish aspects of their docs. AI isn’t going to do your job. You still need to translate the process into words the end user can understand, and that’s where you are pivotal to the process: reasoning. AI isn’t there… yet.
YOU as the Technical Writer must become the conductor, compiler, and curator of the information and the process.
Do your documentation. See what sections AI can polish (overviews and introductions are good examples) and make your documentation shine. YOU are still writing out the process that is the source of truth, and that’s something AI will not be able to do. Not reliably, and that will show in the end product of the documentation.
You’ll increase your production and make yourself invaluable in the process of putting information in front of users (the people that buy the product). Never forget, documentation can also be used for bringing in revenue. Users want to see what the product does and how it does it. The more documentation you put in front of them, the more likely they will buy into the product.
AI is not a replacement for the technical writer, it is a tool that the technical writer should be using to up their game.