How Freelance Writers Can Adapt and Thrive With ChatGPT

Publication Date

April 5, 2023

Summary

There’s plenty of work to go around if you know how to use A.I. to your advantage and keep building skills no robot can fully replace.

What Is ChatGPT?

AI stands for artificial intelligence. The AI we’re talking about here is a generative machine learning model called GPT — trained by data scientists to write text based on prompts and billions of examples pulled from the internet.

ChatGPT is a chat-based AI tool/interface that lets you have a conversation with this “robot.” Other popular tools that run on the same tech include Jasper.AI, Copy AI, Writer, and Lex.

Why Are Freelancers Worried?

In late 2022, LinkedIn exploded with posts about how AI could write entire blog posts, ads, and website copy. Many writers panicked — some with good reason: budgets were shrinking, layoffs were happening, and clients were getting curious about cutting costs.

I lost three clients during that season — not because they swapped me for AI, but because my contacts were laid off and they were replaced by AI. The silver lining? Those companies needed writing again almost immediately — and I booked three better clients in their place. Here’s why:

AI Can’t Fully Replace Freelance Writers (Yet)

I’ve tested more than a dozen GPT-powered tools. So far, none can write a complete blog post in one go or sales page well without major human input.

If you want AI to draft a whole blog, you’ll need:

A very clear (and lengthy) prompt
Extra context (examples of your past writing, clear direction, brand voice guide, ICPs, USPs, your expertise, etc.)
Heavy editing for flow, facts, voice, and SEO

Most AI-only drafts are repetitive, generic, or flat-out wrong — which means you’ll spend just as much time editing as you would writing from scratch (unless you’re a prompt engineering wiz (and some people are – it’s a skill like anything else!!))

The Legal Gray Area

Here’s something many freelancers don’t know: the legal side is still murky.

Tracey from Contentment explains it perfectly:

“For the AI tools out there right now (maybe not all, but the ones I’ve put in front of my legal team), the content they generate for you is theirs. And anything you put into their systems can and will be used for AI training.”

In other words:

The copy might not technically be yours unless you rewrite it.
Many clients’ legal teams won’t let you use AI-written content as-is.
Some platforms like Upwork and Fiverr even list “No GPT-3 tools” in their job posts.

Always check your client contracts before slipping AI into your workflow.

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2025 Update: You can turn off the setting that allows an AI tool to learn from your inputs – however, the terms of use of most of these tools can still override that setting in most cases…

Facts Aren’t Facts to ChatGPT

Another big issue: GPT-3 was trained on data up to 2020. It doesn’t know anything newer — and it can make things up. It doesn’t cite sources or fact-check itself.

If you hand off unedited AI writing to a client, you risk sharing inaccurate or misleading info — which could get you flagged for spam or misinformation.

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2025 Update: This is improving but still happens. If you’re not sure – ask it to provide sources for the information it gave you!!

SEO Still Needs a Human

Even with AI everywhere, search engines still prioritize content that comes from real expertise — not machine-generated filler. AI can draft, summarize, and analyze, but it can’t replace the judgment, nuance, and originality that modern SEO demands.

As AI-powered search (like Google’s AI Overviews and answer engines) reshapes how people discover information, the bar for authority has only gotten higher. To rank — and to earn trust — content still needs:

Verified, accurate facts
Original insights or firsthand experience
Genuine authority and a clear point of view
Strategic search intent behind optimization, structure, technical SEO, and keyword incorporation

AI can support the process, but it can’t independently make decisions about what matters to your audience, why a topic deserves to exist, or how to communicate expertise in a human, credible way. That’s the part only a real person can do — and it’s the part search engines still reward.

Will AI Take Freelance Writing Jobs?

Eventually, AI will change how writing jobs work — but good writers will always be in demand.

Here’s how to future-proof your freelance writing business:

Turn in work that needs minimal edits.
Add real quotes from real people
Match your work to your clients’ goals.
Offer a service to repurpose your writing into multiple formats (for email, social, and guest blog marketing).
Analyze client data and utilize those insights.
Copyedit and fact-check your own drafts.
Pitch strategic ideas where you can.
Stay up-to-date on SEO and AI SEO standards and implement them religiously.

If you’re already doing these things — you’re ahead of the curve.

How to Get Comfortable With AI

Scared? Learn. The best way to lose fear is to understand the thing you’re afraid of.

Try Lex:

Lex feels like Google Docs but with AI built in. You can use it to draft headlines, summarize content, rewrite paragraphs, finish your sentences, and brainstorm intros. It’s an easy way to start using AI in a context you’re already used to.

Experiment with ChatGPT:

Experiment with it. Ask it to ask you for context. Create complex prompts that provide a ton of detail. Brain dump all your research. Play around! Rewrite its answers and feed them back to it so it can learn what you prefer. Tweak until you see how it works.

Chase Dimond shares great prompt ideas on LinkedIn if you want a prompt to start with.

Focus on Strategy

Want to future-proof your income? Learn strategy. Clients don’t just want words — they want results.

Skills that pair well with writing:

SEO and keyword strategy
Email marketing
Paid ads
Organic traffic and lead funnels
Website UX/UI
Branding and conversion copywriting
Content repurposing
Agentic AI setup

AI can’t replace that — yet.

New Tech Always Changes Work

→ Machines replaced weavers.

→ Printing presses replaced scribes.

→ Washing machines replaced laundresses.

→ Cars replaced horses and buggies.

→ AI already replaced most transcriptionists.

→ ATMs replaced most bank tellers.

Change is part of life. But people adapt — and so will you.

Try This:

Get curious:

Try a free AI tool — like ChatGPT.
Watch a YouTube tutorial.
Test a prompt and see how you’d rewrite it.
Talk to a freelance buddy about how they’re using AI

Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

FAQ’s About Freelance Writers & AI

Is ChatGPT free?

Yes! ChatGPT’s has a free version — just sign up and try it.

Can clients ban me from using AI?

Yes — some contracts or platforms (like Upwork) explicitly say no AI assistance. Always check.

Will Google punish AI-written posts?

If it’s obvious, yes. Google wants human expertise, links, sources, and original thought. But this might change!

Should I say I use AI?

Be transparent if your contract requires it. Many clients don’t want it used at all — or only want it used for idea generation, not final copy.

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