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?

A.I. stands for artificial intelligence. The A.I. we’re talking about here is a generative machine learning model called GPT-3 — trained by data scientists to write text based on prompts and billions of examples pulled from the internet.

ChatGPT is a chat-based A.I. tool that lets you have a conversation with this “robot.” Other popular tools that run on the same GPT-3 tech include Jasper.AI, Copy AI, Writer, and even newer platforms like Lex.

Why Are Freelancers Worried?

In late 2022, LinkedIn exploded with posts about how ChatGPT 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 A.I., but because my contacts were laid off. The silver lining? Those companies needed writing again almost immediately — and I booked three better clients in their place. Here’s why 👇

A.I. Can’t Fully Replace You (Yet)

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

If you want A.I. to draft a whole blog, you’ll need:

A clear prompt
Extra context (sometimes examples of your past writing)
Heavy editing for flow, facts, voice, and SEO

Most A.I.-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.

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 is 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 A.I.-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 A.I. into your workflow.

Facts Aren’t Facts to GPT-3

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 A.I. writing to a client, you risk sharing inaccurate or misleading info — which could get you flagged for spam or misinformation.

SEO Still Needs a Human

Google’s algorithm can detect A.I.-generated content. If a piece is obviously A.I.-written, it can be flagged as spam. Google also now prioritizes expertise — so content needs:

Verified facts
Real interviews
Clear domain authority
Strategic keyword research that A.I. can’t do alone

Will A.I. Take Freelance Writing Jobs?

Eventually, A.I. 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.
Conduct interviews and add real quotes.
Repurpose writing into multiple formats.
Analyze client data and pull insights.
Copyedit and fact-check your own drafts.
Pitch strategic ideas, not just deliver words.

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

How to Get Comfortable With A.I.

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

Try Lex:

My favorite GPT tool. It feels like Google Docs but with A.I. built in. I use it to draft headlines, summarize content, rewrite paragraphs, and brainstorm intros. There’s a waitlist — but worth it.