I've been reflecting more and more on the disruption AI is causing in our field. And what’s becoming increasingly clear is that this boat cannot be turned back. AI is here to stay. But that doesn’t mean writers must feel compelled to use it, though there are clear benefits for those who do. It does mean, at least in my view, that we have a responsibility to ensure it is used well. As I mentioned in a previous post, I would like to see writers lead this shift rather than stand aside and watch it unfold. But to do that, we need a proper understanding of both the capabilities and the limitations of these machines. While building my new course on AI writing mastery, which I'll tell you more about soon, I found myself returning to a simple idea: prompting is fast becoming a professional skill in its own right. Writers, more than anyone, are well placed to teach it. Across industries, people are already using tools like ChatGPT to draft emails, reports, and strategies. What began as experimentation has settled into daily workflow. Once a tool is embedded at that level within an organisation, it becomes part of the infrastructure. The question, then, is how well it will be used. This is where prompting, treated as a craft, separates itself from casual usage. What matters are literary vision, artistic sensibility, and editorial judgment. That is why writers are uniquely positioned at this moment. The core competencies we have always valued — clarity, structure, tone, proportion — map directly onto effective prompting. When those elements are absent, AI produces something merely competent. When they are present, the output becomes sharper, more purposeful, and often genuinely impressive. We are already seeing early signs of this divide. Two people can use the same tool, yet one consistently produces better work. The difference lies in how they think, frame, and articulate, grounded in writing craft. That gap will only widen. As more of the world’s writing becomes mediated through AI, the ability to guide that process with editorial discernment will become a decisive advantage. Not everyone will develop it, but those who do will shape the standards others follow.

Dear Friends, For months, perhaps years, many of you have been pressing me to tackle one subject in particular: AI. I'm delighted to say that it's finally here: ⭐ AI Writing Mastery: How to Write Professionally, Stylishly, and Ethically With ChatGPT & Other AI Tools ⭐ You can find it in the Classroom alongside my other courses. ❗️ This may be one of the most important courses I've ever created. As you know, for the past few years the world has been rushing headlong into AI to help write emails, reports, articles, strategies, business plans, presentations, books, and more. The problem is that many people are using tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude without first understanding the craft of writing itself. The result is a growing flood of written content that sounds polished but often lacks genuine thought, stylistic sensitivity, or human insight. At stake is more than the quality of our emails and reports. It is the quality of our communication, our culture, and the creative arts. And yet, amid all the excitement and controversy surrounding AI, one question has remained largely unanswered: ❓ How do you actually use these tools well? ❓ In other words, how can you guide AI with literary vision, artistic integrity, and editorial discernment? ❓ How can you avoid the growing catalogue of tonal, rhythmic, and language tells of generic AI prose? ❓ And more broadly, is it possible to combine the timeless principles of good writing with the emerging discipline of prompting in a way that uplifts, rather than degrades, literary craft? These questions are precisely what this course sets out to answer. 🎯 🎯 🎯 WHAT'S INSIDE THE COURSE ✅ Across more than five hours of training, we explore powerful prompting frameworks and advanced prompting mindsets. ✅ I also share my complete Flair Prompting system, which teaches you how to prompt specifically for the four ingredients of good writing: Simplicity, Clarity, Elegance, and Evocativeness. ✅ The course also provides techniques for humanising AI-generated language, along with practical guidance on navigating the technical, legal, ethical, and professional realities surrounding AI.

Hi guys, I have something I wanted to share with you. Recently, I've been experimenting on LinkedIn with serialized storytelling. My wife is an AI implementation specialist, and she has been experimenting with a technology for building AI agents. It's called "OpenClaw" and she aptly named hers "HAL." I'm building her profile and personal brand from the ground up. Normally, the material can be very dense and technical, but we've decided to share her adventures and learnings from building this out as a way to educate our audience. We're essentially establishing our expertise and sharing valuable knowledge that people will care about, but in a fun/engaging way, almost like what you'd expect in a weekly newspaper cartoon series. The results have been amazing. It's definitely helping to cut through the noise. Here's her profile link. You can see if you review the last few posts, you'll see what I mean: Kelly Schaeffer | LinkedIn Any thoughts, feedback, or questions just drop them here!

Dear friends, I recently shared a piece on LinkedIn about something many of us are starting to notice but haven’t necessarily put into words yet. AI writing, which initially felt fresh and impressive, is already becoming too predictable and formulaic. The post appears to have struck a nerve (it’s been getting strong engagement over the past few hours), which suggests this isn’t just a personal observation, but something others are feeling too. At the heart of the piece is the simple notion that AI doesn’t remove the need for good writing. Rather, it exposes it. And that raises a bigger question that I explore in my upcoming book, The Alchemy of Prompting, and the accompanying online course. If you’d like to read the full post, you can find it here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shaniraja_ai-aiwriting-contentcreation-activity-7439830272927490048-fP1o If the article resonates, I’d appreciate you liking or sharing it. FYI, here’s how the piece opens: When AI first appeared, I experienced a private panic. As a journalist and writing teacher who for years has taught people how to write clearly, beautifully, and persuasively, I wondered whether tools like ChatGPT would make much of what I teach obsolete. If AI could generate proficient prose in seconds, often more competently than the average writer, what happens to writing courses? That unnerving question stayed with me as I started experimenting with language models for an upcoming book, "The Alchemy of Prompting: Writing With Flair in the Age of AI," and its accompanying online course. What I discovered both surprised and comforted me.... Shani

Right now, the comforting story being told about AI is that great writing is finally available to everyone. The reality is less flattering, and more interesting. After experimenting extensively with AI for my book, The Alchemy of Prompting, I've learned that these machines can rarely create quality out of nothing. In fact, their output typically only mirrors the depth, clarity, judgment, and taste of the person guiding it. That's because good writing depends on things a writer must decide, including what matters, what sounds pleasing to the ear, what needs to be emphasised, when a sentence has said enough, and what should be left unstated. Such judgements require an understanding of literary qualities such as structure, tone, rhythm, and intent. That explains why the AI-assisted content of those who lack an understanding of writing craft tends to be so sterile and predictable. And it's why I eventually reached the hard conclusion, while writing my book, that to prompt well, one must first know how to write well. There is, in fact, no other way to guide these machines to produce quality prose, nor to evaluate their output, which is a message, I hope, that will both reassure and inspire writers fearful of AI's impact.