Where do I fit in an AI world?

I’ve recently sat in on a few conversations about how AI has changed the way people work, including taking away jobs. And as a writer who knows people who have lost writing jobs to AI, I can’t help but wonder if I’ll be next.

So far, I’m pretty fortunate to have a full schedule (where I have clients asking if I can take on even more work, which is when I shed a tear and open my calendar to see if I can squeeze their project in).

But will all this go away?

Not yet, I think.

There are still things AI can’t do well yet, and I plan to continue leaning in on them.

Take interviewing people for features—especially in person—for instance.

Yes, there are conversational AI tools that can talk to people at length. I don’t know about you, but if I were being interviewed for a piece, I’d rather chat with a person for the human connection.

I definitely do not want to spend that 30 to 60 minutes talking to a robot.

Another example: even if you use AI to generate text, you still need a human knowledgeable in the subject matter to verify its work!

(This is unless the business is fine with using the AI-generated text wholesale, but at the risk of the content being riddled with inaccuracies. Unfortunately, I speak from experience here 🤦🏻)

So, while AI is definitely changing the way things get done, I don’t think it’ll fully replace humans. As long as we:

• Know the value that we bring to the table—and that AI can’t
• Change the way we work to complement what AI can do.

More freelancer news

Foreigners (generally) cannot freelance in Singapore

Following the crackdown on foreigners taking up platform work in Singapore without having a valid work pass to do so, the Ministry of Manpower and the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association (VICPA) have come out to say that organisations are not allowed to hire foreigners on tourist or student visas for creative services.

These creative services include photography, videography and make-up.

This development is a natural consequence of the fact that foreigners need to have a valid work pass to work in Singapore—whether on a freelance or employment basis.

So, people have pointed out that the ban on foreigners illegally taking up work in Singapore also applies to other sectors, like the training and adult education sector.

And others have evaluated why foreigners aren’t allowed to provide physical freelancing services in Singapore, but there’s no restriction against them providing remote services* (i.e. services that freelancers can perform from any physical location, e.g. from abroad).