Why Relying on AI to Write Emails Isn’t Your Best Bet.

AI makes writing in English easy. I understand, and actually support that. BUT, it may also be suppressing the subtle things you really want to say. It may be keeping your emails grammatically correct…while changing your voice and personality.

I’ve found this out myself. I use Google Workspace for many of my business and personal matters. While typing emails, I get suggestions on how to change my sentences to make them ‘better.’ The thing is, though, ‘better’ isn’t always better.

Catching and correcting spelling and grammar mistakes is an excellent feature, and I wouldn’t say a bad word about it. But making emails more concise and polished may make you sound like a robot. Plus, if you end up speaking with someone in person who you’ve only emailed with, he/she may be surprised when your spoken words don’t match your written ones.

Lee Iacocca put it very well when he advised: “Write like you talk.”

Overcomplication actually makes you harder to understand. The goal of communication is to be understood. So, if you talk in a certain way, you should write that way as well.

Don’t feel bad when you deny an auto-correction. It’s not always the best option.

Don’t think you are making yourself sound worse by not choosing the fancy, polished version.

Just write how you talk, and use the word processor to find actual spelling and grammar mistakes.

Let AI be a tool. Don’t let it be your voice.

— Ben