Editing AI content: ‘That Will Do’

Why is your AI content not working? Probably because of the "That Will Do" approach

Editors and journalists who cut their teeth working in the pre-AI era know how long it takes to properly edit content. I mean actually comb through articles, brochures, web pages, guides, technical documentation, etc. and make sure it all makes sense. We know this because we did it with human-written content long before Anthropic reared its head.

In the age of AI content, those editorial skills are overlooked and undervalued. Executives with no editorial or journalistic background look at the cost of delivering brand-specific content and assume ChatGPT or Claude can do the job. They read raw output and, because they're not experienced editors, don't know what they're not seeing.

Because the AI feels cheaper, they prioritise robotic content generation with little editorial oversight. Then, when the robot starts spewing out slop, the entire business takes a "That Will Do" approach.

This happens when content teams sitting below the exec are required to create the bulk of their work using AI and aren't given the resources to edit it properly. Over time, the team that was once precious about what they produce lets AI's tells slip in and allows the robot's logic to supersede their own.

Very soon, an entire brand adopts a "That Will Do" attitude – one where its content logically makes sense but is so clearly AI-written and unedited that it harms the brand (and potentially its rankings).

"That Will Do" content is everywhere right now, and professional editors are rightly frustrated. Perhaps Claude's watermark will change things, perhaps it won't. But if you're looking for a reliable AI content editor who doesn't carry the "That Will Do" mindset, contact me at joe@shortstory.ltd.