When proofreading & editing meet AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) has upended countless industries in the past year. Near the top of the list of concerned professionals are editors and proofreaders, who worry that AI will soon replace human quality checkers in the editorial review process. 

Even if they're not worried about being replaced, many editors are uneasy that they're falling behind in integrating AI with more traditional methods for assuring accuracy and quality. They're open to using AI in the process but don't know where to start.

The good news is that there are a plethora of AI-powered tools available to help editors and proofreaders make their work even more productive and precise. 

Understanding AI's role

In their rightful place, AI tools enhance traditional proofreading and editing methods. When viewed as an aide rather than a replacement for human professionals, AI-powered software complements the unique human touch of an editor with the unparalleled processing power and breadth of information accessible by a computer.



With the help of AI, writers and editors can:

• Polish their work to perfection, ensuring grammar, syntax, and flow are just right
• Ensure all information and assertions are factual and accurate
• Avoid any signs of plagiarism
• Save time on the details of grammar and fact-checking and spend more effort on perfecting the human elements of the writing

AI proofreading tools

There are already many potent AI tools available for proofreading and copyediting. These touch on every critical aspect of proofreading, including fact-checking and grammar and plagiarism detection.

Grammar checkers

Grammar checkers have moved far beyond the confines of checking spelling and basic syntax. Tools like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, WhiteSmoke, QuillBot and Hemingway use AI to deliver a more nuanced, contextual evaluation of writing style, voice, tone, and readability. And, yes, they'll still make sure you're using "lie" and "lay" correctly.

Fact-checkers

Once primarily the realm of Snopes, fact-checking has been enhanced through AI to provide more detailed, fast work for human fact-checkers. Tools like FactCheck.org offer a repository of articles and verified or debunked claims, while advanced software like Originality.ai, Factiverse, and ClaimReview offer real-time fact-checking and tagging tools to spot factual errors more quickly.

Plagiarism checkers

While tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid include plagiarism checkers, editors can also opt for dedicated software to ensure originality. Options like CopyLeaks, Turnitin, and Copyscape can check copy against copious amounts of current and archived content on the web, something far beyond the expertise of even the most experienced editor.

AI writing detection

In a field that's becoming increasingly flooded with AI-generated content, editors need a quick way to ensure the writing they approve is authentically human. Beyond checking for plagiarism, AI is also useful for finding its own signature in copy. Tools like Originality.AI, Grammarly, Undetectable, Winston, Hugging Face, and GPTZero all include features for detecting writing that has that synthetic ring to it — even when it's well concealed.

AI for writing clarity and style

Of course, generative AI didn't become famous merely for its editing skills — it can also write its own copy. Here again, editors don't need to fear AI if they recognize its proper place.

Generative AI tools like Wordtune by AI21 Labs can help editors refine existing writing or even inject some fresh creativity into it with a new angle. Perhaps a piece is suffering from a stuffy, formal tone, and you can't quite find a way to soften it up. Put the text in and tell Wordtune to "make it casual" to see if you like where it goes. Or maybe you need to paraphrase an article for a TL;DR summary — yep, it can do that, too.

Again, it's not a replacement for writers or editors. But AI can help you see your (or another writer's) words in a fresh light and spark new ideas for how to say something. Many of the tools we explored above include similar generative AI capabilities.

Integrating AI with traditional methods

If you use it well, AI can essentially function as an assistant editor throughout the process of proofreading and copyediting. Tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid offer browser plugins you can use to check your work in real-time, providing suggestions on everything from sentence structure to removing commas (though no plugin is powerful enough to resolve the age-old debate over the Oxford comma).

Even where the software doesn't suggest changes, you can leverage AI to elevate the copy. Say you encounter a clichè phrase but can't think of a good alternative. Simply ask your AI tool of choice to suggest some alternative ways to say it. At the very least, it may help you think outside the box.

After you've refined the copy, you can copy and paste it into a tool like Hemingway to assess its overall readability and ensure it fits your target audience. Eventually, these steps become a natural part of your workflow — and can potentially save you a second or third pass over the copy.

Step into the future of editing

AI may well change the profession of editing as we know it, but that doesn't mean it signals the end of human editing. It all comes down to putting AI in its proper place — as a tool to help human editors enhance the quality of their work.

By learning how these tools work — and how to integrate them into your workflow, you can leverage AI to become a more effective, efficient editor or proofreader than you ever imagined.