AI-Assisted Writing: Faster drafts, human judgement

Executive summary

75% of knowledge workers already use AI at work, according to the 2024 Microsoft and LinkedIn Work Trend Index.¹
Google’s guidance says generative AI can be particularly useful when researching a topic and adding structure to original content, and that it is critical to fact-check and review all AI-generated content before publishing.²
Google’s March 2024 update targeted “scaled content abuse”, and Google reported a 45% reduction in low-quality, unoriginal content in its results.³
The risk is not using AI. It is publishing at volume without the editing, checking and point of view that make content worth reading.
AI-Assisted Writing pairs AI drafting with human editors, a house style and a fact-checking step on every piece.

01Market context

Most teams already write with AI, often without agreed rules.¹ Search engines have drawn a clear line. Google does not object to AI as a tool: its guidance describes generative AI as useful for research and structure, while warning that generating many pages without adding value may violate its spam policies, and that all AI content should be fact-checked before publishing.²

Exhibit 1 AI in writing: adoption and enforcement

Knowledge workers using AI at work, 202475%

Reduction in low-quality, unoriginal content in Google results after the March 2024 update45%

Source: Microsoft and LinkedIn, 2024 Work Trend Index; Google, April 2024.

The March 2024 update put that into practice, removing large volumes of unoriginal content from results.³ Quality, originality and accuracy decide what is seen, whoever or whatever wrote the first draft.

02The challenge

Sameness. Unedited AI drafts sound like everyone else’s.
Errors. AI can state wrong facts confidently, and invent sources.
Off-brand voice. Without a house style, each piece sounds different.
Volume over value. Publishing more pages does not mean more readers.

03Our point of view

AI is an excellent research assistant and first drafter. Editors decide the angle, add the experience and examples only your business has, check every fact, and cut what does not earn its place. Each piece is reviewed by a person before it goes out, and the process is written down so it stays consistent.

04How we work

Brief. The reader, the question, the angle and the sources.
Draft. AI researches and drafts within your house style and approved sources.
Edit and check. An editor rewrites for voice and substance and verifies every fact and figure.
Approve and publish. Your team approves before anything goes live.

Exhibit 2 Every piece passes through people

Brief
Reader, angle, sources

Draft
AI research and draft

Edit and check
Voice, substance, every fact

Approve
Your team signs off

The Market Concepts.

05What you receive

A house style guide covering voice, terms and things you never say.
Articles, newsletters and social posts to an agreed monthly volume.
A fact-check record with sources for each piece.
Clear AI use rules your own team can follow.

06Measures of success

Time from brief to published piece
Edits needed at your approval stage
Errors found after publishing (target: none)
Engagement and search visibility per piece
Enquiries attributed to content

07Risks and governance

Accuracy. No figure is published without a source a person has checked.
Confidentiality. Client and personal data are never pasted into public AI tools.⁴
Copyright. Drafts are original; quotations are short and attributed.
Disclosure. Where your sector or platform requires it, AI assistance is disclosed.

This paper is general guidance and not legal advice.

08Illustrative scenario

ILLUSTRATIVE — NOT A CLIENT CASE STUDY

A healthcare group’s marketing team of two cannot keep up with requests for patient guides, newsletters and social posts. Drafts written quickly with a chatbot contain two incorrect claims about treatment times.

With a house style, approved source list and an editor checking every piece, the team publishes a weekly patient guide and a monthly newsletter. Clinical claims go to a doctor for sign-off before publishing.

09Frequently asked questions

Will Google penalise AI-written content?: Google’s stated focus is on quality and value, not on whether AI was used. Mass-produced, low-value pages are the risk.^2,3
Will it sound like us?: That is the job of the style guide and the editor. Most clients approve with light edits after the first month.
Can we keep using our own writers?: Yes. We can set up the process and rules for your team to run.

AI-Assisted Writing