The Dangers of Using AI for Business Writing (and How to Use It Well)

I lead many virtual and in-person business writing trainings. Unsurprisingly, AI has become a hot topic during these sessions. “Should we use it?” and “What are your thoughts on AI?” are common questions from participants. Occasionally, we deconstruct AI-generated communications to check for issues. 

When it comes to AI’s effectiveness, I don’t subscribe to the idea of it being a perfect writing tool. Nor do I join the “Down with AI!” battle cry. 

It can be a great time-saving tool for business writers slammed with tasks. It can be effective (if used correctly). It can also be a serious problem for employees. 

Why AI is Problematic

AI is problematic for business writers on two primary levels:

1. The content is rarely effective. AI-generated substance typically isn’t most relevant to the reader, being general or vague rather than specific. AI-generated sentences are also bloated, tonally weak, and difficult to absorb.
2. It hurts productivity. On the surface, AI is efficient. However, because of ineffective messaging, writers have to spend more time editing, answering questions, or dealing with confused readers (defeating its purpose of improved efficiency). Your AI message might not even be read, which means more follow-up for you. 

It’s not solely AI’s fault. AI output is only as good as the questions (and follow-up questions) it’s fed. Business writers focused on AI’s time-saving abilities, jump straight into inputting vague prompts. 

They place too much confidence in the output. 

Human critical thinking skills must be used with AI. Quality output requires inputting clear and specific prompts. As we say at Instructional Solutions, “If you put garbage in, you should expect garbage out.” 

AI can still be used as a time-saving tool, but the process for writing a prompt should be the same as the start of writing any business document. AI doesn’t know your specific reader or document’s purpose like you do. 

Artificial intelligence tools can’t substitute critical thinking skills and a logical approach to writing. You also won’t know how to write an effective prompt IF you’re not equipped with strong business writing skills. If you don't have the proper skills to write the document yourself, you won't know how to write an effective prompt.

Learn more about writing with AI in all of our business writing courses.

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Test: AI-Generated Email

I want to illustrate the problems when writing solely with AI. Let’s say we’re writing an email as a sales manager to a sales rep. 

Here’s a general prompt to create an email for us:

“Please create an email telling an employee they need to increase their number of cold calls in February. He has fallen behind and is no longer meeting his overall sales quota.”

I input the prompt into ChatGPT. Here’s what I got back:

Subject: Focus on Cold Calls to Meet February Sales Goals

Dear [Employee's Name],

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to review your recent sales performance and discuss how we can get you back on track to meet your overall quota.

After reviewing your metrics, it appears that the number of cold calls made in recent weeks has fallen short of our targets. This decrease has contributed to a shortfall in your overall sales numbers. I understand that sales can fluctuate and challenges arise, but consistent outreach, including cold calls, is a critical part of maintaining a healthy sales pipeline.

For February, I’d like to see an increased focus on cold calls. Our goal is to ensure that you are making [specific target number] calls per day/week. This will not only help you generate more leads but also position you to meet and exceed your quota.

If there are any obstacles you’re facing—whether it’s time management, confidence in cold calling, or any other challenges—please don’t hesitate to share them with me. I’d be happy to provide additional support, training, or resources to help you succeed.

Let’s touch base at the end of the week to discuss a plan and monitor your progress. I’m confident that with a renewed focus, we’ll see positive results soon.

Thank you for your commitment to achieving our sales goals. I appreciate your hard work and dedication.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

ChatGPT also provided a cheerful closing sentiment: “This email strikes a balance between addressing the issue and offering support to motivate the employee.”

While I appreciate the confidence, I have to disagree. Let’s review the issues:

• Unnecessary information. AI included some irrelevant content. For example, the reader should already know that cold calls are necessary for a healthy sales pipeline.  
  
  
• Missing specifics. The draft gives sections for specifics but falls short. For example, we could change “Let’s touch base at the end of the week to discuss a plan and monitor your progress” to “I’ll send a calendar invite for this Friday at 10:00 am to discuss how to increase your weekly calls.”
  
  
• Bloated sentences. The sentences could be more concise. For example, “After reviewing your metrics, it appears that the number of cold calls made in recent weeks has fallen short of our targets” could be “Your average number of weekly cold calls was ten (our target number is 30 per week). 
  
  
• Lack of headings and bullets. The reader could better absorb the content if it included headings, such as “ACTION PLAN,” and bullets for relevant tasks. 

Passive voice is also a problem, creating an indirect tone. 

It isn’t all bad. The AI-generated email does provide space for specific target numbers. The tone is friendly. It uses paragraph breaks to create white space. But it’s more of a bloated rough draft than an email ready to send. 

How to Use AI Effectively

The example above needs a human touch. After all, AI doesn’t know your reader like you do, and the reader should directly dictate the content. You can still use AI but incorporate human critical thinking and employ elements from a structured writing process. You then have more control over the content. 

Feed AI the following to create a more effective draft:

• Your audience and purpose.
• An outline based on the reader. 

Before you enter a prompt, first ask yourself, “Who is my reader? What is the purpose of the message?" The answers to these questions are your roadmap. If ChatGPT isn’t addressing this, you must refine the prompts further until the text generated is relevant.

Also, think about the most logical structure based on your reader to create an outline for AI to follow. 

Let’s revise the prompt. I’m going to add the purpose, the reader, and a quick outline: 

COMMUNICATION PURPOSE: Manager telling a sales rep they need to increase their number of cold calls in February because he’s no longer meeting his overall sales quota. 

READER: Junior sales rep, been at the company for six months, currently underperforming and failing to hit target sales goals. Behind the rest of the team. Tone: I want to sound authoritative but supportive.

OUTLINE:

Intro: You’re cold calling 10 new leads per week, but you need to be calling 30 to hit the team’s target numbers and overall sales goal of three new deals per month. 

Ways to Improve Cold Calling Numbers:

• • Do five minutes of research before calling.

• • Sell the benefits, not the product. 

• • Don’t take rejections personally.

• • Write down past objections and responses that have worked.

Closing: Let’s meet on Friday of this week to discuss in person and steps going forward.

I input this new prompt into ChatGPT. Here’s what I got back:

Subject: Increasing Cold Call Numbers to Hit February Goals

Hi [Employee's Name],

I want to touch base regarding your sales performance. Currently, you’re averaging 10 new cold calls per week, but to meet the team’s target numbers and secure our overall goal of three new deals per month, you’ll need to increase that to 30 calls per week.

Cold calling is a key driver of success in sales, and improving your outreach efforts will help you catch up to the team’s pace and get closer to hitting your targets. Here are a few strategies to help boost your numbers and effectiveness:

• • Do five minutes of research before each call. A little preparation can go a long way in understanding your prospect’s needs and personalizing your pitch.

  • Sell the benefits, not just the product. Focus on the value our solutions provide and how they solve specific problems.

  • Don’t take rejections personally. Remember, a “no” is part of the process and often brings you closer to a “yes.”

  • Track objections and responses. Writing down common objections and effective replies will help you build confidence and improve your approach over time.

Let’s meet on Friday to discuss your progress, align on next steps, and ensure you have everything you need to succeed. I’m here to support you in reaching your goals, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you need guidance or resources in the meantime.

Looking forward to our conversation.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

Learn how to leverage AI effectively for your team's business writing.

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Though not perfect, it is better. It’s more direct, specific, and easier to skim. Let’s edit this draft to make it most effective (AI writing tends to be bloated, so removing unnecessary content and tightening the sentences will be our main focus): 

Subject: Increase Cold Call Numbers to Hit February Goals

Hi [Employee's Name],

I'm contacting you about your sales performance. Currently, you’re averaging 10 new cold calls per week. You’ll need to increase that to 30 calls per week to meet the team’s target numbers and our overall goal of three new deals per month.

COLD CALL TIPS

Here are a few strategies to help boost your numbers and effectiveness that have worked well for other reps:

• • Do five minutes of research before each call. Use our Sales Prep tool to understand your prospect’s needs and personalize your pitch.

  • Sell the benefits, not just the product. Focus on the value our email marketing tool provides and how they can save time with automated sequences.

  • Don’t take rejections personally. Remember, a “no” is part of the process and often brings you closer to a “yes.”

I also recommend reviewing our “Five Common Objections & Effective Replies” resource (attached as a pdf). 

MEETING THIS WEEK

Let’s meet this Friday at 10:00 am in my office to discuss your progress and next steps. I’m here to support you in reaching your goals. 

Looking forward to our conversation.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

Now, the email is tight, specific, and nicely formatted. Though we still had to do some editing (I recommend this guide to enhance your clarity), you can see that AI is much more effective when you feed it specific, audience-driven prompts. 

Simple prompts alone are not enough – they require discernment and critical thinking.

Use AI as the Tool & NOT the Final Product

I recommend using AI to help you save time. But remember, your power as a business writer is your ability to think critically. Don’t cede this portion of the writing process to AI. Harness the tools for your benefit. 

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