How to Use AI in Your Content Without Losing Your Voice

Written By Kate Williams

“Oh, you’re a writer?” people say, with a mix of incredulity (wait, that’s a real job?) mixed with sympathy (oh, right, the bots are taking it over). 

And I have to say, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), particularly with the birth of ChatGPT, was a little rough. It wasn’t great news when a few clients told me they were deciding to just go with a ChatGPT + intern combo to handle their internal writing instead of working with our company of professional writers. 

But, fortunately, the initial excitement of AI writing tools has waned as people have realized that a human voice is still very much needed to review, edit, and enhance writing. 

I’m never going to tell anyone not to use AI for writing. It can be very helpful! But I am going to advise you to make sure you understand the importance of maintaining your voice, even when digital tools help you with an initial rough draft.

In This Article:

    5 Ways to Use AI And Still Keep Your Voice

    The key to successfully using AI in your writing is to treat it as a collaborator, not a replacement. With the right approach and tools, you can use AI to enhance your writing process while keeping your voice front and center. Here’s how.

    1. Start with your own ideas

    Once you know what you want to say, AI can help you brainstorm and structure content. But never forget that your unique perspective is still the most valuable asset in the room. Before opening your favorite AI writing tool, jot down key points you want to make. Think about how you’d explain the topic in a conversation. That natural rhythm is what gives your writing personality, which is something AI can imitate, but not originate.

    Your voice is built from your values, tone, word choice, and sense of humor. Let those elements lead the content development process. Use AI to build on that foundation, not to create the structure for you. If you are really struggling to write down those ideas, use a voice memo. Chat GPT can work from a transcript to pick up on your natural speech.

    2. Use AI for the heavy lifting, but not the final say

    I won’t lie – AI is great for first drafts, outlines, and overcoming writer’s block. Struggling to start an article? Prompt ChatGPT or Jasper to give you a rough intro. Need help organizing your thoughts? Use AI to turn bullet points into a structured outline. But don’t publish it.

    Edit aggressively. Rewrite sentences that feel generic. Infuse your writing with personal anecdotes, metaphors you actually use, and phrases your audience associates with you. Think of AI like a smart intern: it can be helpful, but it’s not the one presenting at the leadership meeting.

    3. Customize and train your Tools

    There’s more to AI than ChatGPT. Some AI platforms allow you to fine-tune their outputs based on your preferences. For example, Jasper lets you train “brand voice” profiles, while Copy.ai offers tone settings you can tweak. Notion AI can assist with summarizing your notes, helping you turn a voice memo or meeting transcript into a rough post in your own words.

    If you consistently write in a certain tone, like warm, witty, punchy, or professional, use those terms in your prompts. The more specific you are, the better the results. Don’t just say, “write a blog post about SEO.” Try “write a conversational blog post about SEO that sounds like a friendly mentor giving actionable tips.” 

    4. Use AI editing tools to refine (not flatten) your style 

    When it comes to editing, AI can be a double-edged sword. Some tools prioritize correctness over character. If you’re not careful, your distinct voice can get scrubbed out in the name of “clarity.”

    That’s why choosing the right tools matters. Grammarly AI, for example, has a Pro option that offers tone suggestions and clarity improvements while still allowing you to preserve informal or expressive language. You can also toggle settings for tone, intent, and audience, which makes it easier to refine your writing without erasing your personality. But know that it’s not perfect, and you don’t have to accept every suggestion it makes.

    >> See our top picks of other helpful writing tools here.

    Other helpful tools include:

    • Hemingway Editor: Highlights passive voice, adverbs, and complex sentences to help you simplify without losing flow.

    • ProWritingAid: Offers deep editing insights with a focus on style, structure, and readability.

    • Sudowrite: Built for creative writers, this tool offers metaphor suggestions, sensory descriptions, and tone tuning based on your existing work.

    5. Always add your human touch 

    The one thing AI can’t replicate is lived experience. It doesn’t know your client’s quirks, your industry-specific anecdotes, or the way you speak when you're fired up about a topic. That’s where you come in.

    Once the AI has done its job of structuring, polishing, or brainstorming, it’s up to you (or an editor) to add the human layer and inject emotion, humor, and opinion. You can break a grammar rule on purpose. Use a one-word sentence. Or don’t. Just make sure your voice, the one your audience recognizes and trusts, is what comes through in the end.

    If you’ve been using AI and feel like it’s churning out the same generic material over and over again, it’s time to get unstuck! Contact us to see how People First Content can help you create content that sounds like you, even with help from AI.

    Kate Williams
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