A recent survey of 1,190 writing professionals, conducted by GothamGhostWriters, shows how quickly AI has moved into daily workflows and how sharply opinions differ between frequent users and writers who avoid these tools. The study maps out clear dividing lines. It also shows that strong adoption sits beside deep worry about factual errors, copyright use, and long term job security.
Across the profession, 61 percent use AI in some form and 26 percent use it every day. Another 19 percent turn to it weekly and 16 percent use it sometimes. Only 22 percent never use it. Thought leadership writers lead adoption at 84 percent. PR and communications teams follow at 73 percent, and content marketing writers match that rate. Copy editors sit at the bottom with 33 percent, while journalists reach 44 percent.
Writers rely on AI for specific tasks. Title suggestions reach 72 percent among AI users. Search replacement is close behind at 71 percent. Brainstorming and word selection stand at 68 percent each. Research support hits 63 percent. Writers use an average of 3.6 tasks weekly, while advanced users reach 8.6. Only 7 percent generate publishable text with minimal edits. Tool usage skews toward established platforms. ChatGPT sees weekly use by 76 percent of AI users. Grammarly follows at 37 percent, Claude at 33 percent, and Google Gemini at 25 percent.
Stronger adoption links to higher income and greater confidence. Advanced users report a median income of 120,100 dollars compared with 73,400 dollars for nonusers. Most writers see productivity gains. Seventy four percent say AI makes them more productive. This climbs to 92 percent among advanced users. The average productivity lift sits at 31 percent. Quality perceptions show a mixed but clear pattern. Forty three percent say AI improves writing quality. Forty nine percent see no change and 9 percent believe it worsens quality.
The concerns are significant. Ninety one percent worry about hallucinated factual errors. Eighty one percent worry about AI being trained on copyrighted text without permission. Seventy nine percent expect corporate leaders to use AI tools to replace writing talent. Eighty percent feel AI contributes to bland writing. These worries appear among both AI users and nonusers, although the intensity rises sharply among those who avoid AI.
The profession does not feel optimistic about the future. Seventy three percent expect opportunities for writers to decline in the next five years. Only 13 percent expect any improvement. Freelancers and small agency workers feel economic pressure. Forty five percent report reduced demand for their work due to AI. Four in ten say their income has dropped. Twenty five percent of writers overall have considered leaving the field entirely.
Job loss concerns are widespread. Only 10 percent of companies reported AI related layoffs, yet 43 percent of writers say they personally know someone who lost a job to AI. The decision to adopt AI usually comes from writers themselves. Sixty seven percent say they chose to use it without managerial pressure.
Fiction authors form a different group. Only 42 percent use AI. Among users, 87 percent report productivity gains and 60 percent see quality improvements. Nonusers show nearly universal opposition to AI across every measured category.
This data paints a profession that uses AI heavily while fearing its downsides. Writers see both rising output and rising risk at the same time.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools with human oversight. Image: DIW-Aigen. Read next:
Read next: New Data Shows Sharp Turn in Consumer Attitudes Toward AI in the Creator Economy
Across the profession, 61 percent use AI in some form and 26 percent use it every day. Another 19 percent turn to it weekly and 16 percent use it sometimes. Only 22 percent never use it. Thought leadership writers lead adoption at 84 percent. PR and communications teams follow at 73 percent, and content marketing writers match that rate. Copy editors sit at the bottom with 33 percent, while journalists reach 44 percent.
Writers rely on AI for specific tasks. Title suggestions reach 72 percent among AI users. Search replacement is close behind at 71 percent. Brainstorming and word selection stand at 68 percent each. Research support hits 63 percent. Writers use an average of 3.6 tasks weekly, while advanced users reach 8.6. Only 7 percent generate publishable text with minimal edits. Tool usage skews toward established platforms. ChatGPT sees weekly use by 76 percent of AI users. Grammarly follows at 37 percent, Claude at 33 percent, and Google Gemini at 25 percent.
Stronger adoption links to higher income and greater confidence. Advanced users report a median income of 120,100 dollars compared with 73,400 dollars for nonusers. Most writers see productivity gains. Seventy four percent say AI makes them more productive. This climbs to 92 percent among advanced users. The average productivity lift sits at 31 percent. Quality perceptions show a mixed but clear pattern. Forty three percent say AI improves writing quality. Forty nine percent see no change and 9 percent believe it worsens quality.
The concerns are significant. Ninety one percent worry about hallucinated factual errors. Eighty one percent worry about AI being trained on copyrighted text without permission. Seventy nine percent expect corporate leaders to use AI tools to replace writing talent. Eighty percent feel AI contributes to bland writing. These worries appear among both AI users and nonusers, although the intensity rises sharply among those who avoid AI.
The profession does not feel optimistic about the future. Seventy three percent expect opportunities for writers to decline in the next five years. Only 13 percent expect any improvement. Freelancers and small agency workers feel economic pressure. Forty five percent report reduced demand for their work due to AI. Four in ten say their income has dropped. Twenty five percent of writers overall have considered leaving the field entirely.
Job loss concerns are widespread. Only 10 percent of companies reported AI related layoffs, yet 43 percent of writers say they personally know someone who lost a job to AI. The decision to adopt AI usually comes from writers themselves. Sixty seven percent say they chose to use it without managerial pressure.
Fiction authors form a different group. Only 42 percent use AI. Among users, 87 percent report productivity gains and 60 percent see quality improvements. Nonusers show nearly universal opposition to AI across every measured category.
This data paints a profession that uses AI heavily while fearing its downsides. Writers see both rising output and rising risk at the same time.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools with human oversight. Image: DIW-Aigen. Read next:
Read next: New Data Shows Sharp Turn in Consumer Attitudes Toward AI in the Creator Economy
