Will AI replace columnists?

Why AI struggles to replace this job

• AI does not have personal life experiences, emotions, or physical sensations to draw upon for storytelling.
• Writing convincing opinion pieces requires a sincere moral or political stance which AI cannot genuinely hold.
• Readers follow columnists for their unique 'human' perspective and personal connection to the audience.
• Humor, irony, and deep cultural subtext are notoriously difficult for AI to execute without feeling 'uncanny'.

Tasks AI could automate

• Gathering links and data points to support a specific argument or thesis.
• Generating a list of potential headline variations for A/B testing.
• Summarizing reader comments to gauge public reaction to a specific piece.
• Searching through personal archives to find relevant past quotes or references.

The 10-year outlook

Individual brand power will become more important than the publication worked for. The most successful columnists will likely move toward independent subscription models (like Substack) to monetize their personal following.

Common questions