It’s a hot topic we can’t ignore at Foxiz either: AI. Translators, for example, are concerned because their work is increasingly being taken over by automated translations. Or they find a new way of working in MTPE (machine translation post editing), because one still cannot blindly trust that machine translations are always correct. Especially in the technical world, the human eye still remains indispensable. Translating a technical document has to be done with the utmost care. After all, you don’t want to have mistakes in your safety regulations, right?
This is even more true when you have to write a whole new document. The work of a technical writer, in other words. Yet we see more and more manuals being automatically created by AI. And by the looks of it, that’s going just fine. So why still hire a technical writer? Surely, ChatGPT is much faster AND cheaper?
If you are considering creating your manual with AI, keep reading. We are listing a few key advantages and disadvantages of AI for the drafting of technical documents.
AI is useful…
- … if it is simple
If we’re talking about a very simple manual, then AI will handle it just fine. By very simple, we mean: a device that you can turn ‘on’ and ‘off’ again. One could definitely argue that a technical writer is no longer needed to write a manual for that. - … for standardisation
AI is also very useful when it comes to standardisation. Manufacturers making multiple products often adhere to a dedicated standard when creating their technical documentation. Writers, on the other hand, still tend to add their own personal touch. Or the standard gets lost over time, which can easily happen when working with larger (amounts of) documents. In those cases, AI can be helpful in keeping the standard in mind and creating texts accordingly. - … to search for information
AI can be a useful tool for the technical writer to quickly find relevant information. For that purpose, AI should be trained to only search in specific sources, though. In the area of technical documentation, this could be the Machinery Directive or European regulations, for example. If you create a framework in which your AI solution is allowed to search, then you know where it gets its information, meaning you can be confident that the information is reliable. But you still have to verify the results carefully. So in this case too, there is a role for the technical writer! - In short, AI takes the boring work out of your hands.
Repetitive operations, simple tasks and standardisation are best outsourced to the machine. Provided you give it the right instructions, of course.
AI is not that helpful…
- … because it will always search from scratch, over and over
The most fundamental objection to AI is that it will always start from scratch, every time. You never get the same result twice. Ask ChatGPT to calculate 2+2 often enough and it will eventually come up with something other than 4. After all, AI searches for the most common words matching your query. It is, in a way, a collector of words. Creative people can make beautiful things with it. But if the result has to be technically accurate and reliable, you might run into problems. - … when things get complicated
For a simple manual, you’ll get reasonable results with AI. But as soon as things get a bit more complex, it will start to make mistakes. Suppose you are a manufacturer of coffee machines. You have developed a new model. One that has Wi-Fi and a memory function to remember your favourite cup of coffee. You ask ChatGPT to write a manual for it. You enter the specifications and in the blink of an eye, an apparently fine text appears. Apparently, that is. Because a closer look reveals that some things are not correct. Often you won’t see it unless you know the product well. If, for example, you are the engineer who designed the thing. And then you start to rewrite the text yourself. But are you a writer? Many engineers have excellent technical skills, but are not writers. Unclear sentences end up in the text. And to make matters worse, your manual may not even comply with European regulations anymore. Because one has to keep in mind, the EU is becoming increasingly stringent in their requirements, both for technical products and for the documentation that is supplied with them. And in the end, you have a coffee machine that you are not even allowed to sell on the European market! - … if context matters
AI is fairly capable of writing for a specific audience and at the desired language level. But it will never have a complete picture of the situations in which the text will be read. A technical writer does have that knowledge. And what’s even more, if you made a really nice, expensive, super-deluxe coffee machine. Do you then really want to provide a cheap and poorly constructed manual to go with that? And have your valued customer not understand it for one bit?
Foxiz and AI
Technical writers and documentalists at Foxiz effectively deploy AI as a tool to streamline standard processes. For example, we specifically train AI to search for information within certain frameworks, in such a way that reliable data comes out of it. We then build our own ‘factory’ for complex sets of technical documentation. And that’s especially useful if you are not just making a coffee machine, but 40 other appliances that require manuals in 12 languages as well. Furthermore, the abovementioned ‘factory’ is a lot more efficient than ChatGPT or the engineer!
AI makes the work of the technical writer a lot more interesting
The technical writer is far from out of work. On the contrary. Thanks to AI, things are actually getting more interesting! You can leave the standard jobs and the boring, repetitive work to AI. And as a result, you have more time for the fun stuff! Thinking about the target audience and the best framework for a document, product or work situation, for example. So if anything, technical writing has become even more exciting!
Give your technical documentation the attention it deserves
Employ a good technical writer rather than AI if:
- Your product is not super-simple
- You face high requirements due to European regulations
- You have customers who also consider the manual when choosing a product
- You have to manage a complex set of documentation in various languages
Or even better: entrust your documentation to the expert documentalists at Foxiz! If you want to know more, feel free to reach out! We would be happy to talk to you.
It sounds pretty interesting to be a technical writer, right?
Does the role of technical writer and documentalist sound interesting to you? Do you enjoy working with technology and language, and do you look forward to focussing on the fun aspects of the job, not despite of, but because of AI? Then we might have a spot for you, here at Foxiz! Send us a message or give us a call!
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