One afternoon in late spring 2023, I had my lightbulb moment. I’d been pecking around ChatGPT for a few months when I thought to see how well it could copyedit. I fed it some error-ridden text, gave it a rudimentary editing prompt, and watched the future change.
My first thought was “Wow, that was fast!” Then I checked to see how completely accurate ChatGPT's edit was. That's when I had my second thought: “Wow...a lot of editors are going to lose their jobs if they don’t learn how to use this.”
It was so clear to me in that moment that the editing profession was about to experience a huge technological transition, one akin to the shift from editing on paper to editing with a word processor. I realized those who didn’t learn this new tech would get left behind, just like then. In that same moment, I decided to make my own transition. I decided to wind down my small editorial agency and focus on teaching editors how to use AI.
A few months later, I launched my first AI for Editors course. It’s been amazing what has happened since.
AI for Editors Year One – By the Numbers
From August 2023 to August 2024, I have:
Taught 250 students from more than 20 countries through 140 hours of instruction
Given14 presentations about AI to editing organizations like the Editorial Freelancers Association, ACES: The Society for Editing, the Professional Editors Network, and the Northwest Editors Guild
Presented 2 (about to be 3) guest lectures to copyediting classes at UNC–Chapel Hill
Published 3 articles about editing with AI in the Editorial Freelancers Association’s newsletter, The Freelancer
Appeared on 1 podcast (The Editor’s Half Hour)
I’ve also grown the course from 4 lessons to 7, adding a lesson on how to use AI to help with content editing, a lesson about using AI for fact-checking, and a lesson about AI editing ethics.
Earlier this year, I started offering students who complete weekly assignments a certificate of completion when they graduate; and now new students receive a huge prompt library of 200+ prompts I created to jumpstart their AI prompting.
Plus, I've hired 2 people to assist me with the course:
Amy Frushour Kelly of Frushour AI Consulting & Editorial: Amy teaches the lesson on AI editing ethics.
Molly McCowan of Inkbot Editing: Molly is the AI for Editors online community curator. She helps by giving students feedback on their homework, sharing AI articles and insights, and generally making our online community a valuable place to be.
Both Amy and Molly are AI for Editors graduates.
AI for Editors Students Have Had a Big Year Too
As I've paused to celebrate the birthday of the AI for Editors course, I've also reflected on the incredible impact it's had on students' careers. I've stayed in touch with many course graduates and have been delighted by the personal stories of transformation and success I've had the privilege of hearing about firsthand.
AI for Editors students have reported jaw-dropping results:
Editing 26% faster than before
Quintupling the number of words they edit per month
Landing new jobs at exciting companies
Many students sign up for the course when they are between jobs and are looking to upskill to gain marketable job skills. Others are trying to transition from freelance to full-time work. Gratefully, I’ve had many students update me with good news.
Earlier this week, I received another email from a past student who told me that during his interview, the hiring manager seemed very excited about his AI knowledge. He credited taking the AI for Editors course with helping him land his new position.
Of all of the big achievements from the past year, it’s the moments like this that make me feel the proudest.
Here’s What the Students Had to Say
Here's a small sampling of feedback I've received from students during our first year.
“AI for Editors was a well-crafted, practical, and informative learning experience. Erin Servais expertly led the class through a series of themes that made AI accessible to editors and demonstrated its benefits for our roles. Ms. Servais is a gifted presenter and teacher—she really knows what she's talking about and what she's doing. I left the course a stronger editor and practitioner of AI tools, understanding how to use them effectively while recognizing the necessity of our expert editorial oversight.”
—Michael Martin
“This course is the only one of its kind and is essential for any editor to remain relevant as technology continues to become more and more sophisticated.”
—Nadia Geagea Pupa
“AI for Editors was a well-rounded, up-to-date exploration of how AI platforms can best be leveraged specifically within an editorial workflow. Although these tools are evolving at a crazy rate, Erin somehow manages to keep up to date on the latest changes and is able to convey them to the class in real time. More importantly, Erin goes beyond instruction in mere technicalities by emphasizing how to think about these unusual and powerful tools. Effective and safe use of AI tools requires a bit of a mental paradigm shift, and the small class platform allowed for ample time to pose questions and discuss these more subtle aspects of our new AI reality. This class has made me feel more empowered to use AI tools in my workflow, which I am sure is in no small part due to Erin's dynamic, expert guidance and the collegial class atmosphere. AI will definitely have long-lasting effects in the editorial and scholarly worlds—taking this class and becoming a part of Erin's AI-for-Editors community is one way not to be left behind.”
—Karla D. Passalacqua
“There were so many valuable things I learned in this course—how to use AI to edit, track changes, research, etc.—but the most valuable thing was probably that AI is a tool to help editors thrive in their jobs, not something meant to take their jobs.”
—Katie Letts
“I went into the class fearful of changes in the editing world, because I love what I do and want to keep doing it as long as I can. The class reassured me that humans will still be needed in the process. The subject of AI elicits understandable fear, even anger, and Erin's funny, knowledgeable, at times self-deprecating, kind approach was perfect for the course.”
—James Gallagher
“I am a line editor, copyeditor, and proofreader, and I was quite leery of engaging with ChatGPT 4 prior to taking this course. I was afraid that AI editing tech would leave me unemployed, or that I would be left behind in my field due to my ignorance of how to use this technology. With her knowledge, enthusiasm, kindness, and sense of humor, Erin made this technology seem much less daunting, and she taught us practical tools to use in our editorial practices. I learned how to use ChatGPT 4 as a tool in copyediting, which will eventually make my work more efficient, and in developmental editing, which will help me in my own writing.”
—Stephanie Marshall Ward
Looking Ahead to Year Two
While I will continue to teach the flagship AI for Editors course, I am also adding 2 new services to the AI for Editors repertoire: the Advanced AI for Editors course and AI for Editors corporate training.
Advanced AI for Editors
I am currently building the curriculum for the Advanced AI for Editors course, which will launch in October 2024 as a 6-week course focused on advanced AI editing skills. Here's a breakdown of the schedule:
Week 1 – Back to the Future: AI for Editors Tech Update
Week 2 – Prompting Like a Pro: Advanced Prompting Strategies for AI Editors
Week 3 – AI for Line Editing: Structural Editing Techniques
Week 4 – DIY GPT: Creating CustomGPTs for Writing Analysis and Editing
Week 5 – Inside editGPT and Perplexity: An In-Depth Tour of Two Top AI Editing Tools
Week 6 – From Ideation to Publication: Integrating AI into Your Writing and Editing Workflow
This course will be open to students who’ve graduated from the introductory AI for Editors course.
Corporate Training
Word of mouth is a wonderful thing. Earlier this year, I started having managers who’d heard about my course reaching out to me to inquire about training their editorial teams. I began conducting more and more custom AI for Editors corporate trainings to small teams, and I plan to launch it soon as an official service. Trainings will go beyond editing to include using AI for writing and content planning. You can download a guide to my initial offerings below.
If you want to make sure you hear updates about these services when, sign up for the AI for Editors newsletter.
Thank You!
There’s no doubt this has been the most exhilarating and successful year of my professional life. It’s the people who’ve joined me on this ride I have to thank: the students (all 250 and counting of you), the people who’ve attended my presentations and webinars, the fellow AI enthusiasts I’ve recruited as friends and comrades, and all of the people who gave me a chance. I want to end this amazing year with gratitude to you. Thank you.
Erin Servais helps editors upskill through AI. Her AI for Editors course is known worldwide as the leading AI course for editors of all types, including medical editors, finance editors, education editors, corporate communications editors, and book editors.
Erin serves on the board of directors for ACES: The Society for Editing and has presented about editing, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence for the Professional Editors Network, Editors Canada, the Northwest Editors Guild, the Editorial Freelancers Association, and ACES.
Email Erin: Erin@aiforeditors.com