Are you drafting or iterating? Some thoughts on writing with AI

I use AI in my day-to-day at work — yes, sometimes, even to write! Despite the hype about "removing critical thinking," somehow it hasn't taken away any of the mechanics, structure, or thought processes behind writing. Although I compose these blog posts from my brain (plus other people's research/brains), the very act of putting words into a blank digital page hasn't changed at all with AI. At least not for me. I read a lot about how non-developers are using AI and what keeps coming up in these discussions is the idea that AI removes the fear behind the "blank page." People keep saying that because AI can put together a "pretty ok" first draft, they're able to jump in to edit and rewrite, rather than staring at the blinking cursor in front of them, wondering what to say. I don't have blank page syndrome. I have no problem filling the pages with messy thoughts and then iterating my draft from there, but my experience seems to be somewhat uncommon. So today I'm thinking about the idea…