Secrets of the word wizards

Writing has always been a challenging job.

But now, in the age of generative AI, it's getting even more difficult for many of us.

The sheer volume of content that GenAI tools churn out makes it hard to be seen and heard. Of the top Google search results, 16.6% rely on AI-generated content as of May 2025, according to Originality.ai. Earlier this year, it spiked over 18%.

Two years ago, only 6.6% of the top search results had AI-generated content.

But as it turns out, AI isn't a very good substitute for human writers. You've probably noticed more than once that over-reliance on AI is making many websites sound bland, generic, and undifferentiated. That's why AI-generated content does not drive traffic.

But AI can be useful in other ways, such as research, brainstorming, distilling interview transcripts, and copyediting.

So how is everyone doing?

I collaborated with Researchscape to survey hundreds of professionals in the fields of content marketing and digital content creation. Writers, editors, and content marketers.

Their responses paint a unique quantitative and qualitative picture of the state of content in the age of AI.

I'm sharing the results in a 20-page PDF (estimated reading time: 11 minutes, or less if you're skimming, which is easy because it's mostly charts and graphs).

Content survey 2025: Top takeaways

• 93% of creators collaborate with others daily or weekly. 

➠ Business writing is collaborative writing. (p. 5) 

• 69% of respondents collaborate with non-professional content creators. 

➠ Working with non-writers is a core skill. (p. 7)

• 89% of respondents use AI. 

➠ AI has become a big part of the job. (p. 9)

• 68% of content experts complete assignments in two revisions or fewer, compared to 48% of non-experts. 

➠ The pros get bigger jobs done with less hassle. (p. 13)

• Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Word remain the primary tools for both organizing projects and writing. 

➠ Most of us stick to familiar tools—for better or worse. (p. 14)

• The basic challenges of writing and editing remain the same, even if you’re using AI to help you. 

➠ The secrets of great content (p. 17)

To get all the details, click the button below to download the report.