With the growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s little wonder why so many people think the proofreading profession is out of date. I know my family has told me so time and time again. (Thanks for the support, guys.)
I get it. With apps like Grammarly, the spellchecker on Microsoft Word, and even autocorrect being the usual for our phones, this profession is now put to the test. So, why are proofreaders still around and not a thing of the past? I have carefully made an example. Take a look at this paragraph:
Thank you for inviting me to your party, however, I cannot lake it. I already planned previous plans, so I apologize for being unable to attend. I would love to have you over for a meal though. My wife makes the better lasagna,
Some of these errors are subtle, while others are very obvious. And even though a sentence may be grammatically correct, that doesn’t mean it’s right! But, despite using THREE different spellcheckers, no error was found. Why not?
The Problem
Simply, AI doesn’t have that human touch. When we read the above paragraph, the intended meaning is clear. But without fully understanding the context, AI can’t interpret the difference between lake and make. All it knows is that the word was spelled correctly and the grammar fits. (I, for one, had no idea the word lake is also a verb.) AI missed some grammar rules altogether. It didn’t catch the redundancy of “planned previous plans.” And in the end, the phrasing makes little sense to English ears. Imagine sending errors such as these to an important business client!
Now, we know humans aren’t perfect either. We can make mistakes. We can miss errors. We can even be unaware of word definitions—like lake. But humans have the understanding to spot more than just technical rules. We can read for clarity, for consistency, and for meaning. Computerized spellcheckers just can’t compete.
Conclusion
In the future, maybe AI will be able to work out some of the quirks, but that’s for the future to decide. For now, I think it’s safe to say that the proofreading profession is here to stay, and I’m glad it is.
If you’ve decided to hire a professional, as a copy editor and proofreader, I’d be more than happy to work with you. If you’d like to know more, visit my service page here.
Peony & Prose Editorial 
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