Scrolling through LinkedIn lately feels a bit like reading two completely different newspapers at the same time. In one post, the creative industry is apparently collapsing. Copywriters everywhere are “open to work”. AI is taking jobs faster than people can update their CVs.
Three scrolls later, someone else posts the opposite.
“We’re looking for real writers again.”
“Brands want authentic storytelling.”
“Human creativity matters more than ever.”
So which one is it?
Are writers being replaced by AI… or rediscovered as essential?
LinkedIn has quietly become a place where everyone is reporter, protagonist and editor of their own story. The algorithm rewards certainty and conviction — not necessarily nuance. If you say something confidently enough, it starts to feel like fact.
Which means contradictions can sit comfortably in the same feed.
“AI is killing writing.”
“Companies are desperate for writers.”
Both posts get traction. Both sound convincing depending on which one happens to float past your boat first.
Part of the confusion is that AI really is being used widely now, especially for routine content. Product descriptions, newsletters, internal updates, letters and even Google Forms — the kind of material businesses have always needed but nobody particularly loved writing.
And you can often recognise it instantly.
LinkedIn is increasingly filled with posts that begin like this:
“As we approach the end of this transformative year, it’s important to pause and acknowledge the remarkable milestones we’ve collectively achieved.”
“In an ever-evolving digital ecosystem defined by rapid innovation and unprecedented change, adaptability has never been more essential.”
“I am both deeply honoured and genuinely excited to share this significant and remarkable update with my network.”
“Take a moment to fully absorb the magnitude of this underscored insight.”
“The road ahead is filled with dynamic opportunities and forward-looking remarkable possibilities.”
After a while it feels like the entire platform is being written by the same very polite robot.
And that’s where things get interesting. When everything starts sounding the same, actual voice suddenly stands out again. Perspective becomes noticeable. Original thinking becomes valuable.
There’s a thought experiment in physics called Schrödinger’s Cat, made famous in The Big Bang Theory. In simple terms, it suggests that until you actually observe something, two opposite outcomes can exist at the same time. The cat in the box is both alive and dead until you open the lid and check.
LinkedIn feels a little like that at the moment.
Creative work is simultaneously dying and thriving — depending on which posts land in your feed.
Some companies are absolutely replacing routine writing with AI. It’s fast, cheap and often good enough.
At the same time, many brands are realising that when everyone uses the same tools, everything starts sounding the same. And suddenly people who can think, argue, provoke or tell a story properly become valuable again.
So the market isn’t moving neatly in one direction. It’s evolving in two at once.
Routine writing may well be automated.
Original thinking — paired with the ability to use language tools creatively — may be the skill that rises to the surface.
The real state of things is probably somewhere in the middle — where most real work always happens.
Industries change. Tools evolve. Some roles disappear while others quietly become more important.
And perhaps the only sensible response is simply to keep doing the work.
Because in a world where everyone is publishing their own version of reality, careers — like stories — are still largely what we make of them.