Gamurs, the company that owns Dot Esports and Destructoid, has laid off roughly 40% of its total workforce and has been looking to hire an AI editor to replace the job.
AI Editor for Hire?
The company has laid off a huge chunk of its staff and freelance workforce. Most of these losses concentrated on the company's editorial departments, Esports Insider reports.
A few months later, the group was caught posting a job listing to hire an AI editor. According to Futurism, the description notes that, with the assistance of AI Content and an SEO strategist, the AI editor could utilize tools, such as ChatGPT, to come up with 200 to 250 articles weekly.
The listing further indicates that the AI Editor must write headlines, add images and links, and follow through with other steps in WordPress production. The AI editor is also expected to rewrite content when necessary.
Futurism says that the pay is not extraordinary as well. The listed salary ranges from $40,000 to $55,000 each year. This would be, at best, equivalent to $4.25 for each article.
Staff writer Kenneth Shepard from Kotaku first noticed the listing. It has already been deleted, but not before it circulated in the community.
Tom Henderson, who is behind Insider Gaming, notes in a tweet that the future of written gaming content has arrived. Gaming journalist Imran Khan also tweeted that the company should be dragged through the mud.
Gamurs, who just laid off a lot of writers and editors across its Too Many Goddamn websites, is hiring an AI editor to "work with AI Content and SEO Strategist to finalize workflow and production of AI-created content."
— the kenaissance (@shepardcdr) June 13, 2023
lol. lmao, even.https://t.co/SJhfDLFHsW
GAMURS, the company who let go 40%ish of their staff recently is now hiring an "AI Editor" to do approximately 250 articles per week at a whopping $4.20 per article.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 13, 2023
The future of written gaming content is here! Lmao pic.twitter.com/MaAUznBrIs
Will AI Replace Human Writers?
With the advancement and prevalence of generative AI, some may be wondering if writing jobs are at risk of being replaced by the technology. According to USA Today, large-language models, such as ChatGPT, are learning to compose content that follows very complex and specific prompts.
The technology draws content from published resources and uses such to come up with manuscripts, articles, and other forms of written content in mere seconds.
Such programs are handy tools that writers can capitalize on. They can revitalize pitches, outline drafts, and help source out ideas. With their access to an insurmountable amount of data and great speed, AI tools are proven to be efficient.
However, it is important to note that there are limitations to the technology. After all, generative AI can only borrow content made by humans. It can generate and copy content, but it cannot make new and fresh observations and expressions. In the end, humans are required for such novelty.
According to Spiceworks, with the current capacities of AI and its further advancements, writers should not consider it a replacement for them but a tool that they can capitalize on. AI could improve the work of writers significantly, but it is not yet ready to entirely replace human writers.
Check out more news and information on Artificial Intelligence in Science Times.
