How AI Writing Tools Gallop Past Algorithm Hiccups

Frequent search algorithm changes, clamor for more human-written content, and ethical concerns are gripping AI tools. 

These hiccups fail to spook Parismita Goswami, a content writer at an IT firm in India. 

She still marshals a battery of AI tools — ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grammarly — to produce content faster, better, and more deeply. And why not? She has slashed her blog drafting time by half from three days, primarily by cutting down on research hours. 

Fetching data with credible sources, gathering expert quotes, reviewing other blogs, and crafting fresh models is simpler now. Her swelling monthly quota is within reach, too. “The expected output is unattainable without AI,” she admits.  

But she’s quick to note that for fresh views and authenticity, there are limits to the tools. “That’s where I come in,” quips Parismita, a writer for 3.5 years. 

According to the G2 State of Software Report, May 2024, AI Writing Assistant is the fastest-growing category in the AI market. This means the category added the most number of new products compared to other AI categories like Text to Speech or Chatbot. This growth is 170% from 2022 to 2023. 

This is despite Google’s March core and the May unconfirmed updates reportedly taking down AI-generated content. A study by Originality.ai showed that all affected sites after the first update had posts with such content. And 50% of sites had 90-100% of their posts as AI-generated. 

Yet countless testimonies show no link between AI use and search engine penalties. Performance metrics for Parismita’s blogs, produced with AI’s assistance, showed no unusual trends following the updates. “I still use AI tools confidently,” she says. 

Attempting to decode the search engine’s intention, Marcus Miller, SEO consultant at Bowler Hat, explains, “Google only cares about the best content for the job. It does not matter if that content is AI-generated (as their own AI will soon be prevalent in search) or human-generated.” 

If anything, marketers’ reliance on writing assistants has shot up with little regard to algorithm changes and calls to retain human-centricity in content. 

What explains the rapid growth of writing assistants when, even today, just a few marketers, let alone companies, would admit to using them? 

How are writing assistants adapting to and thriving in such a challenging context? And what does this mean for marketers? Let’s explore.

Writing assistants are the fastest-growing AI products

AI has led all markets to be the fastest-growing, based on the G2 Momentum Score (2023 data). The score highlights growing products factoring in year-over-year changes in employee count, review volume, social following, and web presence.

There’s growing interest from investors, too. 

Bloomberg Intelligence believes that generative AI will be a $1.3 trillion market by 2032. This is pushing a bandwagon of investments by Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta, which experts attribute partly to FOMO. 

Within this industry, the global AI writing assistant market was pegged at $1.56 billion in 2022 and is expected to swell to $10.38 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 26.8% for 2024 to 2031. In fact, we’ve seen a flurry of investments in writing assistants, notably at Writer, which bagged $100 million in Series B funding last year.

What’s fueling this demand for AI and writing assistants in particular? 

A sentiment analysis of G2 buyer reviews has found users desire to simplify complex processes and tasks using AI. 

Within the AI market, five writing assistants are among the top 10 fastest-growing products, according to the quarterly G2 State of Software Report for May 2024. Grammarly leads the pack, followed by Jasper, Anyword, AISEO, and Writesonic. 

This contrasts with Q4 of 2023, when AI Writing Assistant was the second-fastest-growing AI category. And there were just two such tools in the most-visited new products section.

Source: G2 State of Software, May 2024

The tools, except for AISEO, are highly rated by users and have a substantial market presence, too, according to the G2 Grid^Ⓡ Report on AI Writing Assistant, Summer 2024. AISEO, though high on customer satisfaction, has a smaller market presence than others.

Decoding surging popularity of writing assistants

Which better place to start than user reviews?

Finding common threads across testimonies of users can help better understand the levers of customer demand. 

By analyzing more than 11,000 user reviews for Grammarly, Jasper, and Anyword, the fastest-growing AI products according to the State of Software May 2024 report, we’ve identified common problems these tools help resolve.

 These use cases also anchor the growth of these tools: 

• Detecting grammatical errors 
• Enhancing sentence structure and vocabulary 
• Overcoming writer’s block 
• Generating new ideas 

Writing assistants are primarily booming by serving small businesses. For Grammarly, this market segment forms nearly half its customer share, while for Jasper, it’s as significant as 94%.

Source: G2 research

The graph above shows the monthly growth in the number of products in the AI Writing Assistants category in a year. From October 2023 to June 2024, the growth rate hovered around 3.6%. 

Let’s understand how these tools fare along different parameters based on user reviews collected until June 4, 2024.

User satisfaction

Grammarly has the highest satisfaction score among all writing assistants. Its reviews primarily come from non-profit organization management firms. Whereas for both Jasper and Anyword, reviewers mainly come from marketing and advertising companies. 

For the three tools, text conversion features are rated the lowest. These include text to 3D, text to speech, and text to music. 

Implementation

All three tools score high on ease of setup. This is a primary factor driving positive customer sentiment, given ease of use of AI tools matters the most to users of AI tools. 

Grammarly and Jasper have higher user adoption than the average of 63% for the category. However, Anyword’s user adoption is much lower than the average.

For time to go live, Grammarly and Jasper fare poorly compared to the average of 1.36 months, while Anyword performs better. 

Relationship

The three tools score higher than the average of 88%, riding on superior customer support and ease of doing business. 

Results 

None of the three tools features in the top 10. Anyword and Grammarly have a higher estimated time to ROI than the average of 10.54 months, while it’s lower for Jasper. 

Notably, the ROI on using all writing assistants is getting longer. Yet this fails to dissuade marketing teams from investing in them. Perhaps the benefits, such as grammatical checks and volume content creation, outweigh such roadblocks. 

Momentum 

In the past year, Grammarly has seen 100% review growth. Both Grammarly and Jasper have clocked a momentum score higher than 70% compared to an average of 46%.

Rachana Hasyagar, research principal at G2, says users value the friendly interface of writing assistants and the efficiency they provide, which saves time. They also appreciate the versatility of features such as language rephrasing and content suggestions. 

New writers especially gain a lot from these tools. “Writing assistants foster creativity by aiding narrative refinement and idea generation,” notes Rachana after examining the reviews. 

Plus, in most offices, 87% of professionals use generative AI tools for text creation, signifying the demand for the tools. Writing assistants are used primarily for blogs, reports, product descriptions, and chatbot scripts. 

2023 saw an unusual uptick in writing assistants, with their numbers jumping by 141% over the previous year. 

“This was the time when developments in natural language processing (NLP) and AI models like GPT-3 significantly improved the software,” says Rachana.  

And with many companies leading digital transformation, it created a greater demand for content. “Companies looked for cost-effective ways to produce large volumes,” she adds.

Source: G2 research

G2 take 

Explaining the possible reasons for the growth of writing assistants, G2’s senior director of SEO, Ross Briggs points to the challenge companies faced earlier to scale content creation, particularly in highly technical industries. 

He stresses the correlation between the volume of content published and traffic generation. “Combining deep technical expertise with strong writing skills can be challenging. While many technical experts excel in their fields, they may find it difficult to communicate their knowledge in writing. Similarly, skilled writers may face challenges in developing in-depth technical expertise,” he says. 

Writing assistants here promise to close this gap. “They can either help subject matter experts craft more compelling content or fill in the blanks for career writers when it comes to a subject,” says Ross. 

“As companies integrate AI writing assistants into their broader communication methods, the technology is expected to evolve to have more contextual awareness and adapt to personalized writing styles.”

Rachana Hasyagar
Research principal at G2

Writing assistants speak

To better understand growth strategies, G2 reached out to Grammarly, Jasper, and Anyword, the top three writing assistants featured in the State of Software, May 2024 report. 

Here’s what they say about their growth strategies and how they believe writing assistants are transforming marketers: 

Grammarly

Lena Waters, chief marketing officer, Grammarly, shares the two things top of mind for Grammarly.

1. Strategic focus 

"Grammarly is the only company that’s been solely focused on AI communication assistance for over a decade. For the past 15 years, we have led the industry with our linguistic expertise, technology, and historical context. 

"We work across 500,000 apps and sites to deliver expert guidance wherever people write, and with people at 96% of the Fortune 500 relying on Grammarly to get work done, we continue to be the industry leader that gives our customers a competitive edge. 

"Our focus on solving genuine communication challenges—from individuals ideating on content to teams struggling with unclear emails—guides our entire strategy and development."

2. What’s in it for marketers

"AI-augmented communication will fundamentally uplevel marketing and create higher-impact brands. Effective communication is crucial for any company's success; it’s how work gets done and how customers engage with your brand. But it’s harder than ever to communicate well in a workplace overwhelmed by nonstop emails and channels.

"When used effectively, AI can be a game-changer to cut through the noise and help marketers achieve better outcomes. We already see marketers uplevelling how they work and interact with tools and customers, having an AI partner to think creatively and strategically while they build brand and customer experiences. 

"Marketers using AI in this way will see their roles transformed, gaining more time for impactful storytelling, compelling brand voice, deeper customer insights, and a greater ability to drive revenue."

Jasper

Tom Newton, VP of marketing, shares what's on the minds of Jasper's leaders.

1. Growth strategy

"Jasper has always been about more than just keeping up with the latest trends. Our strategy focuses on understanding and addressing the core needs of marketers. We're evolving from a focus on generating content to enabling complex marketing workflows at the scale and speed of AI. 

"We’re also looking at this from a broader perspective. We aim to generate intelligence for entire marketing teams rather than just assisting a single user. This approach allows marketers to uncover new insights and patterns that were previously unseen, enabling them to connect more effectively with their audiences. 

"By handling everything from routine activities to complex workflows with high degrees of intelligence and scalability, Jasper acts as a force multiplier, making individual marketers and their teams more effective."

2. What’s in it for marketers

"Traditionally, marketers have spent a lot of time on details and execution. With AI taking over these routine tasks, marketers can focus more on strategic thinking, creative ideation, and building deeper connections with their audience.

"AI won't replace marketers; it will augment their capabilities. Imagine having an intelligent teammate who not only helps you generate content but also provides valuable insights and aids in managing complex workflows. This partnership allows marketers to explore new capabilities at scale, enabling them to craft more personalized and effective marketing strategies that weren’t previously possible. 

"The future will see marketers working hand-in-hand with AI, leveraging its intelligence to uncover subtle patterns and insights, ultimately changing how they connect with customers. It's an exciting time to be in marketing, and Jasper’s at the forefront of this transformation."

Anyword

Daniel Feuer, head of strategy, shares how Anyword is thinking about AI writing.

1. Growth strategy

"This is a dynamic market. And while there are many challenges, the benefits of being in such a fast-growing, exciting market far outweigh the costs. Part of our strategy to react to challenges is to be nimble and be able to quickly react to any market changes."

2. What’s in it for marketers

"Writing assistants have already started helping marketers in their writing, while saving them both time and effort. This technology is like a calculator, which does not take away from mathematicians but actually helps them. Anyword helps marketers share their brand message to the right audience at the right time."

Google: Create content to help people, not game search results

With frequent search algorithm updates, there’s no clear pattern to what’s worthy of Google’s onslaught. This has left content marketers, SEO experts, and website owners scrambling to anticipate and crack the right formula. 

Even Google, in one instance, found a website deceptive and untrustworthy for its AI content. This is despite the recent reiteration of its policy against using “automation to generate low-quality” content at scale to manipulate rankings. 

Under the looming axe of search engines, content marketers face tough questions: Are AI tools safe for creating content? To what extent should they rely on them? What kind of content is losing in search results. And the more sinister: am I next? 

On a query on how the search engine treats AI content in search results, a Google spokesperson told G2:

The message from Google is clear: 

You may create content through automation, human efforts, or a combination of both. However it should be original and intended to help people and not manipulate search results. 

For creators not ranking well, a Google statement shared with G2 advises them to read creating helpful, reliable, people-first content help page.

Google recognizes AI's ability to power “new levels of expression and creativity” but cautions against its misuse. 

The statement explains the rationale behind the frequent updates, pointing to evolving spams that require intervention. Google says the updates are “designed to prevent the lowest-quality content from appearing in search results—such as expired domains repurposed as spam repositories by new owners or obituary spam.”

You might wonder if being SEO-centric is like trying to game the system. Well, not exactly. Businesses are not at a disadvantage when Google says, “Write with the reader in mind, not the search engine.” 

Companies can still aspire to better visibility on web searches to reach the target audience without trying to trick the results. They can still position keywords strategically, break things down into bite-size pieces, and use micro engagements like images, polls, and factoids to rank better.

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What does this mean for marketers?

Using AI writing assistants, content creators can save time and produce better business outcomes. 

In fact, the director of content strategy at Freshworks, Michael Goldberg believes it’s a better time now to be a content marketer. “For them, it’s an opportunity to own their authenticity and come to the table with unique perspectives,” he says.  

Content marketers are not just writers but content producers today. “You have to think of a good overarching story to tell through videos, images, and words,” he explains.

“I don’t refer to any AI assistant as a writing tool. I believe that humans are the ones writing. AI platforms are only assisting them. We use them primarily for research as more efficient search engines.”

Michael Goldberg
Director of content strategy, Freshworks

Further, Nitin Manchanda, founder and chief SEO consultant at Botpresso, believes marketers can focus more on strategic planning and data-driven decisions now as writing assistants automate tasks like content generation, translation, and summarization. 

“Content marketers must now focus on integrating AI tools effectively into their work, ensure ethical use, and develop skills for human-AI collaboration to maximize the potential of these technologies,” he suggests.

“Marketers must find the best of both worlds as they create content: they should speed up and scale AI use to stay competitive and maintain the context and insight only a human writer can provide."

Ross Briggs
Senior director of SEO, G2

G2 take

Senior director of SEO at G2 Ross Briggs reminds marketers that while generative AI is powerful, at its core, it’s just “auto-complete on steroids,” predicting text based on what’s already been written elsewhere. “It doesn’t “think” in the same way as humans,” he says. 

He advises marketers to fact-check AI outputs to preserve customer trust. A major concern with AI content is hallucinations, especially their convincing nature. 

To retain content integrity, marketers must ask themselves: 

• Did two large language models (LLMs) produce the same results?
• Did the LLM cite an authoritative source for its claim?
• Given everything else you have learned about the topic, does the claim make logical sense?  

Further, Michael circles back to the heart of content creation - originality and the human element.  “A content piece shouldn’t feel like it’s written for an algorithm. You must prioritize originality and creativity. This is something AI can’t account for," he advises. 

AI AI, captain 

Tapping into AI isn’t about picking sides anymore. 

Companies today grapple with rivals striding ahead using AI, the need to create content at warp speeds, and the festering skills gap. 

The assistants are not just a helping hand here. They empower marketers and help them do what they do best — stir emotions, inject creativity, and offer unique views. Meanwhile, the grunt work is thrust to the assistants. 

The search algorithm changes, spooky for sure, don’t necessarily mitigate against AI use. In fact, Google promotes AI use (it owns Gemini) to create content, but only for solving real issues faced by real people. 

But then, machines have brains but no souls (so far). It’s when you blend the writing assistants’ efficiency with a human’s vision and ethical compass the magic happens. 

Are you curious about how generative AI is shaping work and the workplace? Find out in our recent study here.

Edited by Sinchana Mistry