The myth of the AI first draft: Why raw AI output isn’t ‘almost done’

There’s a fantasy floating around content teams right now like a weird little productivity goblin whispering sweet lies into decision-makers’ ears:

“Just use AI for the first draft. It’s basically done. You just need to tidy it up a bit.”

Oh. Is it?

Let’s talk about this idea that AI-generated content is 80% there, and you just need to “polish it up.”

Because that assumption?

It’s costing people time, quality, and credibility.

First drafts aren’t finish lines

Here’s what a real first draft is: a messy, too-long, kind-of-smart-but-definitely-rambly brain dump.

And when a human writes it, there’s intent underneath the mess.

There’s logic. Personality. Momentum.

Now take AI. It writes fast. It sounds confident. It knows how to structure a sentence.

But here’s the kicker:

• It has no sense of priority.
• It doesn’t know what your client actually cares about.
• It fills space instead of making a point.

That means your AI “first draft” might look tidy… but functionally? It’s a pile of nicely written maybes.

Let’s break down what actually needs fixing

Because this isn’t just about typos. This is about structure, tone, logic, credibility, and vibes.

1. Structure is often nonsense

AI has never read a content brief. It doesn’t know what your audience knows.

So instead of building from point A to B to C, it hops around like a toddler on a sugar high.

You get:

• A conclusion that appears halfway through
• Repeated sections with slightly different phrasing
• Missing transitions or logical jumps

So what do you have to do?

• Reorganise the entire post
• Rewrite intros and conclusions
• Rebuild flow from scratch

2. Tone is robotic or weirdly chirpy

Even with detailed prompts, tone is where AI consistently falls flat.

It either:

• Sounds like a marketing brochure from 2009
• Over-explains like you’re five
• Vacillates between formal and faux-casual in the same paragraph

Don’t even get me started on the ‘everyone’s a winner’ approach with praise for everything I do.

Fixing tone isn’t a light edit.

It’s a total rewrite for:

• Voice
• Rhythm
• Sentence variety
• Cultural context

3. Accuracy is a dice roll

AI is a confident liar. It’ll cite made-up stats. Quote people who never said that. Offer advice that’s legally dicey or factually wrong.

And it will do it all with a reassuring smile.

So now you’re:

• Fact-checking everything
• Hunting sources for vague claims
• Rewriting whole sections that were based on hallucinations

Sometimes AI gets it right but it’s wrong often enough that you need to check literally everything in case it makes you look bad.

4. Client work makes everything more precise

If you’re delivering work for a client, “close enough” isn’t close enough.

You need:

• Brand alignment
• Positioning awareness
• Keyword strategy
• Proof of expertise
• A voice that doesn’t feel like it came out of a can

Which means you’re:

• Rewording to match tone of voice docs
• Cross-checking with the client’s existing content
• Making sure claims match actual products or services

The real cost of “just a polish”

Clients hear “AI draft” and think they’re paying for 80% of a blog post.

But if you’re doing the job properly, the edit takes more time than writing from scratch.

Because:

• You’re not shaping an idea. You’re untangling one.
• You’re not choosing your words. You’re replacing someone else’s.
• You’re not building a voice. You’re removing all traces of robo-blandness and starting over.

Editing AI is less like “polishing” and more like “rebuilding the house, but the bricks are made of marshmallow.”

AI is amazing, but only when you use it intentionally

AI is a genuine gamechanger, but the majority of businesses out there don’t really understand it.

They just hear ‘AI writes original posts in under 30 seconds’ and stop listening after that.

There’s way more to writing with AI than asking it for a ‘1,000 word post on toenails that include the keywords “solid gold toenail clippers”.

AI can seriously boost productivity, but only if:

• You’re using it to brainstorm, not outsource thinking
• You’re building structure with prompts
• You’re layering your insight over the top
• You’re editing with the same attention you’d give to any human draft

Want it to sound original? That’s not in the default settings.

Want it to reflect strategy? You’ve got to bring that.

Want your post to matter? You still have to do the hard part.

Final thoughts from someone who has fixed one too many AI drafts

The AI first draft isn’t 80% done. It’s 30% if you’re lucky. It’s a start. A sketch. A lump of digital clay.

And yes, it’s useful. It’s fast. It can save you hours if you know how to edit and reshape the result properly.

But calling raw AI output “almost done” is like calling an IKEA flatpack “basically a chair.”

There’s still a lot of work ahead.

And if you’d rather not spend two hours making it sound like a human wrote it? That’s what I do: www.coastalcontent.co.uk