Companies tried using AI to cut costs. Now they're paying humans to fix its errors
According to a BBC report, there is a burgeoning industry for software engineers and writers who are being hired to fix the mistakes made by AI.
The trouble with AI
Take the example of Sarah Skidd. When a content agency reached out to Sarah Skidd in May, they were in a bind. The website copy they had commissioned from a generative AI tool for a hospitality client wasn't up to the mark — and they needed it rewritten urgently.
"It was the kind of copy that you typically see in AI copy – just very basic; it wasn't interesting," Skidd explained. "It was supposed to sell and intrigue but instead it was very vanilla."
Skidd, a product marketing manager in Arizona who writes for tech and start-up companies, took 20 hours to rewrite the copy from scratch. At her usual rate of $100 an hour, the agency ended up paying $2,000.
Skidd isn't worried about AI replacing her. In fact, it's giving her more business.
"Maybe I'm being naive, but I think if you are very good, you won't have trouble," she told BBC.
The rise of AI
She's not alone. Many writers she knows are now being hired not to create new content, but to fix the errors AI-generated text leaves behind.
Over the past few years, AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini have become popular in business circles, seen as ways to streamline workflows and cut down costs. A recent survey by the UK's Federation of Small Businesses found that 35% of small firms plan to expand their AI use within two years.
But Skidd's experience, and those of others like her, suggests that there may still be a long way to go before AI can match up to human standards.
Sophie Warner, co-owner of Hampshire-based digital marketing agency Create Designs, says that in the last six to eight months, there has been an increase in the number of clients who want to fix the mess created by AI.
"Before clients would message us if they were having issues with their site or wanted to introduce new functionality," Warner told BBC. "Now they are going to ChatGPT first."
But adding code generated by ChatGPT has made some websites prone to crashing and vulnerable to attacks.
In one case, a client asked ChatGPT how to update their event page – something Warner says would have taken just 15 minutes manually. But instead, the AI-generated code caused their website to crash, costing the business three days of downtime and about £360 in recovery costs.
"We often have to charge an investigation fee to find out what has gone wrong, as they don't want to admit it, and the process of correcting these mistakes takes much longer than if professionals had been consulted from the beginning," said Warner.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Mahindra looks to acquire 350-acre land parcel in Igatpuri
MUMBAI: Mahindra & Mahindra has submitted a letter of interest to the Maharashtra government to acquire 350 acres of land in Igatpuri, Maharashtra, according to a top company official. The Mumbai-based automaker already has manufacturing plants in Nashik and Igatpuri. "We have submitted a letter of interest for 350 acres of land in Igatpuri, which is part of our ecosystem," Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Executive Director and CEO for auto and farm sectors Rajesh Jejurikar told reporters here. He stated that Nashik and Igatpuri plants could benefit from a feeder facility in the vicinity. "The land parcel could be used for multiple things, including setting up a supplier park and anything that we may need more for either Nashik or the Igatpuri plant," Jejurikar added. The company is at a preliminary stage and would have to go through the whole process of due diligence, and then land purchase needs a different level of approval, he noted. "We still have to go through the process of meeting all approvals, internal and regulatory, before we actually make a the whole process is not complete, but the expression of interest is accurate," Jejurikar said. Mahindra & Mahindra CEO, Automotive Division, Nalinikanth Gollagunta said the company is looking to expand production capacity of its Chakan-based manufacturing by around 2.4 lakh units in the first phase this year. The overall production capacity of the plant would go up to 7.5 to 7.6 lakh units per year after the expansion. "We are also exploring setting up greenfield locations to put out the production capacity beyond 2027," Gollagunta stated. Mahindra has plans to invest over Rs 27,000 crore in its automotive business between FY25 and FY27.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
NGO data flows upwards to donors, not down to people: Study
In some villages in Odisha, women's self-help groups gather for "sense-making sessions". Here, they track their savings and income levels through simple charts. When women from villages with lower savings see these comparative numbers, they feel motivated to visit their high-income counterparts, going on to adopt new farming methods and collectively bargain with banks for better credit terms. Turns out such powerful instances of sharing information with communities is the exception rather than the rule across India's development sector. A new study titled 'Measuring What Matters, Learning What Works' reveals a stark disconnect: while NGOs in India collect mountains of information each month about the communities they serve, it is rarely used to benefit those same communities. The survey, which interviewed 175 organizations and 15 grassroots leaders across the country, found that over 70% of collected data—including basic information like demographics, household size, rising family incomes, women's participation in local committees and children's school attendance—flows upward to donors, while only 6% reaches the people it's meant for. This is a massive missed opportunity, according to Rajib Nandi, deputy vice president at Sambodhi, the research firm that conducted the study alongside Mumbai-based non-profit Dasra. "NGOs gather basic community information and program results that could provide powerful insights for communities, yet much is collected only to meet donor or government reporting requirements," says Nandi. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Gold Rates Today in Mumbai | Silver Rates Today in Mumbai The irony is hard to miss: despite this information coming directly from communities, people are often left in the dark about why it's collected or how it's used. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Find your car's value online in minutes. Spinny Click Here Undo The study reveals several interconnected challenges that prevent NGOs from realizing the power of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning or MEL, as it is called. Nearly 60% of organizations spend less than 5% of their program budgets on tracking progress and learning from their work, leaving little room to build systems that could meaningfully engage communities with their own information. Most organizations operate with small teams where tracking responsibilities are shared informally across program staff. Only 21.8% have dedicated staff for monitoring and evaluation, while 42.5% rely entirely on program teams to assess their work. As one leader noted: "Our staff wear multiple hats. They are simplementers, data collectors and analysts, all at once." While 68% of organizations use tools like Excel and Google Forms, field workers and community members without literacy, language skills, or reliable internet access are increasingly left behind as systems become more digital. Only 10% are trying AI tools like ChatGPT for report writing. Basic challenges like unstable internet connections, paper-based tools, and limited access to devices make learning from work difficult, particularly in remote areas. The cost of reaching one village in the North East region, for instance, can equal the cost of visiting ten villages in mainland India in rest of the country, yet standard budgets fail to account for such regional differences. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham and leader of initiatives like the Annual Status of Education Report--which has utilized data to cause policy changes--emphasizes the need for balance. With India's corporate responsibility spendingcrossing Rs 25,000 crorein 2022-23, the need for more effective, community-centred information systems has never been greater, emphasizes the report. One study participant wondered: "Who sees it?" Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Krishna Janmashtami Wishes ,, messages , and quotes !
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
OpenAI staff looking to sell $6 billion in stock to SoftBank, others: Source
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Current and former employees of OpenAI are looking to sell nearly $6 billion worth of the ChatGPT maker's shares to investors, including SoftBank Group and Thrive Capital , a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on potential deal would value the company at $500 billion, up from $300 billion currently, underscoring both OpenAI's rapid gains in users and revenue, as well as the intense competition among artificial intelligence firms for Thrive and Dragoneer Investment Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment. All three investment firms are existing OpenAI News, which had earlier reported the development, said discussions are in early stages and the size of the sale could secondary share sale investment adds to SoftBank's role in leading OpenAI's $40 billion primary funding by its flagship product ChatGPT, OpenAI doubled its revenue in the first seven months of the year, reaching an annualized run rate of $12 billion, and is on track to reach $20 billion by the end of the year, Reuters reported earlier in August. Microsoft-backed OpenAI has about 700 million weekly active users for its ChatGPT products, a surge from about 400 million in February.
