Handwritten letters typically require time and effort to produce, but technological advancements have changed that. Although algorithms don’t technically have a human touch, they can appear as they do.
AI is now powering handwriting for businesses by taking over the process.
Typically, the variabilities and small nuances of human writing have been challenging for artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic because it has to understand what each character represents, accurately reproduce them in different styles, and appear varied enough not to look robotic.
Although it’s a complex process, it’s possible with machine learning applications.
The AI typically must train on data sets or examples and understand the action behind each stroke to write accurately.
For example, one research team developed an AI handwriting model by breaking the process into steps.
They took words only a pixel wide and digitally mapped the stroke so it could replicate the style of the writing sample. The sequence had to be translated into a schedule for it to learn.
It only needed to review a writing sample of five to seven paragraphs to mimic a different style. Once it took in enough information, it could create a new word only one pixel wide before making it thicker and legible.
Things like the width of each stroke or the color of the text weren’t necessary for its learning process and had to be considered afterward.
Since deep learning models can make decisions with ambiguous information, algorithms can train on all handwriting types.
For example, they could analyze a sample from a child and produce similar results despite the letters not aligning with what the alphabet is supposed to look like.
While models can work in other ways, the process is usually very similar.
AI is powering handwriting for businesses by taking on the task of writing physical communication. The algorithm can learn and reproduce writing accurately and operate without much human input.
It can take on things like letters to colleagues, marketing campaigns, or client notes.
Any organization mass-producing written documents can utilize the power of AI because it can create text that looks entirely handwritten.
Even if their primary model isn’t based on writing, they can still use it to add a personal touch to their communication.
The bonus is that it usually recognizes its errors, making the final product highly accurate and legible.
Businesses are primarily using it for automation purposes. For example, one company fully automated the process for companies using an AI capable of copying anyone’s handwriting on a physical document.
Writing can be tedious in itself, so it can be significantly time-consuming on a large scale. An algorithm capable of streamlining the process can benefit any business relying on written documents.
Primarily, businesses use an AI-powered handwriting process to capitalize on handwritten words' effectiveness without spending time physically writing. There are many reasons for this.
Improved Efficiency
Businesses dealing with large-scale physical communication or those who frequently handwrite documents can see improved efficiency. Mass-producing written work typically takes a long time, but AI can do the task without human input.
Even businesses not typically affiliated with writing can benefit from increased efficiency brought on by algorithms.
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields aren’t considered writing-intensive, but they can be.
Since STEM careers are in high demand in the United States because of a lack of skilled workers, assistance from automation could help significantly.
Higher Productivity
Businesses can use it to spend less time writing out their message since AI does the work for them. It goes beyond purely automating the process because it can learn and adapt to changes in handwriting or dialect.
For example, one machine learning algorithm developed at Brown University could write in multiple languages and even in cursive simply by analyzing writing samples.
Unlike robots that recreate words in an orderly fashion, it can adapt to change and intentionally include minor variations to appear more human.
Beyond simply copying what it saw with nearly 93% accuracy, it could also recreate various characters it hadn’t seen before. Since it has such a broad range of capabilities, it can be applied in many situations.
For example, employees could utilize augmented intelligence to draft letters to clients with a language barrier. It’s more efficient because they can spend less time translating, drafting, and copying text.
Better Lead Generation
Handwritten marketing provides better lead generation because people are too used to digital communication. For example, email click-through rates stagnated at 3% or less during COVID-19.
Even if they have personal touches, many people still clear their inboxes without a second thought.
Letters that appear like they’ve been written by hand also might not be enough because many people consider them generic. Since AI-powered writing utilizes a physical pen and customized strokes, it can connect with them more.
People who receive something they feel is personal are more likely to react positively.
Increased ROI
Physical mail typically receives the highest return on investment (ROI) compared to other forms of media. Around 60% of people feel it’s more effective than email in their marketing campaigns.
Businesses write with AI because it lets them increase their ROI in a streamlined way. They don’t need to put more effort into creating content when an algorithm works for them.
Higher Engagement
One company providing AI-powered handwriting services for businesses claims marketing campaign letters show significantly better results because of increased client engagement.
The letters appear personal since the genuine ink on the page makes it look like someone took the time to craft a thoughtful message.
Businesses can also use it to engage their consumers more because handwritten communication is more likely to be opened and read than emails. Its open rate is nearly 99% compared to the 20% email gets.
A physical letter is a rarity, so people are inclined to read it. AI is powering the writing process for companies because it lets them increase their engagement with a streamlined, automated process.
AI can streamline the process of communicating with clients or marketing to consumers. The end product is accurate, legible, and free from human error.
Since handwritten letters have better results, businesses can utilize an algorithm to take advantage of its benefits without spending time physically writing.
Sources:
https://www.fau.eu/2020/06/15/news/research/imitating-handwriting-with-artificial-intelligence/
https://www.miragenews.com/imitating-handwriting-with-artificial-intelligence/
https://rehack.com/featured/ai-vs-deep-learning/
https://innovationsoftheworld.com/the-handwriting-company/
https://schola.com/blog/exploring-stem-could-your-daughter-be-a-future-engineer
https://cacm.acm.org/news/236916-brown-researcher-teaches-robots-handwriting-drawing/fulltext
https://go.lob.com/rs/900-QJF-050/images/The%20State%20of%20Direct%20Mail%20R8.pdf
https://techround.co.uk/interviews/scribeless-startup-interview-ai-handwriting/
https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/09/handwritten-notes-to-clients-benefits.html