Why grammar still matters in a world of AI

Hannah Lawrence
Hannah Lawrence
Woman uses AI on computer
所要時間: 7 minutes

Given that AI can already write emails for us, generate reports and meeting summaries, do we really still need grammar skills? Surely we can just sit back, relax and leave our writing tasks to the machines?

Don’t be fooled. AI is certainly revolutionizing our productivity and our work processes, but human oversight of AI is still essential – and grammar is fundamental to that oversight. In the same way that calculators didn’t eliminate the need for numeracy and spellcheck didn’t eliminate the need for spelling knowledge, AI doesn’t eliminate the need for language awareness. 

AI can generate language, but you're still responsible for its meaning

Grammar and punctuation subtly shape politeness, confidence, urgency, hesitation, humor and warmth. AI can imitate tone, but humans are still far better at judging whether it’s appropriate for a particular audience or situation.

Proper grammar prevents mistakes from creeping in; mistakes that can cost not only money but reputations too. A missing comma or a stray apostrophe can completely change a sentence's meaning, but AI won't always pick up that nuance. And if you're going to send that email or publish that report, its meaning is your responsibility.

AI tools "understand" language differently from the way that humans do. They analyze and predict patterns and they generate text that often sounds right – but isn't necessarily correct. For example, I was baffled one winter when my aunt texted me that “London is very gay today”. Turns out that she’d mistyped “London is very icy today” and autocorrect had stepped in. But the AI hadn’t understood the context – my aunt was outside in the cold and the streets were slippery – so it predicted the wrong word. 

Similarly, in a previous job, while doing a final proofread of a press release, I noticed that a colleague had mis-typed “our work is now important” as “our work is not important”. They were both correct English words, so an AI grammar check hadn’t picked the mistake up, but their meanings were totally different and would have damaged the company’s reputation. 

The concept of “garbage in, garbage out” is fundamental to computer science: flawed or poor-quality input produces poor-quality output. What we put into AI is essential, and grammar is the guardian of this. Grammar essentially organizes language and allows us to structure sentences; it expresses the rules of how words are used to speak and write. Grammar prevents ambiguity, misinterpretation and accidental comedy. 

Does grammar still matter in the era of AI?
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AI is good at guessing, but it’s not foolproof

Punctuation and structure can completely change meaning. As AI models rely heavily on patterns, when grammar is ambiguous, they must guess. Vague or grammatically messy prompts can cause AI to misinterpret your request, produce generic output or adopt the wrong tone. 

For example, the prompt to “Create a training guide for managers working remotely” is ambiguous, because this could refer to managers who are working remotely, or a guide to managing employees who work remotely. 

AI has to infer based on context and may infer wrongly.

To take it to an extreme, you and I instinctively know the intended meaning of “The children are ready to eat” – but grammatically, it is ambiguous (and misinterpreting it would be disastrous). 

Remember too that vocal emphasis is important in interpretation. Depending on where you put the emphasis on “I said Mary stole the money”, this could mean:

  • (“I”) I am clarifying that I made the accusation, not someone else.
  • (“Mary”) I am clarifying that Mary is the one who stole the money.
  • (“stole”) I am clarifying that Mary didn’t borrow or receive the money.
  • (“money”) I am clarifying that it was the money, and not something else, that was stolen.

Written text removes this vocal emphasis, so AI must guess at the intent. 

Ambiguity can be costly

For a business, a statement like “Remove the client data from the file and delete it” is risky: do we mean to delete the file or the client data? AI predicts probable patterns very well; it fills in gaps when grammar is ambiguous. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it guesses wrongly. 

Ambiguity in real life can cost money and create legal disputes. You may have heard of the US Oakhurst Dairycase, where a missing comma in a document created an ambiguity about which activities entitled delivery drivers to overtime pay. That one missing comma cost the company $5 million in settlements with the delivery drivers. 

Clear grammar means clear thinking

Good grammar is sometimes seen as a cosmetic layer applied at the last minute. In reality, it’s tightly linked to logic and fundamental to the structure of your work. It makes ideas easier to follow and understand and more persuasive.
Clear grammar also means fewer assumptions. Grammar isn’t about being pedantic, it’s about reducing ambiguity and protecting your reputation. And the more we rely on AI, the more important it is to recognize when something is:

  • Technically correct but awkward
  • Grammatically valid but misleading
  • Fluent but subtly wrong

Without an understanding of grammar, it becomes harder to evaluate what AI produces. As AI increasingly shapes the world, grammar isn’t an outdated rulebook. It’s a safeguard, protecting meaning, credibility and intent.
AI may generate language, but only we can take responsibility for what that language truly means.

Read the blog posts 'Grammar 101: tips and tricks to improve your writing' and 'Myths about learning a new language debunked'. 

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