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For me, it鈥檚 not just about the writing.

As a journalist, my favorite part about producing and publishing stories isn鈥檛 the process of actually writing the story. In fact 鈥� and, I probably shouldn鈥檛 let my editor hear this 鈥� but sometimes, I don鈥檛 really feel like writing.

The act of tapping my keyboard, putting commas where they are supposed to be and remembering the specific AP-style rule for how to type out a specific title or date on the calendar isn鈥檛 all that fun.

But, the tedious process of actually writing is more than worth it when it comes to what this job really comes down to: relationship-building and telling important, meaningful stories.

In the midst of the artificial intelligence boom, there鈥檚 a question that has been popping up quite a bit in conversations lately. The remarks generally go something like this鈥�

鈥淥h, AI is going to steal your job, huh?鈥�

Or this:

鈥淲hat鈥檚 it like knowing you鈥檙e going to be replaced by ChatGPT?鈥�

Or my favorite:

鈥淗ave you thought about your career backup plans?"

In all honesty, I can鈥檛 blame folks for thinking that way. Artificial intelligence is awesome. Really awesome. And the impact it has had 鈥� and will continue to have 鈥� on the journalism process is truly incredible. Artificial intelligence is going to be a journalist鈥檚 best friend in the years to come, and those who use it the smartest will be the most productive.

But, if a journalist is concerned that artificial intelligence is going to take or 鈥渟teal鈥� their job, they are probably doing this whole journalism thing all wrong.

I admit, I鈥檓 a bit different. There are many other professionals 鈥� heck, more than a handful in my own office 鈥� who are way more skilled than I am about the nitty gritty fundamentals of journalism: investigative reporting, working with sources to get a scoop and following up with public officials to complete things like Freedom of Information Act requests and more.

That鈥檚 not why I got into this field, and I鈥檓 open about that.

I am a journalist because I love telling stories.

Mostly, I love being a part of moments that a computer or an artificial intelligence software will never be able to understand or appreciate.

I love watching a football player score a touchdown and point up to the sky, clearly signifying a passion for the game that means way more than any number on a stat sheet could ever describe.

I love sitting with folks in an interview and reading the subtle, almost unnoticeable emotions on their faces that lead to deeper questions, a stronger connection and a more powerful story.

I love lingering around after the final whistle is blown, looking for the post-game hugs and conversations that lead to feature stories that have nothing to do with athletics.

The best stories are often in the subtle, hidden moments.

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to read tremendous pieces of journalism. They are the stories that tug on your heartstrings and make you reach for the tissue box aside your desk. They are the ones that make you feel a deep, human connection to a story.

They are the stories I aim so carefully to write. I hope, in some ways, I鈥檝e been able to.

Never once have I been gripped by mere numbers.

I鈥檝e never been moved to tears by a surface-level data report, nor have I felt a personal connection to someone because of a couple of statistics. Those things help, but they are only supplements.

The best journalists are storytellers. They are the ones who can look beyond the data and the headline. They sit down with other human beings, share in emotional conversations, listen intently and try to find the meaningful story in often mundane and subtle cues.

Those stories take a caring heart.

And as amazing as artificial intelligence continues to prove itself to be, it will never have the human heart.

At the core of a journalist is the person behind the keyboard. This is just one man鈥檚 opinion 鈥� but our job should never consist of 鈥済et in, get out鈥� types of stories. That鈥檚 not fair to our readers, our subjects, or deep down, ourselves.

I don鈥檛 know how long I鈥檒l be blessed to call this whole storytelling thing a major part of my career. I sure hope it鈥檚 for a long time.

One thing, though, I do know 鈥� there鈥檚 no AI machine that will be able to look into someone else鈥檚 eyes and feel the enthusiasm, pain, joy or heartbreak that is rooted deep beneath their words.

Great storytelling takes time. It takes compassion. It takes love and care.

And while I may not love hitting deadlines, reading through council meeting notes or sifting through endless data in Excel documents, I do love the art of storytelling.

Journalism 鈥� when done well 鈥� can be one of the most powerful means of storytelling we鈥檒l ever see.

And I鈥檓 sure glad it will always take a caring and intentional human heart to make sure readers are able to reap the benefits of it.