Nick Hill, Technical Writing Manager at HERE Technologies, joins VistaTalks Host Simon Hodgkins to discuss the evolving landscape of technical documentation, the impact of AI, and the profession’s future.
With decades of experience in technical communications, Nick shared his insights on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the industry, the risks and opportunities that come with it, and why technical writers are essential now more than ever.
AI in Technical Writing: The Promise and the Risks
AI is rapidly being integrated into documentation processes, offering companies new ways to deliver information to users. Nick emphasized how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), a technology that allows AI to pull from specific content sources, is one of the most promising developments for technical writing.
For companies, this means AI-powered chatbots can help users find the right information quickly, reducing support costs and improving customer satisfaction. However, there are also significant challenges, including liability risks, accuracy issues, and the potential for spreading outdated or incorrect information.
Nick highlighted a crucial distinction: AI should be embedded within company-controlled platforms rather than relying on external AI models that companies cannot monitor. The key concern? If AI-generated content leads to misinformation or product misuse, who is responsible? With AI regulations still evolving, companies must tread carefully.
How AI Will Shape Technical Writing Careers
One of the biggest questions in the industry is whether AI will replace technical writers. Nick doesn’t think so—but the role of technical writers is changing.
Rather than replacing writers, AI is increasing the need for content strategists, editors, and quality control experts. Technical writers will curate, refine, and ensure the accuracy of AI-generated content, making their expertise more valuable than ever.
However, this shift demands new skills and adaptability. Writers need to fine-tune content for AI, ensuring documentation is structured and tagged correctly so that AI can retrieve it effectively. Clear titles, well-organized content, and precise terminology will become even more critical.
Balancing Speed and Quality in Documentation
With rapid product releases and global content demands, documentation teams face increasing pressure to publish faster without compromising quality.
Nick advocates for a Docs-as-Code approach, treating documentation like software—complete with version control, automated formatting checks, and continuous integration workflows. By leveraging automation, teams can catch errors early, enforce style consistency, and free up time for more strategic work.
His advice? Identify the top ten most frustrating tasks in your documentation workflow and explore automation solutions—whether that means AI, scripting, or better content management tools.
Localization and the Global Audience Challenge
As companies expand globally, localization and internationalization are more critical than ever. However, Nick pointed out that developers have mixed preferences—some prefer documentation in their native language, while others rely on machine translation tools like Google Translate for real-time understanding.
AI-powered translation is improving, but companies must decide when human oversight is necessary—particularly for critical content like product descriptions, legal documents, and customer-facing marketing materials.
Ultimately, the challenge is to scale translation efforts while maintaining accuracy and clarity, especially as AI-generated translations become more common.
The Future of Technical Writing: Adapt or Be Left Behind
Nick left the audience with a clear message: Technical writers must take ownership of AI’s role in the industry. Rather than waiting to see how AI evolves, professionals should actively experiment, test, and define best practices for using AI effectively.
He also raised an important question about entry-level opportunities in the field. As AI takes over simpler writing tasks, how will new professionals gain the experience they need to enter the industry? It’s a challenge that organizations and educators must address to ensure a strong pipeline of skilled technical writers.
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