Columnist Natalia Beauty admitted using artificial intelligence to draft her texts for Folha de S.Paulo, sparking divided opinions among colleagues. Joel Pinheiro da Fonseca argues that AI tools democratize writing, while João Pereira Coutinho contends that AI-generated texts lack a convincing human element. The columns, published on February 16, 2026, highlight the technology's impact on journalism.
On February 16, 2026, Folha de S.Paulo published columns addressing columnist Natalia Beauty's confession about using artificial intelligence (AI) in her texts. Beauty described AI as a 'tool' that optimizes time, providing thoughts via voice command while the machine handles the 'manual labor' of writing, likening it to the automotive industry using mechanical arms for welding and assembly.
Joel Pinheiro da Fonseca supports the approach, stating that 'Natalia Beauty is right to say that AI tools democratize what was once a skill of the few: transforming ideas and arguments into text, image, or video'. He notes that most accept AI for research and revisions but resist original writing, seen as the sanctuary of creativity. Fonseca points out that AI's standard style is identifiable but improvable with instructions, and its quality rises with updates, devaluing traditional writing skills in the market. He mentions a recent AI discovery in particle physics and warns: 'Whoever pretends nothing is happening will be run over'. A conclusion generated by GPT 5.2 summarizes: 'What hurts is not AI producing good texts. It's realizing that much of our "genius" was automatable technique'.
In contrast, João Pereira Coutinho criticizes, using the analogy of a barber whose conversations outweigh mechanical perfection. He compares AI texts to masturbation: 'they satisfy, no doubt. But do they convince?'. Coutinho stresses that writing is a mode of thinking, transforming ideas in the creative process, and cites writers like Fernando Pessoa and Kafka. For readers, reading is 'conversing with the author', as C.S. Lewis said: 'we read to know we are not alone'. He acknowledges AI's use for editorial corrections but states that an AI-generated literary text differs from one written by a human, preferring 'warm human lips' to a statue.
The columns reflect a broader debate on how AI transforms intellectual work, with no clear economic gains yet, but evident changes in journalism.
