There is editing software out there that is very useful, and by all means, use it! Even something as simple as spell check is a form of AI. You should try to have your manuscript as cleaned up as possible even before reaching out to a professional.

However, these programs are no replacement for a human editor. As software is unable to decipher things like tone, dialect, intent, or where passive voice actually works well, they often make poor or even incorrect suggestions.

Check out the blog post Software vs Human Editor for a more detailed explanation.

It should be noted “conventional AI,” such as spell and grammar checks, is different than “generative AI” programs. The first is used to analyze written language to look for errors. That is its purpose. The latter can create content. It learns off content provided to it by both its engineers as well as users. There is serious concern users may input parts of their manuscript and the AI program will take this information to use again later. AI-generated content cannot currently be copyrighted in the US, and some publishers will refuse to publish it. Check out the Conventional AI vs. Generative AI blog post for more details.