Over the past few years, the influence of AI has increased significantly. According to Grand View Research, experts predict a compound annual growth rate in the use of AI of around 36.5% from 2024 to 2030.
Vast increases have already been demonstrated in multiple industries, from content writing, translation, customer support, healthcare, and even banking.
ChatGPT, a writing-based AI model, has seen a particular increase, along with Character AI, Grammarly, and QuillBot. With the increase in use in mind, it is clear that AI is here to stay. So, how should Content Writers and marketers handle the shift?
What Is AI?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. Essentially, it is a machine’s ability to perform “human” tasks.
Benefits Of AI
- Efficiency – AI writing models are incredibly fast. Simply give an input/brief and watch as AI generates text. This speed makes AI useful, as it can save valuable time.
- Language – Offer AI some prewritten text, and it can change/ enhance language to sound more advanced or professional.
- Grammar/ Spell Check – Most AI has fairly accurate grammar and very good spelling.
- Gaining new Ideas – AI can efficiently offer ideas. With human work, new ideas come from research and creativity, whereas AI can give a collection of “ideas” quickly. (However, these are taken from other pre-existing sources; they are not new ideas.)
Disadvantages Of AI
As appealing as AI-written content seems, it always lacks a touch of personalization. Content writing does not refer to merely typing words and paraphrasing sentences. It is a whole lot of deal to put down your thoughts into a meaningful expression. Check out a few disadvantages of artificial intelligence here:
Overly Fluffy Or Robotic Language
One disadvantage of AI is that the language has a habit of being either too fluffy and overly complex or too simplified and robotic.
A good example of this is the AI tool Grammarly. If you were to write entirely to Grammarly’s advice, the sentences would be clear, but slightly robotic. By stripping all of the “useless” words, the writing loses the human nuance and becomes dull.
On the other hand, AI tools like ChatGPT have a habit of using overly fluffy language that dances around the point. This could be a result of machine learning trying to replicate human work, as humans are known to get sidetracked. However, the effect is that sentences can sound nice without saying anything of substance.
There are some solutions to this: give clearer prompts and wordsmith after generating. However, this does mean tools like ChatGPT are often writing aids rather than human writing replacements.
Google Algorithms Prefer Human Writing Styles
In terms of SEO strategy, it is actually better to use human-written content than AI-generated, so long as it is well-written. Google uses a principle called E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.)
What this means is your content must show that you have some sort of experience on the writing topic even if it is indirect. The work must also demonstrate expertise; this can be a time in the industry or an official credential.
Additionally, the content should demonstrate authority. If another expert in the field values and interacts with your work, this could be a form of authority!
Last but not least, the work must be trustworthy, meaning lots of accurate citations and references. This is something that AI currently cannot achieve. The closest is AI CoPilot, which can give references for the information it produces.
Secondly, Google does not like repetitive writing styles. If everyone is using the same AI to generate their copy, then all writing begins to sound the same. This is the opposite of what the Google algorithm wants, as original content is most valued. Therefore, if you are aiming to increase your trust and SEO strategy, for now, choose human-written content.
A UK exhibition stand design and build contractor, Quadrant2Design vouchs to only use human-written content for this exact reason. Marketing Manager James Vicefield says:
“You only get one chance at a perfect stand at any given exhibition. Integrity is central to all of our operations. This extends to all online activities; we are real people with genuine advice, a company with a history and a product which is perfectly delivered,100% of the time.”
AI Mirrors Human Biases
It has been known for some time that one fundamental flaw in AI is that it mirrors human biases. This is because the training material given to AI to learn is created by people, and people will always hold individual biases. The AI learns these biases and replicates them in writing.
One problem with this is that people perceive AI to be a neutral agent and so sometimes trust the biases more. Secondly, the biases have the potential to be misleading and harmful.
AI Misinformation
Another issue with AI is the prevalence of misinformation. Many people trust AI as fact and even use it as a form of search engine.
According to the Washington Post, AI often automates false news or facts. Because people trust AI so strongly, it is very easy for misinformation to spread!
The Human Touch Is Important
AI is capable of generating high-quality storylines and copy, but it lacks the ability to create the nuances in humor that humans possess. Disney movies are a prime example of this. The charm of Disney films lies in their ability to create content that is entirely family-friendly.
Disney seamlessly incorporates adult jokes that are amusing to children without them being offensive or the children fully comprehending them. While AI can create jokes, it can never capture these intricate human nuances that make them special and memorable.
Not to mention, people dislike AI being used in the creative arts. This is because AI cannot actually create something new. It can only recall information that is already on the internet or in its learning material, sometimes regurgitated differently.
Conclusion
There are definitely valuable aspects to AI. It is incredibly useful for writing assistance and generating efficient content and ideas. However, AI still has its limitations with robotic or overly fluffy language, mirroring human biases and the risk of receiving false information.
For now, it seems that content writers still bring a unique perspective, tone, and voice to their writing that AI cannot match. So, despite the advancements in AI-generated content, the role of human content writers does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
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