Artificial intelligence (AI) content generators have created a massive social media buzz this year, thanks to the impressive capabilities of online tools like Chat GPT. The application, launched in November 2022, can generate vast amounts of human-like text at the click of a mouse.
From a digital marketing perspective, it has vast potential to help businesses streamline day-to-day tasks such as creating blogs, emails, social media posts and other digital content. It can also help research keywords and topics to improve SEO – keep your eyes peeled for a blog about this, coming soon.
But there are fears that it will lead to many brands turning to AI to replace their human marketing teams and flooding the internet with bland, generic, personality-free content.
So, we gave Chat GPT a test drive to put it through its paces before asking Jon, our Head of Creative Content, for his thoughts on what it might mean for the future of content creation.
Are we headed for a Terminator-esque apocalypse where the machines take over?
Or will AI content be a force for good that helps level the playing field for small businesses trying to get their message out?
Read on to find out…
First things first, what is Chat GPT?
Chat GPT is one of a bunch of online tools that use AI to generate written content. Others you may have heard of include Jasper, Rytr and WordHero. Google has also announced the imminent launch of its native AI writer, Bard.
These tools are powered by a language model called GPT-3, which has been trained on a vast amount of text data, including books, websites and other sources. It’s capable of generating text on a wide variety of topics in response to the user’s prompts or questions.
It uses deep learning AI to analyse text patterns and generate content similar to what humans write and say.
GPT-3 uses the context of the prompt to generate a response by predicting the next word in a sequence based on the words that have come before it. It assigns probabilities to different words based on their frequency and context, then generates sentences based on the words with the highest probability.
Chat GPT and similar tools can perform a wide range of language tasks, including translation, summarisation, question answering and content writing.
Its capabilities have been praised for their potential to transform how businesses interact with consumers.
But there are concerns that tools like Chat GPT will flood the internet with formulaic, recycled content that lacks the creativity and originality of human-written prose.
The danger is that over time, the AI’s algorithms and training data will cause it to ‘feed’ on its own content. As this happens, it will become unable to generate anything unique or original – or 100% factually correct – as a result.
Google has already set out its stall on how it views – and ranks – AI-generated content. It’s not surprising that well-written, original content is – and always will be – king!
What can Chat GPT do?
To put Chat GPT to the test, we asked it:
‘What are the advantages of human-written content over AI content?’
Here’s what it came up with:
There are several advantages of human-written content over AI-generated content:
1. Creativity: Human writers have the ability to bring unique perspectives, ideas, and emotions to their writing. AI-generated content, on the other hand, is limited to the data it has been trained on and lacks the creativity and originality of human writing.
2. Empathy: Human writers are capable of understanding their audience and writing in a way that appeals to them emotionally. AI-generated content can sometimes lack empathy and may not connect with the reader in the same way.
3. Cultural Awareness: Human writers have a deep understanding of cultural norms, values, and language, which allows them to create content that is culturally appropriate and relevant. AI-generated content may not always be culturally sensitive, as it is limited by the data it has been trained on.
4. Interpretation: Human writers are capable of interpreting complex information and presenting it in a way that is easy to understand. AI-generated content may struggle to interpret complex information and may present it in a way that is hard to understand.
5. Personal Touch: Human writers bring a personal touch to their writing that is often lacking in AI-generated content. This personal touch makes the content more engaging and relatable to the reader.
In conclusion, while AI-generated content has improved significantly over the years and can be useful for certain purposes, it still lacks the creativity, empathy, cultural awareness, interpretation, and personal touch that human writers bring to their writing.
Here's what Jon says:
“As answers go, it’s pretty thorough. It’s definitely picked out some of the big things that differentiate AI-generated content from human prose, which is both scary and exciting.
“However, the syntax is off in places, and some of its explanations lack the depth, weight, insight and perspective a creative content writer brings.
“For example, good writing is not just about being able to interpret complex data in a way that’s easy to understand. It’s also about communicating that information in a tone, style and language that the audience can relate to. And human writers can add that personal touch only when they truly understand who they’re writing for – who they are, what they respond to and what makes them tick.
“AI writers can’t ask the right questions to get the correct answers, as they lack human intuition and empathy. They can’t question decisions and strategies as they don’t have critical thinking skills or the ability to challenge assumptions.
“And without the contextual understanding, lived experience and emotional intelligence of a human writer who knows the client’s brand, business and audience inside out, AI can easily misinterpret the point or miss the nuances of a message.
“The AI will always look for the next word in a sequence based on probability. But a human writer will flex their linguistic muscles with punchier words and phrases packed with meaning, to evoke feeling.
“But the main thing it didn’t pick out is how to inject personality into the writing.
“AI is clever enough to mimic a whole host of different writing styles, media and celebrities. So, if you want your content to sound like, say, Joe Rogan, Oprah Winfrey or – heaven forbid – Piers Morgan (love you really, Piers), it can.
“But what if you don’t want to sound like your favourite celebrity or media personality?
“What if you want to sound like you?
“That’s where human content writers with an innate understanding of the brands they write for will always have the edge. Because they’re the ones who define the tone of voice, shape the messaging and choose the words which resonate, engage and inspire their audiences.
“You can’t train a bot to do that… yet.
“So, in a nutshell, AI tools like ChatGPT are here to stay, whether we like it or not.
“Should digital content creators be worried that robots are coming for their jobs? Absolutely not.
“As a business owner, should you consider replacing your marketing team with AI to save costs? Again, absolutely not!
“You should, however, be looking into how AI can make life easier for you and your team.
“It’s all about understanding what these tools are capable of and using them to improve what you do. That’s where QBD can help.
"AI-generated content will always need a human touch to refine it, add personality, use the right voice and bring it to life.
“After all, AI may help make your content warble. But only an experienced, creative human writer can make it sing.”
How can QBD help?
Great content can help you connect with your customers on a deeper level, using a narrative that stirs emotion, inspires loyalty and builds trust.
While AI-generated content can help you get started, professional writers – like our creative content team – can whip your message into shape and make it sparkle.
We use a variety of tools – including good old-fashioned paper and pen – to create effective content that reflects your brand personality, communicates your value and reaches and attracts more customers.
Get in touch today to find out more.