On November 30, 2022, Open AI launched ChatGPT, thus officially beginning the AI-age of the content marketing industry. The entire Internet was almost instantly abuzz with talk about the massive changes coming to content creation and fears about robots taking over human jobs.
Everyone loves excitement and there’s nothing like the introduction of a new technology that could potentially shake up the status quo - in good ways and bad. Of course, no one knows exactly what the future will bring, but it’s truly hard to imagine that AI is going to eliminate the need for content writers and other content creators overnight. Or even over a matter of years.
I am firmly in the camp of those who believe that AI is just like any other tool - it’s there to be used, but it needs the human touch to ensure that it’s used properly and effectively. Imagine being told that you can’t use Google to research anything. Impossible, right? I believe that ChatGPT and other AI tools will become similar to Google in that they will be an irreplaceable tool in any content creator’s toolbox.
AI tools are here to make content creation easier, not to replace human experience, judgment and creativity.
How AI is Transforming Content Creation
While we are not yet at the stage (or anywhere close) to AI being able to manage the entire content creation process from ideation to delivery, there are three main areas where AI is already offering valuable assistance: automation, creativity, and productivity.
Automation of Routine Tasks
There are certain elements of the content creation process that are repetitive and formulaic and can certainly benefit from AI’s ability. There are also more in-depth activities that are a routine part of content creation that can be made much easier and more efficient with AI. These tasks include:
Certain types of content generation like titles, meta descriptions, captions, and even some product descriptions. Anything that needs to fit a certain character or word limit, for example, is a good candidate for AI assistance.
Data analysis and insights - whether its audience preferences, competitor analysis, or other statistics - are a key part of most content pieces. AI tools can help consolidate this information and provide it in a usable format.
No piece of content should ever be published without being checked for typos, grammar-errors, plagiarism and readability. Plenty of tools in these areas have existed for a long time, but AI has introduced enhancements that can spot errors and provide suggestions for improvement.
Check out tools like ChatGPT, Jasper.ai and Grammarly for assistance with the more mundane side of content creation.
Enhanced Creativity
As a writer, I don’t pretend to have graphic design skills (except for when I use Canva - and even then - it always looks a bit amateur!), but there are times when an image can significantly upgrade the impact of a piece. Or, you might want to create a simple infographic but don’t have the budget or timeline to hire an expert.
This is where AI tools like ImagineArt or Dall-E can be super helpful. You enter a prompt and are presented with an AI-generated image that you can use in your content, allowing the addition of a creative touch with minimal effort.
In addition to graphics, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others are also great brainstorming partners to help jump start your own creative juices. You can carry-on a conversation with the tool, providing your own ideas and asking it to contribute.
Improved Efficiency and Productivity
As content writers who work a lot in the SaaS space, we often find ourselves writing about technology tools that save the user time and money. Interestingly enough, that’s exactly what AI tools are doing in our own work as content marketers.
While not a replacement for the human brain, AI tools certainly can help speed up parts of the content creation process, leading to faster content production cycles and a higher volume of published pieces.
AI Content Challenges
Despite the many benefits that AI tools bring to the world of content, there are still a number of serious challenges that cannot be overlooked, the most important of which are quality control and the ethical implications.
Quality Control
Because AI tools are still in their infancy, they can’t be fully trusted to provide accurate information. It’s important to remember that, as human as these tools may seem, they are based on language and data models and there is a limit to their knowledge. AI is still widely known to come up with wildly inaccurate data and information that it presents as truth.
Because AI is trained by humans, it’s also possible for certain biases to inadvertently (or purposely) be included. No AI output should ever be assumed to be 100% true and must always be fact-checked and edited accordingly.
Ethical Implications
While technically AI-generated content will pass plagiarism tests, there are unresolved questions as to copyrights and other ownership of information. As time goes on, there are likely to be standards and guidelines created that will define how people should cite the use of AI in their content, but in the meantime it remains a question.
Human - AI Collaboration
Content marketing is only at the beginning of its AI journey. As much as people love the drama and the hype around the possibility of robots taking over, the reality is going to be a much more collaborative future. Just as Google became an essential research tool, AI is poised to become an indispensable part of a content creator’s arsenal.
AI is not here to replace us, though. It’s here to empower us. It can take over repetitive tasks and help fuel creativity with brainstorming assistance and visuals. The extra efficiency offered by AI will allow writers and other content creators to focus on what we truly excel at - crafting compelling narratives, injecting our unique human insight, and building genuine and authentic connections with audiences.
We should embrace what AI has to offer, while still being wary of the dangers and wrinkles that still need to be ironed out.
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