Artificial intelligence has been taking over the internet since ChatGPT launched in 2022. The platform gave those who had never considered themselves to be copywriters the ability to generate pages of content in just minutes. A recent study concluded that just under half of businesses use AI in some way to generate content [Source: Siege Media].
But the question still stands, which is better for your content strategy? AI generated content or copy written by a human. This article will explore the pros and cons of both methods and help you to conclude which works for your business and digital marketing strategy.
How Does AI Content Generation Work?
AI generated content is any type of copy that has been written by a machine instead of a human. Meaning no matter the tool you use, if the words weren't typed out by a human then it's very likely AI generated.
AI content generation works very similarly to a search engine like Google. The artificial intelligence bots search the internet for the information that you have requested, then it amalgamates anything it has found into a cohesive, human-sounding response. This is different to search engines, which offer you a list of different website results.
AI content writers continue to evolve. Whilst at first, content produced by AI sounded clunky, the more the bot works, the more it learns and the more it can mimic human-like writing skills.
Benefits of AI Content Writing
One of the biggest benefits of AI content writing is time efficiency. It's a lot quicker to have ChatGPT or Google Gemini whip up an article in less than a minute than waiting for a copywriter to research, write and proofread.
Even just using AI tools for proofreading and research can cut down on time. This allows copywriters to produce more content and focus on refining copy to really resonate with their target audience.
Another benefit of AI content writing tools is the cost. Small businesses who are just starting to map out a content strategy oftentimes don't have a significant budget to put behind a copywriter. While some AI tools can be costly, anyone can currently access ChatGPT or Google Gemini for absolutely free.
Also it should be mentioned that AI content writing tools do have the ability to generate compelling and educational pieces of copy. While it's hard to replicate the way a human writes and the natural fluidity of human-written prose, AI tools do a pretty good job at mimicking.
All in all, AI content writers are quick, easy and complete the job to a pretty good standard. You may be thinking that this all sounds too good to be true. Next we will discuss the disadvantages of relying on AI for your content strategy.
Disadvantages of AI Content Writing
Note how although many businesses are using AI to aid with their content strategy, they are not trusting AI completely. That's because a computer will always struggle to do what a human does best, which is empathy.
Human copywriters have the ability to utilise language choices to resonate with a specific target audience. Whether that be through keyword choices, sentence length or overall tone of voice. AI copy often has quite a standard tone of voice, which can make your copy fade into the background of your competitors.
There are also ethical disadvantages to using AI copywriting tools without a human writer there to assist. As mentioned previously, the way that AI content writers work is by scouring the internet for information and content to pull a single response from. This can lead to many cases of plagiarism.
As a business, if you have taken verbatim what ChatGPT has served you without running a quick internet search there's the possibility that you could have accidentally not sourced properly, or worse copied content. This also puts your business at threat of having your copy stolen. By feeding your content into an AI tool, the bots could possibly serve your original writing to other users.
There's also the case of the AI tone of voice. If you have used AI generative tools a lot you'll notice many phrases are repeated by the tools. Words and phrases such as 'crafted' and 'in today's digital world' are recycled over and over again. This doesn't bode well with customers, who most the time would prefer to be reading copy on your website that they feel was written by a person, not a computer.
Human Copywriting
while AI can be a valuable asset, it's important to remember it can't replace the power of a human copywriter. AI can churn out content, but it struggles with genuine creativity. Human copywriters can brainstorm unique concepts, craft compelling narratives, and use humour or wordplay to truly engage an audience. They understand the nuances of language and can tailor their message to resonate with specific demographics.
Furthermore, marketing is about more than just facts and figures. It's about evoking emotions and building relationships with your audience. Human copywriters can tap into empathy and understanding, weaving stories that connect with readers on a deeper level. AI-generated content often falls flat emotionally, leaving consumers feeling cold and unconvinced.
A strong brand has a unique voice and personality. Human copywriters can capture the essence of your brand and translate it into consistent, engaging copy across all platforms. This builds trust and recognition with your audience, something AI tools currently struggle to achieve.
AI is a powerful tool, but it's a tool nonetheless. Human copywriters bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and deep audience understanding to the table.
Future of Content Creation
As with many industries, AI is taking over copywriting in web design and becoming an essential tool in the content creation space. While it may not be able to write complex articles or the most unique pieces, AI tools offer a great solution to many problems that copywriters face. Whether it's using AI to brainstorm ideas, proofread or even research, implementing generative tools into your content strategy is a great way to boost your team's output.
Beware though, as relying heavily on AI without human supervision isn't the best idea, as shown by the many disadvantages covered in this article. The future of copywriting appears to be a combination of both AI and human copywriting, with the best copywriters adopting AI tools to help their content marketing efforts.
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