A friend recently asked me if I felt threatened by the rise in popularity of AI-generated content.
I'm sceptical about AI's value when writing B2B copy, so I didn't hesitate with my response:
"No, I can understand how it helps in some areas, but I don't think it's sophisticated enough at the moment to write good, persuasive copy."
But then I started to worry. What prompted this question? AI is a trending topic in marketing, and people are talking more and more about it when it comes to content writing.
Maybe I should be worried!
AI has been around for years
When you think about it, AI is nothing new; it's all around us. Businesses regularly use chatbots to respond to common questions or direct us to FAQs and troubleshooting guides. Most of us have voice assistants such as Siri or Alexa, which use NLP (Natural Language Processing) to analyse, understand and respond to a question or command.
Even Google search is a form of AI. Whenever you type in a search query, AI works behind the scenes to provide you with the best results.
But that doesn't mean AI can write good content.
How does AI-generated content work?
AI copywriting uses NLP and NLG (Natural Language Generation) processes to understand written and verbal human language to generate copy automatically. The copy produced is based on a set of parameters you give the AI tool.
For example, if you were to use AI to write a blog, you might give the AI-powered tool information such as a blog title, topic outline, keywords/phrases, tone of voice and audience. The AI then generates copy based on this information. The more information you can give it, the better the result.
But, and this is a BIG but for me. That doesn't mean it has produced great copy that will engage and persuade your audience.
Why I don't think AI is good for content writing
Most purchasing decisions are based on emotion, so at the heart of any well written piece of B2B marketing is empathy, something that AI lacks.
Without empathy, you can't put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand their challenges and pain points. Empathy allows you to personalise what you say to your different audiences and build relationships with them, which increases trust, brand loyalty and
sales.
A machine doesn't know you or your audience, what they like, don't like or how they feel. The content AI generates will lack emotion and personality; it won't make a connection with your audience and will read as machine-generated content.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying AI isn't suitable for B2B marketing. I can see some areas where it can be beneficial. You just need to be selective on how you use it and definitely shouldn't rely on it to create all of your content.
So how can AI help generate content?
You should never use AI to generate content quickly; that's a lazy approach to content writing that I hope marketers don't take. There's no point generating copy just for the sake of it.
There are some areas where I can see AI being of benefit. But the critical thing to remember is you still need to edit and proofread it; otherwise, you could end up with a bunch of words thrown together that don't make sense.
Writer's block - we all suffer from it at some time or another. So rather than staring at a blank screen or piece of paper. You can use AI to generate ideas.
General outline for content - AI tools can be good for generating a rough outline quickly. But you will still need to flesh this out.
To create the first draft - if you're tight on time or struggling to start writing your copy, AI can help get you started and produce something you can edit and expand on.
Repetitive copywriting - this could be advertising copy, a social media post or an email where the copy needs to be changed slightly.
Lack of resources - if you don't have the in-house expertise or budget to hire a professional content writer, AI can certainly help, but you will need to sense-check what has been written.
To AI or not to AI?
AI can help in some areas, but when you write copy, you talk to the audience and have a conversation. AI lacks the human touch, it doesn't get language nuances, so you can end up with generic copy that doesn't persuade, engage or talk to your specific audience.
And you must also remember another crucial thing when using AI to write your content.
According to Google's Search Advocate, John Mueller, AI-generated content is considered spam as it violates Google's Webmaster Guidelines. In fact, Google's latest 'Helpful Content' update warns against using AI to produce content.
So as a copywriter, should I feel threatened by AI?
Well, I'm not going to start scanning the job vacancies or have nightmares about robots. So no, I don't think I need to worry about AI for the time being.
If you want copy that's written by a real person, that engages, persuades and builds trust, let's talk. Get in touch - I'm here to help you.
Comments