AI-Generated Content vs Human-Written Content

Can AI-generated content compete with human writing?

ChatGPT was a key talking point of 2023. Everyone was asking, will artificial intelligence (AI) take over the world? Is it coming for our jobs? Whilst the jury may still be out on where a future with AI is taking us – we’ve had some time to experiment with AI tools and learn more about their capabilities, including when it is beneficial to use them and when humans do a far superior job.

One profession often speculated to be at risk of automation by AI is writing. Whether that’s letter writing, website copywriting, poetry writing, or blog writing – surely this is something that a machine could now do? This is perhaps a question more commonly asked by people who do not write for a living and, therefore, don’t see how much research, thought, and pain-staking deliberation can go into making a sentence just right.

If you’re here because you’re wondering “should I hire a content writer?” or “can I use ChatGPT to write content for my business?” then you’re in the right place. This article will help you to understand the differences between AI-generated and human-written content and the pros and cons of each so that you can decide whether ChatGPT or other AI tools are viable options for content generation for your business. Let’s get started.

What is AI, and how can it be used to generate content?

AI is here, and it’s here to stay. Every major tech company is now focused on developing bigger and better AI technology, with new tools for generating content being released daily. 

AI uses machine learning and algorithms to simulate human intelligence. The wide range of industries now using AI in some form or another is a testament to the many ways it can be leveraged. Some organisations are even using AI to automate, speed up, or improve the efficiency with which tasks that were otherwise performed by humans are completed. 

While there are some tasks where it makes sense to use a machine, like analysing large quantities of data very quickly and accurately, there are other areas, including content creation, where AI should be approached more cautiously.

While there are lots of AI tools out there that can help you generate text content, images, and videos, just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you should! The pros and cons of using AI for creative tasks like writing and art should be carefully weighed up before proceeding.

AI image generator tools such as DALL·E 2 and Midjourney are becoming increasingly popular, but in this article we’ll focus on natural language processing tools in particular, as they’re most relevant to content writing. OpenAI’s ChatGPT was the first to draw widespread attention, but since then, several other similar tools have been released, including Microsoft’s Copilot, Jasper Chat, and most recently Google’s Gemini.

How do they generate content? The user enters one or more prompts, and the AI uses various algorithms, natural language processing (NLP), and natural language generation (NLG) to generate content relevant to those prompts. The more prompts a person enters, the closer the content generated should be to what they were hoping for (in theory!). 

While these tools do have some benefits, they may not add as much value as it first seems. Yes, they write content much faster than humans, but it’s important to ask yourself – at what cost?

What are the advantages of using AI-generated content over human-written content?

In this article, we’ll explore both sides of the coin – discussing the positives that can be gained from using AI to generate content, as well as the drawbacks of this strategy. Let’s start on a positive note!

The main advantages of AI-generated content are:

• Speed
• Scalability
• Low-cost

Ok, so an undeniable advantage of using AI to generate text content is the speed at which it can throw out articles. AI can write content significantly faster than any human ever could – it could spit out a 1000-word article in a matter of seconds. This means that with the help of AI, you could massively scale your content efforts with very little input of time. In comparison, human writers need time to write and get those creative juices flowing. Throw too much work at a human writer, and they’ll soon burn out.

The other main appeal of AI-generated content is its low cost. Some AI content tools are free to use, while other specialist content creation tools charge a fixed monthly fee – but for this price, you can usually generate as much content as you like. In comparison, human writers expect reasonable reimbursement for their time and expertise. Professional content writers are usually considerably more expensive to hire than AI content generation tools are to use.

What are the drawbacks of using AI-generated content over human-written content?

That all sounds great, huh? Lots of content is produced quickly and at a low cost. There’s got to be a catch, right?

Let’s look at the main drawbacks of AI-generated content:

• AI limitations in emotion
• Limited AI content creativity
• Unoriginal
• Insensitive
• Lacks contextual awareness
• Struggles to convey brand voice authentically
• Less engaging
• Reliability of AI-generated content

Can AI content forge emotional connections?

Sure, with the right prompts, AI can help you generate content that reads well and provides readers with the information required. But will the content add value to your business?

Consider for a moment why you want the content written. If you want to engage your readers, build brand loyalty, or foster an emotional connection, this is where AI-generated content usually falls short.

The problem with AI-generated content is simply that it has not been written by a human brain bursting with memories, experiences, and emotions. It can’t recall that sage life advice its grandmother once gave it, that funny thing its child did this morning, or that childhood experience that helped shape its worldview. In that respect, the writing it generates will always lack originality and fall short of being relatable, forging connections, and making readers laugh, cringe, or tear up.

Whether you’re writing content for an e-shot, your business website, or your blog – the key to its success is often about keeping your audience engaged, forging an emotional connection with them, and being memorable. The best kind of writing makes the reader feel something. Whether that’s joy, inspiration, outrage, nostalgia, or motivation, this kind of creativity and authenticity cannot be achieved using AI; it has to come from a human.

Can AI content convey your brand voice?

If you’re writing for business, the ultimate goal is to inspire and motivate people to take the desired action. The most successful brands foster brand awareness and loyalty by forging emotional connections with their audience through their unique brand voice. They use their brand voice to showcase their human side and tell their story. However, AI content tools often struggle with nuances, failing to replicate specific writing styles or tones accurately. It is much easier to convey precise information about brand voice and brand guidelines to a skilled and adaptable professional content writer.

How reliable is AI content in terms of factual accuracy and avoiding biases?

Another risk of using AI-generated content is inaccuracy. When you enlist the help of a human writer offering professional content writing services, you can rest assured that they will be adept at researching and fact-checking and will only use reliable sources. However, factual accuracy in AI content isn’t the best. It can sometimes pull information from online sources that are inaccurate or unreliable and use it within content as though it were fact. If this isn’t picked up, it could be a little embarrassing at best or damaging to your brand’s reputation at worst. So, if you do use AI-generated content, you’ll need to spend time verifying its accuracy and addressing potential biases.

Are there any other limitations to AI-generated content?

Other areas where AI falls short include sensitivity, wordplay, puns, and context. AI-generated content can sometimes come across as insensitive simply because the machine does not understand human emotions and experiences. While content that is stuffed full of puns can get a little annoying at times, inserting the odd clever play on words here and there can make a piece of writing more interesting, keeping the reader engaged and entertained for longer. 

AI often falls short at using creative wordplay as it lacks context beyond the prompts you’ve entered (and context is very important when it comes to creating high-quality, compelling content!) Where AI tools lack contextual awareness, human writers do not. They can consider the target audience and the purpose of the content and apply this context to tailor the writing to resonate better with this audience.

Is AI content bad for SEO?

Ok, so the answer to this one is a little complicated.

On the surface, the answer is no. If Google detects that text content on your website is AI-generated, it will not (currently) penalise you. It’s ok with AI content as long as that content is helpful and of good quality.

But (yes, here comes the but), Google’s ranking system rewards original, high-quality content that demonstrates qualities of E-E-A-T – expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – in order to deliver users with reliable, high-quality search results. As we’ve already learnt, AI-generated content can lack the originality, creativity, and context required to produce compelling and engaging content. So, whilst using AI-generated content is not directly penalised by Google, it’s often not as beneficial to SEO as content written by a professional writer.

Ultimately, how AI-generated content affects SEO depends on the person inputting the prompts. You won’t be penalised if you’re using AI to generate in-depth, useful text content which is fact-checked and edited. However, if you use it to generate something unoriginal or content that goes against Google’s spam policies, you could see your website dropping down the SERPs.

Partner with Create8 for high quality content writing

If you’re sold on content that offers quality over quantity, our team of content writers can help.

Whether you need regular blogs, website copy, content for marketing e-shots, or social media content, our team can pen fresh, unique content that will make your brand memorable and help drive conversions.

Our in-house content writers write original content and copy that brings brands to life and captivates and engages their audience. Learn more about our content writing services online or pick up the phone and contact our team on 0161 820 9686.

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