Scott McKelvey Copywriting & Marketing

The 800-Pound, AI-Generated Gorilla in the Room

During a speed networking event yesterday, two people mentioned ChatGPT. A few high-level thoughts on generative AI, focusing on the content writing component…

This is not new technology. I know of at least a half dozen AI writing tools, although I haven’t used them or researched them extensively.

AI in general, relatively speaking, is still in its infancy. Of course, we use AI more than we realize. Google, anyone?

These tools have a ton of use cases beyond marketing copy and article writing, from chat responses to SEO to review writing. ChatGPT also generates images.

From a content writing standpoint, the best way to use tools like this is to improve the quality of your articles, copy, headlines, etc. and possibly to generate ideas. Become skilled at entering prompts into the system to support and enhance your writing and strategy.

Unfortunately, many companies and marketers will use AI for instant gratification.

This is not surprising, given the ads from Jasper that flood my Facebook feed, promising to “write blog posts in seconds.”

This is a mistake and the claim is a lie, unless you feel comfortable publishing whatever AI spits out and attaching your name to it. You also have to know how to feed the beast to get what you want.

Similarly, many companies and marketers view these tools as a cost-cutting opportunity.

I spoke with someone who uses an AI platform for most of their agency’s now deeply discounted writing. They used words like “adequate” and “good enough” to describe the output.

I was told, “These articles aren’t really meant to be read. They’re meant to be scanned by algorithms.”

First, this tells me something about the quality of the content and how it’s valued.

Sad thing is, in a world of terrible content written by what I call “craigslist copywriters,” most people can’t tell the difference.

Second, if I’m going to incorporate AI into my process, I won’t charge less. I’ll charge more for the value and quality it adds to the deliverable.

Third, I always tell people that my heavy lifting is done before the writing happens – understanding your organization, goals, and audience, tapping into your expertise and passion, capturing your unique voice, and uncovering compelling stories that connect with people on an emotional level and support your business goals.

AI can’t do that. At least not yet.

Last week, I was having trouble connecting with a client for an interview and was asked if I could just send over a questionnaire.

Nope, sorry.

That’s a shortcut that won’t give me the information, insights, and unique perspective I need to do the job to my standards.

As a content writer who wants the best for my clients, it’s up to me to investigate these tools as a way to produce better results and create a competitive advantage, not to cut my prices, take shortcuts, or churn out as much content as possible as quickly and cheaply as possible.

People in any industry and discipline who fight technology out of fear and/or bitterness about the prospect of being replaced by a robot risk accelerating the process.

Do your homework. See what these tools can do. And if you decide to use them, use them properly and for the right reasons.

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