AI: Friend or Foe?

AI is a hot topic on everyone’s mind at the minute. You might even be familiar with a few of the big names like ChatGPT, DALL.E, and Google Gemini.  

AI is everywhere, and if you’re creating content, you’ve likely asked yourself: Is AI a friend I should embrace or a foe I need to keep at arm’s length? 

There’s no denying that AI has changed how we approach content creation. Content can be churned out at lightning speed, messages tailored to fit specific audiences, and even content optimised for search engines. 

But how does it compare to human creativity and strategy?

The benefits of AI for content creation (the friend) 

Increased efficiency and speed 

AI can be a great tool for helping you to draft your content and automate repetitive tasks such as keyword research.  

If you’re currently exploring AI tools for copywriting, ChatGPT is an excellent place to start; it provides all users with five free premium responses daily to get you familiar with the application.  

Another great option is goblin.tools, which offers a ‘formalizer’ that allows you to fine-tune the tone of your copy – whether you want it more professional, casual, passive, or anything in between. They also offer a ‘judge’ tool that analyses and identifies the perceived tone of your writing before you put it out in the public eye. 

These resources are particularly valuable for businesses that need to produce a large volume of content, such as social media posts, blog articles, or product descriptions, as they allow for more content to be produced in a short amount of time.  

The problems arise in terms of accuracy and originality, but we will touch on this more later.  

Personalised content for specific audiences 

AI can analyse large datasets with precision, giving it the ability to create personalised content which tends to engage audiences more effectively, leading to higher conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty. 

It can tailor messaging based on user behaviour, preferences, and demographics, which is challenging and time-consuming for human writers to do at scale. 

Generating new and creative ideas 

While it is not a replacement for human creativity, AI can be a great starting point when brainstorming and generating new ideas for content topics, blog structures and even content planners. 

Based on the information you feed it, AI can suggest new topics and ideas that you may not have thought of, ideas that might be the start of your next great campaign or product launch.  

The ethical concerns of AI for content creation (the foe) 

Quality and accuracy 

AI can create some amazing content, but it’s only as good as the information that you give it. If the data is incorrect, biased, or skewed, the output will be too, which can be risky, especially when handling sensitive topics.  

Low-quality content can also damage your brand’s reputation and credibility, and it could lead to legal or ethical issues if it spreads false information. 

For the best results, you need a human touch to ensure that everything is accurate and of high quality. This can take away some of the time-saving benefits of AI. 

How AI creates content – copyright issues 

Using AI models such as DALL-E you can create artwork in seconds from a single prompt, which sounds like a good thing, right? The downside is that AI image generation draws from existing artworks, which can unintentionally borrow too much from a single artist’s style and creations.  

The original artists likely spent hours crafting their work and it can lead to issues of originality and copyright. While AI can generate images quickly, it risks undermining the hard work and creativity of individual artists, potentially leading to ethical and legal complications when used commercially. 

Privacy concerns 

Content hits harder when it feels personal to the reader. AI models, trained on large amounts of data from all over the internet, including what you input into them, can sometimes accidentally reveal sensitive or private details.  

For example, if AI pulls from social media or prompts, it might leak information that wasn’t meant to be shared.  

This brings up some serious red flags about what data we’re feeding into AI, especially with regard to GDPR and handling sensitive information. 

Using AI responsibly  

To answer the original question, AI can be both a friend and a foe, depending on how it’s used. It’s crucial to use AI responsibly and not just as a shortcut. You can use ChatGPT to give you a starting point for your social media posts, spark ideas, or get inspiration.  

However, it’s important to review and tweak the AI-generated content carefully. If you don’t, your posts might end up sounding just like everyone else’s. 

Remember to only input data into AI models that you’re comfortable sharing publicly. Avoid feeding in unreleased products or trade secrets since you never know who might see them.  

AI is a fantastic tool and should be embraced, but it’s just that – a tool, not a replacement for your own creativity or a shortcut to unlimited content.

DB