"Have you tried Chat GPT yet? It's scary..."
"Will Jasper AI writing assistant take my job?"
"My boss started using CopyAI and I am worried I am close to being fired."
These are just a few of the comments I heard when discussing the explosion of popularity of AI writing in 2023 with fellow copywriters. And the reality is... yeah, it could be kind of scary for some jobs, like ours.
But I am not scared of AI writing software, and in this article, I will explain why.
The Problems with AI Writers
There are several problems with AI writing assistants and tools out there.
AI is Predictable
Much like a student who is a novice to the writing world, it you know only a little bit of the cliff notes of a topic, you can predict the things AI will cover in an article. It stays very "high level" which, in this instance, means that it lacks substance and a deep understanding of the topic at hand.
AI Sounds like a Child
While I experimented with AI writing robots, one thing I noticed time and time again was that it always came out sounding like it was written by a novice writer. My niche is professional, so it is much easier to detect this. Phrases like, "in conclusion" would never be used by a professional writer, but the lack of creativity in AI assistants used this phrase at the end of every blog I asked it to write.
AI has Poor Grammar
Not only does AI have a poor understanding of grammar, but it also needs some help with syntax. It tends to sound robotic, missing the confidence of a human writer. The sentences could also be corrected for structure and be made more succinct.
AI Has an Issue with Plagiarism
Drop a 100% AI-written article into a tool like business Grammarly and use the plagiarism checker. On average, I saw 14% plagiarism matches with the web. The funniest match I saw was an exact pull from a company that literally said, "Contact Company ABC for more information." Oops.
AI Misses the Nuances
My experience playing with artificial intelligence writing assistants has allowed me to try out several topics and different ways of writing AI prompts. What I discovered is that, no matter how detailed a prompt is, AI will never understand the nuances of a topic. Which leads me to the next problem with AI writing...
AI Misses the Human Element
The flare, the fun, the little additions that are, intentionally, not written with 100% perfection. These nuances of writing are something that AI currently does not understand, nor implement in its content.
AI Uses a Lot of Filler
Nearly every paragraph of content that came out of the AI writing assistant was basically filler copy. Thinks like, "it is crucial to do your research," and "it is essential to look at all angles" were commonplace.
AI Lacks Flow
Choppy sentences are a common occurrence when you choose AI software to write your professional content. And because flow is a major part of what makes an article interesting, the time spend on the page of an AI content piece is likely affected. Which wil be bad for your overall SEO over time.
AI Doesn't Think About User Experience
Without the human element, artificial writing assistants seems to miss the mark when it comes to user experience (UX) for both web and mobile. These tools are not thinking about how a reader may prefer to see the text on mobile versus on their desktop, or how long the sentences should be, or how many paragraphs is juuuust the right amount.
How to Tell if it's Written by AI
While still a work in progress, the OpenAI AI Classifier is designed to act as a scanner to determine whether something was written by AI or not. This could be a great tool for teachers who need to be sure their students are not cheating. The funny thing is that the software had a hard time determining what was AI and what wasn't.
Not sure if something was written by AI or an actual person? You can use the host of tools that are being released. But I prefer to rely on my humanity to look for the human elements. Keep in mind, I am a professional writer, so I am looking for professional-level content; I am not trying to determine if my high school student submitted an AI-written book report.
Here are some key things that I look for to determine if something was written by AI:
The content starts by giving away the answer to the title right away.
You will see phrases like "essential" and "crucial" frequently throughout the copy.
The content is on the short side.
It never really covers the topic...at least not comprehensively; it stays very obvious and "high level" without diving into the details.
Any links included direct to 404 pages or incorrect sources.
The article ends with "In conclusion."
I told AI to Write this Article, and Here is What it Came Up With, without Corrections:
"Using an AI software to write is a bad idea for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is that such software often produces content that lacks originality and does not demonstrate mastery of the subject matter. Artificial intelligence software is unable to produce truly unique content, as it relies heavily on algorithms and pre-programmed language rules. As a result, the content it produces is often predictable and formulaic. Additionally, AI software may not have the technical knowledge necessary to accurately convey complex topics or concepts. Even when an AI is programmed with industry-specific terminology, it may still struggle to accurately communicate nuanced ideas. Finally, while AI software may be able to generate content quickly, its lack of true understanding of the subject matter can lead to sloppy grammar, spelling mistakes, and other errors. For these reasons, AI software should not be relied on for writing important documents or content. Professional human writers are still the best resource for producing high quality, original content."
"Another major problem with using AI software to write is that it may inadvertently plagiarize content. AI software is programmed to search online for similar phrases and ideas, which can lead to unintentional plagiarism if not monitored carefully. Even if an AI program is able to avoid this problem, it may still produce content that lacks originality and fails to capture the unique voice of a writer or organization. For these reasons, it's important to be aware of the potential pitfalls associated with using AI software to write."
"Overall, using an AI software to write is not a good idea. The technology currently available is limited in its ability to produce truly unique content and may fail to accurately communicate complex ideas or concepts. Additionally, it may also lead to unintentional plagiarism if not carefully reviewed."
"In conclusion, using an AI software to write is a bad idea because of a lack of originality, no subject matter expertise, duplicate content, sloppy grammar, predictability, and its inability to communicate nuanced ideas."
The Future of Content Writers and AI
There are a lot of problems with AI. Now, I am not ignorant to the fact that this software will continue to evolve and improve. But for the time being, it is actually pretty easy to tell when something was written by AI or a person. This is why I am not afraid of these robot writers.
Well, it's one reason. And another? Part of being a good content marketer is to always stay on top of the trends and adapt. I view AI as an opportunity, not a competitor. So instead of running away to a new career or whining about it, I am diving into the technology to learn about it and how I can incorporate it into my business. While I still don't use AI to write articles, I have opened to doors to clients who prefer this method of content because of its lower cost and faster turnaround.
I choose to embrace AI writing technology; it is here to stay. But just as the AI said itself, "Professional human writers are still the best resource for producing high quality, original content."