ChatGPT & Other AI Tools: The Good, the Bad & the Ethical
AI content creation is one of the hottest topics in content marketing right now. One of the newest AI content tools on the block is ChatGPT, a chatbot with a conversational language model. Input a question and ChatGPT will generate a human-like answer for you based on how you phrased your query.
ChatGPT joins a growing array of AI tools geared toward creating new content based on simple inputs. It adds to the many AI-powered software we already use, like tools that sift through data (e.g., Google Analytics and Power BI), check our grammar (e.g., Grammarly and Hemingway App) and identify content topics to pursue (e.g., Buzzsumo and Hubspot).
With AI content generators like ChatGPT, Jasper AI and Copy.ai, there’s potential to do even more content creation in less time. And time is the one resource we can’t create more of. So, what are the best ways we can use these AI tools? And how far is too far when it comes to taking advantage of them?
The Good: AI Writing Tools Can Increase Productivity & Inspire New Ideas
From blog posts to images to video and audio, content creation takes a great deal of human time. That’s why AI tools can and should be used in certain areas to help manage our time.
Here are key areas where AI writing tools can best serve you in your marketing efforts:
- Brainstorming: Human writers run into topic fatigue, especially when they create content for the same industry over and over again. AI writing tools can jump in to provide new inspiration by quickly sifting through a great deal of data and offering insights on new topics and content gaps.
- Creating content briefs: AI tools can help you shorten the amount of time you spend on researching keywords and comparing similar content by creating full content briefs for you. This means you can spend more time on the meat of the work—the writing itself—instead of on research.
- Outlining long-form copy: Some tools will take content brief creation even further by providing full outlines of all the subtopics you could cover in long-form articles and blog posts. With an outline in place, writers can set aside worries about writer’s block and focus on delivering quality, relevant content.
- Writing summaries: Some AI writing tools offer you the ability to input longer pieces of content that they’ll then turn into short summaries. This could be useful in helping to craft meta descriptions, intro copy and other short-form content for your website and social media posts.
When time is limited, using AI tools can provide you with the shortcut you need to stay on top of your content marketing to-do list.
The Bad: AI Tools Have Serious Limitations
No matter how many shortcuts AI can offer us in the content creation process, there are several limitations. Here are a few reasons why you will always want a human writer and editor to review any AI-generated content:
- Unbranded: AI tools cannot match your brand. Tone, voice and style are all things you’ll need to finesse once an AI tool has created your base copy.
- Too broad: AI tools do not know your ideal audience. They can deliver generic content, but will that allow you to truly connect with your audience? You’ll need to review and rewrite AI-created content to ensure it’s geared toward your dream customer.
- Inaccurate: AI tools scrape other content on the internet to create new content for you. This means they can scrape incorrect information and include it in the content they deliver to you. You will need to review all copy for accuracy and phrasing.
- Plagiarized: Along with delivering inaccurate content, scraped web content can lead to creating duplicated content, especially in competitive fields. Duplicate content isn’t only an issue when it comes to search rankings. It’s also illegal, as duplicate content is plagiarized content. You’ll want to ensure you run any AI copy through at least one plagiarism checker.
Remember that Google rolled out its Helpful Content update specifically to ensure that it delivers “helpful content written by people, for people.” AI content does not fit this focus and should be kept in mind at all times.
All of this points to the simple fact that AI tools should only be used to bolster your content creation efforts, not replace them.
The Ethical: How to Use AI-Generated Content
With the expansion of AI content generators and continued investment in AI tools, the question isn’t really whether to use AI-generated content. The question is how to use it in an ethical manner.
Here are a few general principles to keep in mind if you choose to use AI-powered copy in your content marketing efforts:
- DO review, revise and augment AI-created content to ensure accuracy and make it more your own.
- DO be transparent about your use of an AI content generator by giving it co-authorship credit.
- DON’T use AI content to mislead, manipulate or control your audience.
For more information on how to ethically use AI-generated content, read OpenAI’s Sharing & Publication Policy.
Be Smart About Your Use of AI Tools in Content Creation
AI tools offer time-saving shortcuts in content marketing. But they also bring with them serious limitations. Remember that any content you create and share requires your input and that anything you publish reflects on you and your company.
