Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of AI for Content Writing

The global reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) continues to increase. One estimate says that the AI market will break $500 billion by 2024. Whether in the form of virtual assistants, Spotify recommendations, Google search results pages, or smart devices, AI is changing the way we use the internet, perform tasks, and interact with one another.

Marketers are using AI in a variety of ways, including in enhancing advertisements, delivering more personalization, and creating content. We’ll be covering the use of AI for content writing and the pros and cons that marketers should keep in mind when incorporating these new technologies.

How are AI and content writing related?

Using AI to produce digital content is not exactly new. For years, businesses have been relying on technology to create things like financial reports, product or service descriptions, and data insights. Now, however, AI is being integrated into content creation in many new ways. 

AI can generate social media content (including tools like ROCCO), email content, personalized messaging, and more. Marketers can use AI to conduct a competitive analysis or assess content optimization. They can instantly create a content brief or understand user intent of a keyword. Because Google uses an algorithm to rank websites based on keywords, marketers can take advantage of AI to help them rank better within that algorithm using keywords and other SEO strategies.

AI can also assist marketers in creating articles and online content by analyzing a topic and coming up with related information and keywords that need to be included. AI can draft sentences and paragraphs that editors can review and post. 

One common new model is Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT-3), which came out in 2020 from OpenAI. GPT-3 generates human language using deep learning. Online platforms like HyperWrite, for example, integrate this technology to deliver content to companies. Tools like these are making it fast and easy to get content that performs online. But is using AI for content writing a good thing?

Pros and cons of AI for content writing

AI is clearly changing trajectories of workflows, data analysis, processes, and entire industries. But with any new technology, there will always be certain drawbacks and risks. What are the benefits and downsides of AI for content marketing? 

Pros:

1. Greater efficiency

When content is generated for you by AI, it takes a lot less time to create. AI can make suggestions that help with writer’s block so that everything gets done faster.

2. Better quality control

AI will automatically watch for and correct mistakes so that there’s not a lot to edit or fix before posting the content. AI can also predict what you’re going to write, perhaps even phrasing it better than you could have said it.

3. More content

With faster, higher-quality content available, marketers can post more content than ever before. And with more content comes more opportunities to connect with new audiences.

Cons:

1. Lack of creativity

It’s nearly impossible to get a more human touch with AI-generated content. It may lack the creativity that humans use when writing something unique and engaging.

2. Over-reliance on algorithms

AI depends on algorithms to create SEO-friendly, well-written content. But as any writer knows, these aren’t the only factors that make a piece of writing great.

3. Fewer jobs for writers

While a big shift hasn’t really happened yet, using AI to create marketing content could eventually mean that a lot of writers are out of a job.

4. Lack of nuance or context

AI tools can’t read the room, so to speak. They may be able to replicate a certain tone or voice, but AI is not really able to use nuances of language that make it interesting or the context that makes it relevant.

Future implications for the industry

So, what does all this mean for content marketing? It’s important to remember that when any AI-backed technology is introduced, people are quick to worry that their jobs are going to be replaced by machines. But marketers can integrate AI tools into workflows to strengthen content, not eliminate writers altogether.

In fact, the right balance means that humans and AI are working together. Content can be enhanced and produced faster, while humans can intervene to insert creativity and uniqueness that is important to your brand. Editors still need to vet content before it’s posted to ensure that the right tone and messages are being put out there. Research for articles is still a component that humans need to be a big part in.

So, at the end of the day, AI should be used as a tool to improve and accompany the content writing process, not be the sole source of copy.

Getting help with content from ContentBacon

When you need a boost with your inbound marketing strategy, ContentBacon is here to help. We deliver mouth-watering content from our expert team of writers, editors, strategists, designers, and marketers. We give you a free inbound marketing assessment so we can understand where you’re coming from and how to customize our services to meet your needs. We help you understand how to focus on turning website visitors into long-term customers. 

Contact the ContentBacon team to get started with better inbound marketing.