AI is evident in the proliferation of images of Keanue Reeves in unlikely poses to pressurised students hastily employing ChatGPT to complete assignments. AI is here to stay and rarely has anything in the digital space been more controversial. The news that the ‘Godfather’ of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, has now quit Google and has joined the growing number of thought leaders calling for more caution and care when it comes to AI is notable.
This is all to say that the jury is very much out on how much control we cede to AI. Meanwhile back here in the real world you are probably looking for some basic guidelines on how to best harness AI for your content marketing. We are happy to oblige.
There is a role for AI in assisting us in creating blogs and content for our websites when we feel uninspired, tired or just don’t have the time. The secret is to generate the content with AI and edit the hell out of it. Do not allow AI to set the tone for your brand. From blog titles to informative content, AI can assist but it must stay the assistant and never the master.
You can use AI to throw up blog title ideas. Here are a couple of handy resources. ahrefs.com/writing-tools/blog-title-generator and fatjoe.com/tools/blog-title-generator. I have always found results from forms like this to be a little generic but if you are struggling it can give you a starting point. Remember to take a little time to add some descriptors (adjectives anyone?) The better the input the more accurate the output.
With titles in hand, you can push the boat out and have AI create the whole article, but this is often where the wheels can come off.
When presented with 1000+ glorious words on your chosen title it can be tempting to copy, paste and publish without a second thought but that may be the rock you perish on.
It is fair to say that AI has some well documented shortcomings when it comes to in depth content creation. Hallucinations is the first issue, AI has been known to fabricate statistics, citations and facts that are just plain wrong. AI has no qualms about issuing fake news as gospel. In fact, it cannot differentiate. You need to do that. AI is not effective at picking up on bias or ethical concerns. AI does not really know how to ‘read the room’ in terms of what is acceptable. Gender bias has often been seen in AI generated content where certain professions were referred to as being 'a man’s job' etc. In today’s climate we have to take a more considered approach to language. Again, reviewing, editing and providing better input for your chosen AI tool will reduce the chances of unexpected consequences. Local nuance of language, social norms and geographical references will not appear in the generated writing, unless you specifically refer to it and quite often these are the elements that can help your content unique and more SEO friendly. These are the downsides of AI, but with some caution, and a bit of wit, you can still rely on AI as much as you do on your favourite search engine.
It’s a tool. It’s a developing technology, so you just need to approach its imperfections with caution and use it to help you rather than replace you. Think of AI as enhancing and complimenting your work rather than leading the way. Define your questions for AI very specifically. It will only answer what you ask. Inform yourself on AI Command creation, and on sub commands so you can give the correct instructions. Decide exactly what you want to write about and how deep do you want to dive on the topic. The more exacting your question, the better AI can help you find the information you need.
Did I say this already? It is worth saying again. And again. Edit, change, and put your own stamp on whatever is generated by the robots. The internet is full of dreadful stories of AI generated content insulting people, giving wrong information, being culturally insensitive and just getting it wrong. However, we don’t know how many times the tool was used with successful results to enhance content and to make it sing with bright new information and sparkling wit. People are inclined to claim authorship of AI’s best work and throw it under the bus for its shortcomings. There is no doubt that AI can be a creative partner, but don’t sign over the shares just yet. Keep your own voice , mention your own brand, town and don’t be intimidated into thinking that you are not the most informed person to write your own content and blogs. AI only knows what we tell it. So far!
At Dmac Media we still offer fully human blog writing facilities from experienced staff and we can facilitate blog writing training. This blog post may also help . This training has seen many satisfied clients happily writing about special offers, insider knowledge, product information with confidence and skill. Just let us know if you want more information.
No robots were hurt in the making of this blog.
Resources:
https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/big-tech/2023/05/02/godfather-of-ai-geoffrey-hinton-quits-google-and-warns-over-dangers-of-machine-learning/
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content