Writers will be Here when ChatGPT Fails You
This one goes out to the starry-eyed business owners, seeing dollar signs floating around the word "AI" like magical symbols.
Don't worry. We understand.
It's a case of Shiny Object Syndrome. Ooh, I just type and the computer magically puts together content FOR me?!
Wow! Who needs writers anymore? Fire our whole team, we've got an AI working for us now!
This year, we saw the dawn of commercial AI. It's not surprising that businesses will take advantage of it. However, throwing aside good people - especially good writers - to do so? Not the smartest move.
AI is pretty neat, no question. It can save a lot of us a lot of time. But it can't replace a writer. No, not even the basics.
Why? Because it cannot do several important things.
4 Things AI Cannot Do for Your Content
Edit - While no business should rely on self-editing all the time, the fact remains that many copywriters must self-edit periodically. This involves changing tones, incorporating new information, evolving the copy's quality, etc. AI doesn't understand how to do this.
Manage content cycles - Someday we may have an AI which plugs into your entire marketing platform. It could automate email schedules, handling publishing off an editorial calendar, analyze campaign results, and adjust all content to improve ROI. Today is not that day. Tomorrow won't be either.
Strategize content goals & directives - Many people think of 'strategy' as a purely rational, calculated activity. Trust me, it's not. You need a good dose of creativity to plan into the future, generate new ideas, and adjust your tactics when something doesn't work out. You won't find that in an AI.
Respond to customer content needs - Audience targeting can sharpen down to the individual level. These days it's not unusual to write entire email workflows targeting Alice, the biotech COO's assistant. Or whole landing pages positioned for Bob, the newly-hired finance VP of Sales, to find them in search results. AI could give you a head-start on the necessary content, but it can't do the whole thing for you.
Why can't AI do these things? Because it's artificial. It's not a human. It's intelligent, yes, but we still haven't been able to program creativity, or inspiration, or emotional awareness.
But I tried...
Yes, yes you did. It's okay.
This isn't to say AI is bad. These past few months I've used ChatGPT and Bard for a few campaigns. It did cut down on time involved at early stages. Acting like a fresh-faced intern wanting to pitch in, if you will.
If you want to use AI like that, you could get some real long-term value out of it.
If you want to throw aside good people doing good work, well, you're only setting yourself up for failure later.
Just be careful when firing your writers. When AI doesn't deliver half the value they did, and you ask them to come back...well, you might have to eat a little crow first.
Photo by Jesse van Vliet on Unsplash.