The use of AI in content marketing is becoming increasingly popular, and AI-generated content seems to be the new hype. Many companies rush to jump on the AI wagon and reap the benefits of this new technology. Why hire a copywriting team when AI can do everything for you?
The excitement seems to be justified as AI-generated content is easy to produce and does not require extensive human input. This means that companies can capture various platforms in one go, and efficient SEO content based on algorithms can be created at a fast pace. In addition, copywriting prices drop when you are using AI, and the expensive human factor is set aside. This sounds fantastic, right?
Well, no. The use of AI content marketing is not all that jazz, and a closer look into what it has to offer will show that the disadvantages far outweigh any advantages of using it.
Here is why.
1. AI Cannot Understand Human Behavior.
It takes one to know one, and AI cannot understand human behavior because AI is not human. However, if you want to attract your prospects and push them further down your sales funnel, you need to approach them on a personal level. You must understand their deepest concerns and worries and appeal to their pain points. Only a human can understand the struggles of a fellow human. AI, on the other hand, cannot. And this lack of understanding reflects in AI-generated content.
2. AI Lacks Creativity
AI lacks creativity. It is nearly impossible to achieve unique, engaging, and creative content when AI is behind the wheels. A human writer is creative, and each writer has his own unique style that sets him apart from the crowd. AI-generated content, however, is never unique, and one piece of content is a very close replica of the other.
3. AI Cannot Do Gray
AI is excellent at picking white versus black. AI-generated content is very particular and touches the extremes of two sides. It is either white or black. Unfortunately, AI cannot do the subtle shades of gray in between. But nothing in life is either purely white or purely black, and content that supports such perspectives comes across as insincere and not authentic.
4. AI Lacks Common Sense.
Unfortunately, AI lacks common sense. It will follow your set of instructions and algorithms and will do a perfect job at executing precisely what you have programmed it to do. However, common sense is a must when it comes to content creation, and content that lacks common sense will utterly fail to attract new prospects.
5. AI Cannot Come Up With New Ideas.
Why would you need human content writers if AI is a more efficient, practical, faster, and cheaper way to create content? New ideas. That’s why. AI cannot come up with new ideas and cannot reach out to your buyers the way human content writers can. The only thing that AI can do is recycle and reuse existing ideas but never come up with new ones. Is that what you want out of your content?
6. AI Cannot Use Humor.
Put a grin on your readers’ faces when they are reading your content, and you will have them hooked. Make them chuckle, and you will have loyal followers eating out of your palm. Humor is a great weapon in the arsenal of copywriting teams in 2022, especially as the pandemic has left behind a stressed and sometimes depressed humanity. Can AI use Humor? No. It definitely cannot. Would you choose to forego this powerful tool that can help you connect with your audience in lieu of AI-generated content? I am willing to bet that you would not.
7. AI Creates Superficial Content
AI can generate bulky content and produce volumes of copy, but the content produced is superficial. The content cannot go in-depth in a conversation, empathize, or offer further insights into the story. AI can only opine and offer information on the narratives it has been programmed to do so.
8. AI Relies On Algorithms
Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is just that: artificial. It relies on algorithms to do its job, so the human factor is not completely factored out. A human has to decide on the algorithms and program the AI to generate the content. Over-reliance on algorithms that are never static and keep changing by the minute means that AI does not really come as cheap as you might initially think.
9. AI Cannot Reflect Emotions.
The hottest new trend in content marketing is tone matching. Content writers are becoming indispensable by matching the tone of their readers and reflecting their emotions. Human writers can pick the subtle cues of their readers and mirror their tone, voice, and conversational style. AI-generated content cannot reflect emotions. It can only show the ones it has been programmed to do so.
10. AI Cannot Use Storytelling.
Storytelling is marketing’s oldest and most precious darling. Ever since the Neandertal times, humans had a need to tell a story and find a way to connect with others (enter first human drawings in caves of hunting men, circa 65.000 BC). Successful copywriting teams in 2022 are the ones that embed storytelling in their writings and use compelling narratives to hook and bait their readers. You can use AI to save yourself some time and money, but do not expect any form of riveting storytelling to emerge in the content produced.
To AI or Not to AI?
Admittedly, AI-generated content is gaining ground, and this type of content is becoming increasingly popular. However, as more and more companies are using AI to cover their copywriting needs, we are seeing a drop in the quality of content produced. Compelling content is swept aside and sacrificed in the altar of bulky, fast content that frequently follows the “one size fits all” formula.
Fortunately, as companies discover the disadvantages of AI in content marketing, they will turn towards more traditional practices and hire copywriters instead. But what will the cost of jumping on the AI wagon be? And can human writers reverse any damages incurred? Again, this is something that only time will tell.