The pros and cons of using AI to write your content

What’s the best way to use AI to help you work faster and smarter?

Whether you’re a Melbourne copywriter or a multi-national corporation, creating great copy to promote your business is a must. From websites to newsletters — content is queen! It would be no surprise if you’ve enlisted the help of AI tools like ChatGPT to create some. After all, AI is fast, accessible, and efficient — saving time and money. But is using AI really the most effective way to create meaningful content? If not, what’s the alternative? Read on to discover the pros and cons of using AI to write for your business.

Artificial Intelligence: 101

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that can perform tasks that have historically required human intelligence. Generative AI (GenAI), a subset of AI, generates text, images, synthetic data, and other media, using generative models. Put simply, generative AI learns from existing written and visual data to produce new content.

How's AI Being Used?

Until recently, AI existed firmly in the domain of sci-fi films and university research papers for most of us…

Enter ChatGPT in 2022 and AI quickly became ubiquitous in our lives, with positive applications ranging from healthcare advancements to online shopping recommendations. But as the speediest growing application ever, legislation is lagging. The technology is used for nefarious purposes too — like deep fake impersonations and autonomous weaponry. Balancing the pros and cons of using AI is an ongoing challenge globally, but also for businesses like yours that compete in the digital world.

The Pros and Cons of Using AI to Write Copy for Your Business

Okay, this big-picture stuff is interesting, but what does it have to do with content creation for my business?

Great question! Let’s take a closer look.

1.     Research and Competitor Comparison:

Pros: AI tools like ChatGPT can gather, analyse, summarise, and condense vast amounts of information in milliseconds. Type in a question and you’ll receive an answer in whatever style, format, or genre you need. With the click of a button, AI tools can do anything from comparing competitor strategies to generating content that’s  aligned with market trends.

Cons: Solid research is about using reputable sources and checking facts. We’ve all heard horror (and often hilarious) stories of people serving up AI-generated content without checking it.

In mid-2023, New York-based lawyer, Steven A. Schwartz, was fined for submitting fake citations in a court filing. He’d used ChatGPT to research airline / personal injury cases, which he included in his brief without fact-checking. Not only did Schwartz cop a fine, but his 30-year legal reputation lay in tatters, and he became a global laughing stock as media outlets around the world broadcast his blunder.

Furthermore, AI lacks the human intuition needed to nail brand voice and tone, often producing content that’s dry, impersonal, and lacking the personality needed for effective marketing.

2. Time and Money Saving:

Pros: AI can significantly reduce the time and resources spent on content creation, allowing you to streamline your processes and focus on other parts of your business.

Cons: The initial investment in AI technology and the need for ongoing monitoring and adjustments can be costly. Additionally, the time-saving benefits may be outweighed by its need for human oversight to ensure content is accurate, relevant, and of a high standard. 

3. Graphics Integration:

Pros: Some AI models seamlessly integrate with graphic design tools, making it easy to produce professional-grade visual content. Think logos, pictures, brochures, and digital templates. AI can generate images from scratch or alter them using whatever criteria you input. All this saves you engaging a professional designer or time trying to master design programs.

Cons: As with writing content, AI lacks the human touch and emotional intelligence needed to convey complex ideas and emotions. You want potential customers to connect with your copy and therefore your business. AI might cope with run-of-the-mill tasks but falls short on anything requiring heart. And again, AI-generated assets need to be checked for relevance, copyright, and quality — necessitating human designers.

4. Inaccuracies and Need to Fact-Check:

Pros: AI can decrease the likelihood of human error and help standardise spelling, grammar, structure, and writing style. It can proofread, edit and fact-check in a flash and has a zillion sources at its weird little digital fingertips.

Cons: A lack of real-time awareness and the potential for misinformation can result in both slight and glaring inaccuracies. As we know, human proofreading remains crucial to maintaining the credibility of the content you produce.

5. Good vs Bad Written Content:

Pros: AI can generate coherent and grammatically correct content that saves you time on basic writing tasks. Often the stuff it spits out is a solid foundation to build on. AI can also optimise your copy to improve your search engine ranking on Google and other services — boosting your business’s online presence and visibility.

Cons: Despite advancements, AI struggles with context, tone, and subtly — creating content that feels robotic and jarring. The sentences it produces might be grammatically correct but they often lack the magic ingredient that allows you to appeal to potential customers. AI can’t draw on personal experience, perspective, or human emotion, so its copy fails to resonate at a deeper level.

In conclusion …

While AI is certainly a powerful content-creation tool, it’s not the solution. When weighing up the pros and cons of using AI to write for your business, it’s hard to ignore the technology’s tendency towards inaccurate, soulless, and poorly written content.

For the best results, leverage AI’s strengths in data analysis and efficiency, but use a professional Melbourne copywriter to ensure your brand messaging and content are always correct and on point.

Engage a Melbourne copywriter

If you'd like to fine-tune or create business content that really hits the mark, engaging a Melbourne copywriter is a great option. Be it learning design, a creative project, website copy, or anything in between, you can drop me a line via my contact page or see my services to discuss your project further.

As an experienced Melbourne Copywriter, I can also help you with LinkedIn profiles, SEO copywriting, website copywriting, proofreading and editing, marketing, manuscript assessments, and loads more!