Q: Should I use AI to create content? I’m hearing mixed reviews. What are your thoughts?
A: My answer is maybe but I’m not convinced it’s a good idea to use AI to create content… here’s why.
Is AI the latest and greatest tool that can help improve productivity and reduce the need for human researchers and writers? Maybe, but maybe not.
I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon. I like to watch, learn, research and then determine what’s right for me.
I sat in on an AI discussion and demo led by a linguistics professional.
Here’s what I observed.
AI is far from perfect, ChatGPT pulled inaccurate info and even made things up (including a species of lizards that doesn’t exist).
Many of the answers sounded plausible and authoritarian. However, when requesting citations and sources of the info, ChatGPT spit out links and info that were inaccurate, non-existent or sites that produced 404 errors (that means the web page cannot be found). When fact-checked via the actual web, the facts were, in fact, false.
AI “Hallucinates” Answers
Developers have shared that ChatGPT and inherent AI programs are known to “hallucinate” information which seems to be a fancy way to say it will continually make random things up. More on that via this article from Markets Insider.
ChatGPT will keep ‘hallucinating’ wrong answers for years to come and won’t take off until it’s on your cellphone, Morgan Stanley says
What many fail to realize is that while you can search the AI platforms, this is not a search engine (although some search engines like BING are incorporating it with issues). The AI platforms have been fed info. On the flip side, not all information is accurate or current. I hope those who are using it are fact-checking…interesting times. Oh, and I forgot to mention that AI has also been known to threaten users.
What about intellectual property?
AI can be used to produce ideas, lists, and content. The question is, “who actually owns that intellectual property?” Something else to consider is how sources can be deemed accurate. It’s my understanding that you cannot copyright AI-produced content and graphics.
There is still much to learn. For now, I’m glad that I have decades’ worth of content I can easily repurpose and refresh rather than relying on technology to do my critical thinking for me…
I will continue to watch the news and approach using AI to create content with caution. I’m also sitting in on various AI training to stay on the pulse of things.
Are you using artificial intelligence platforms? If so, how is that working for you? Leave your comments and links to articles here. I’d love to hear from people using AI to create content.
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Lisa Manyon
Lisa Manyon is "The Business Marketing Architect," a content strategist for mission-driven entrepreneurs. She's the creator of the values-based "Challenge. Solution. Invitation.™" communication framework to create marketing messages with integrity by focusing on PASSION points (as seen in Inc. Magazine). She specializes in reverse engineering your most powerful solutions into profitable revenue streams. She offers coaching, consulting, copywriting training, and strategies to effectively market your business. Her content strategy plans are known to produce million-dollar results. She’s a #1 international bestselling author and award-winning speaker available to teach, train, and transform your audience with interactive Business Breakthrough Boutiques. She offers business-building resources on her award-winning blog. www.writeoncreative.com/blog
Anyone who uses AI (or any technology) for non-fiction writing without fact checking is certainly asking for trouble. The fact that AI “hallucinates” should actually make users understand that this technology is far different than article spinners of the past – it is using the data from its training model (often thousands of data points) to generate entirely new content, which might work for fiction writers, but can be disastrous for non-fiction writers. There is no question – AI makes stuff up.
AI is in its infancy. All sorts of legal issues are likely to play out in the next few years, and as they do, the technology is going to continue to gain momentum and create new opportunities. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out, both from a legal stand point and a user stand point.
I for one have found that if you treat it like a tool for creating new ideas, it can save you countless hours. But using the results without putting your own experiences, observations, opinions and emotion into what you publish isn’t doing anyone, including yourself, any favors.
I recently presented a webinar about all these points, including how to create the best prompts for generating the kind of output desired. You can catch the replay at https://vimeo.com/808266939
Thanks for an informative post.
Hello Greg,
Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough reply. I agree that we will continue to experience many different nuances, legal and beyond, as we explore AI. Thanks for sharing your webinar on AI. This is excellent information
Write on!~
Lisa
I’ve been using ChatGPT to create content structure that requires low creativity. For example, it’s a huge time saver with assisting the writing of listings in my Shopify digital products store, keyword-driven blog posts, and SEO meta descriptions. That stuff is time-consuming to write and very formulaic.
Outside of that, I am not using AI to create content. The best way to use it is to get sophisticated with learning how to enter prompts and then dive deeper into asking questions and getting clarity. It is amazing for ideation, outlines, and content structure.
In addition, AI is the coming technological way. Like websites, blogs, smartphones, social media, and so on, there are always people who resist change and get left behind. There are people who jump on early to ride the wave and leverage the new tool to further their visibility. I’m always a fan of the latter.
Excellent info, Wendy. I know you like to stay on the cutting edge of technology, and it’s clear you’re using AI to work smarter, not harder. I’m not opposed to it. I just see many flaws that need to be ironed out before I have full buy-in. And, since I was asked by a Write On Creative community, “Should I use AI to create content?”, I wanted to get feedback from others who are using it. Developing outlines seems like a good idea, but relying on AI to create key content, especially with the “hallucination” aspect isn’t something I’d recommend. It can also be useful for creating podcast show notes etc.
It’s going to be interesting watching this unfold.
Write on!~
Lisa
thanks Lisa……Ai in my mind is a tool to help simplify and speed the process of content creation. I’ve watched my hubby use it and he has been thriving as a result….but he always ALWAYS edits and reviews the content before posting. I feel like we are opening into a world for which the legal and copyright implications haven’t even scratched the surface of what is to come…..I am truly curious to see where this all goes. With love, J
Jennifer,
There is so much to learn. Another friend and colleague, Denise Griffitts, posted this link today on social. It’s worth considering, for sure. “Elon Musk joins other tech leaders in signing an open letter calling on #AI labs to pause the training of any system more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months to study potential risk.” https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/
Welcome to the wild west on the internet all over again.
Write on!~
Lisa
Tonight I met an author of 14 self-help books who had been on the Oprah Winfrey show four times, who had submitted a new idea for a book to his publisher, who had run it through ChatGPT (AI chat bot) which had instantly written them a book based on his previous works, that they said was good enough, and they canceled his contract.
He just got usurped by AI. My mind is blown. Publishing houses are changing their business models. Authors are barely needed. The same is just starting in the world of music….
Our world utterly freaks me out.
This thing can take any video of anyone and in seconds create another video with that person saying or doing anything. In a world of preposterous gullibility, rampant manipulation and the suppression of truth, this new technology fills me with deep concern – and fear. I’m afraid for us. I don’t believe we have the consciousness to fully comprehend what we’re unleashing…
Thank you for sharing this, Clare. Copyright and intellectual property protection are of concern with AI. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
Write on!~
Lisa