Human VS AI: Who makes better content?
In January 2023, entertainment bigwigs BuzzFeed gave 12% of their staff the chop - that’s about 180 people. Why? To make way for the machines. From now on, BuzzFeed will only share AI-generated content from OpenAI tools like ChatGPT. Yikes.
And while Google recommends that the use of AI tools in content creation should be disclosed, people don’t have to say squat - meaning that you could be consuming AI-generated content daily and not even know it.
All of this poses the all-important question on every marketer's lips - who is actually better at making content when it comes to human VS AI. Read on to discover our take.
AI makes content faster, but it lacks strategy and soul
A major plus for AI tools is that they can create a whole ton of content at a mass scale. But where does this content come from? Why, the internet, of course. AI is great at scouring the net and regurgitating information back at you. But here’s the kicker - all that content that AI spits out isn’t authentic. In fact, it’s super generic and unoriginal. It won't have your unique voice, style or industry experience. Because AI can only reproduce content that’s already out there. And your customers aren’t interested in that.
Take your website copy, for example. Your website is your first impression for potential buyers, so it's important that your copy be strategically crafted to engage, entice and compel your target audience. You need to do a little groundwork first - defining your buyer personas, honing your brand voice, choosing the right keywords - the list goes on. All of this can’t be done by AI - it takes a skilled, experienced copywriter to bring all these elements together into a distilled piece of content that will get your customers to do exactly what you want them to do. Pfft. We’d like to see an AI tool do all that!
Humans create content authentic, original content that connects with other humans
After BuzzFeed announced the layoffs and AI investments, their shares doubled in price. Now you may be thinking, ‘Sure, they might be saving a little money and getting more profit - but won’t their content suck now? Won’t their website fall down Google rankings and become lost in the pit of dull, boring sites?’ Maybe. Because all that AI can do is scrape everything from the internet and give you an amalgamation of the results.
However, in February this year, Google came out and said that it would allow AI-generated content to be ranked in its searches:
But here’s the thing: While Google won’t penalise you for using AI to create your content, the stuff you share online won’t have the personal experience, knowledge or insight that a real human could give. In fact, it will be a lot like most of the content out there. Matt Cutts, Google’s former Head of Search Spam, claimed that 25%-30% of all the web’s content is duplicate content. With the use of AI, that number is set to soar.
Humans write content with more experience and authority, which is good for your EAT ranking
In 2013, Google first published this document to help its human quality raters to assess the quality of Google’s search results. In it, you’ll find a lot of EAT being mentioned - it stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
In a nutshell, Google wants you to publish content that highlights your experience and authority in your field - which ultimately builds trust with your audience. This kind of content is totally authentic, unique and will make you stand out from the noise. Ain’t no AI gonna be able to replicate that.
Humans make better social media content that connects with their followers
Sure, AI can help you create content for your socials. But…what do your followers think?
Social media is a place for your followers to connect with you - the person behind the content. It’s the perfect place to share personal stories and publish genuine content straight from the heart. People want companies to show their human side. Using AI to make your social media content takes the intimacy out of everything - and it comes off as fake and dishonest.
That’s why NINKI leave social media management to the humans - Kate, Chanelle and Alex. Because a computer doesn’t have the skills, talent or experience that a qualified content creator has to create awesome, scroll-stopping content. In the words of our fearless leader Chanelle, only a human can connect with a human.
So, human VS AI - what's your take? NINKI is a strategy and content marketing Agency based in Adelaide, South Australia. We work with a range of industries all over the world, helping them increase their online presence and generate more enquiries through content. If you need help with your content strategy, social media marketing or copywriting, book a discovery call to see how we can help.
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