Allow me to let you in on a not-so-well-kept secret of mine: I have some biases against large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.
Perhaps it’s the never-ending hype surrounding AI.
Or perhaps it’s every organization under the sun slapping “AI-powered” into its marketing.
Or maybe it’s just AI’s alleged ownership of my precious em dash.
More to the point, I’m a writer by trade, so I’m fully willing to admit that seeing an endless barrage of headlines telling me “AI is here to replace me” has probably made me a tad defensive about the AI revolution. (Especially knowing that these LLMs need original content in order to generate any meaningful output.)
While I don’t think my defensiveness is entirely unwarranted, I also don’t think that being outright dismissive of AI is the correct outlook, either.
Sure, only 5% of f AI pilot programs achieve rapid revenue acceleration, and Meta is pumping the brakes on its investment in AI talent (and some new hires are already jumping ship), but it would be nearsighted to assume that AI isn’t going to have continued impact across countless industries.
I believe that both of the following statements are true:
- AI-generated content isn’t going away
- Human-generated content is still absolutely vital
And to be perfectly transparent, I do use ChatGPT for certain applications. I’ve used it for things like brainstorming and research, while remaining mindful that it’s critical for me to use its output as a springboard for creating something original.
I would never use it to create content for me, Formada, or our clients. For one, my job is to create original content. Secondly, I still believe that content written by a creative marketing professional is superior.
But don’t take my word for it. Let’s let ChatGPT tell us why.
Why Digital Marketers Shouldn’t Use ChatGPT To Generate Blog Content
(Note: The numbered headings were generated by ChatGPT. All other content was created by us.)
A Lack of Domain Expertise
At Formada, we create highly niche content for our clients in order to achieve very specific goals. This requires a great deal of research and vetting by our team’s experts and those of our clients’.
By its own definition, ChatGPT is still a “general-purpose language model.”
So, at this juncture, the more specific the query, the more important expert-generated content is.
Quality and Accuracy Concerns
ChatGPT often sounds really good in terms of its output, but articulate text aside, how accurate is it?
It depends. According to ChatGPT, its content isn’t always high-quality, and it’s not always accurate. This is especially concerning for…well, anyone looking for accurate information, whether it be retail-based, medical or health-related, or concerned with current events.
Even Google, who has invested a significant sum of time and money into its AI assistant, Gemini, recommends that AI-generated content be vetted by a human for accuracy.
Originality and Uniqueness
Remember, LLMs are all pulling information from a data set in order to produce “new” content.
That means if we’re all pulling from the same data set in order to create content on the same subject, we’re decreasing the likelihood of producing something that is unique. We’ll all sound the same. It all becomes stock. There is no perspective.
However, the human element can take that same information and create a perspective that is unique and content that is original.
Understanding Brand Voice
When it comes to creating content, having a unique brand voice is everything.
It’s that unique perspective — and the consistent application of that unique perspective — that can foster emotional connections, and by ChatGPT’s own admission, it “might not fully understand the nuances and unique characteristics of a brand.”
(And let’s be clear, LLMs don’t “understand” anything in the sense that they’re conscious. But I digress.)
SEO Optimization Challenges
Having a unique brand voice. Regularly publishing well-researched, highly niche, original content. Optimizing that content for search engines.
LLMs might not yet have the same level of expertise that experienced digital marketers do in order to develop a thorough keyword strategy, create original content based on that clients-specific strategy, and respond to advancements in the SEO world.
Limited Creativity and Storytelling
There’s a reason that the word “engagement” gets used so much in the digital marketing world, and it’s because of those marketing professionals who are able to produce content that genuinely engages with their clients’ audiences.
Again, LLMs are working off a limited (albeit growing) data set. People get bored when we hear the same story over and over again.
We’re hungry for fresh perspectives and imaginative narratives to latch onto. So long as LLMs are regurgitative in practice, then humans will always have a slight advantage in being able to find a novel approach to creating content.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
It’s a matter of authenticity. And, arguably, it’s a matter of ethics. Is it a business’s responsibility to communicate to its audience that its content is generated by ChatGPT? How transparent should we be?
As a digital marketer, I feel that we have a responsibility to our clients to be entirely transparent about how we do and do not use AI tools in our services. (And, to be clear, we are.)
Should other businesses be? I’m not sure. That’s not my call. But it’s definitely a question worth asking.
Dependency and Reliability
Like any other digital tool, sometimes LLMs like ChatGPT break. If this is your sole means of producing content for your business…then what?
And sure, people get sick, employees leave organizations, etc, but the unpredictability of certain software applications can potentially pose a much bigger risk to your business.
LLMs and other AI tools shouldn’t be ignored, but in my humble opinion, it’s best to remember that they’re tools. Sometimes you need to grab the electric drill, and other times, you need a screwdriver.
But no matter what, you still need a carpenter.
If you’re looking for a marketing partner that’s dedicated to building a marketing strategy designed to help you grow your business, then contact us today. We’d love to speak with you.