A.I. as a Content Creator
While AI is an exceptional tool that is useful on many levels, an AI doesn’t truly understand what your company is trying to sell. It only understands words and concepts. An AI can write comprehensive text, but it doesn’t understand who it is persuading, and it doesn’t understand why. It doesn’t have a human voice, and while it can be creative, this is usually by accident.
AI is capable of remarkable turns of phrase, and can sound quite eloquent - even florid. What it lacks is life experience. And while AI is getting smarter every day, the words an AI chooses are the words it has been taught - it has been told that certain combinations of words sound better than others, that some strings of words are evocative. It doesn’t understand context. Large Language Models (LLM) are amazing, but they have no soul. An AI does not imbue its words with meaning. An AI has never, and will never experience anything. AI can only allude to experience.
I asked an AI to tell me about the best steak it had ever eaten in 100 words:
“Eating the best steak I’ve ever had was an unforgettable experience. The moment the steak arrived, its perfectly seared exterior and mouth-watering aroma hinted at the deliciousness to come. As I took the first bite, the tender, juicy meat practically melted in my mouth, bursting with rich, savory flavors. The seasoning was impeccable, enhancing the natural taste of the beef without overpowering it. Each bite was a perfect balance of texture and taste, leaving me savoring every moment. Paired with a glass of fine red wine, the meal was a true culinary delight, making it an experience to remember.”
Does this make you hungry for a steak? It certainly has moments that evoke memories of eating steak in the reader’s mind. All of the pieces are there; the AI cleanly breaks down the various aspects that make up a steak dinner. And yet, it doesn’t quite ring true. What was the aroma of the steak? The steak bursted with rich, savory flavors, but what were they? What did the impeccable seasoning taste like without overpowering the natural taste of the beef? It lacks the little details that make a connection between the reader and the words on the page. It’s voice, while often erudite and sophisticated, still comes off like C-3PO imagining what a butter-seared ribeye, rubbed down with salt and pepper, and cooked long enough that the rich fat melts in your mouth but the-meat-is-still a perfect medium rare, might taste like. See that? Made you want a steak, right? I’ve eaten just such a ribeye. C-3PO hasn’t. Someone told him that a juicy steak will practically melt in your mouth, and burst with savory flavors. A steak should be seasoned well, without taking away from the flavor of the meat, right? So that’s what the AI tells you. These words, while evocative, lack true understanding. And it’s well-written enough that it might convince you that it will suffice for your website copy.
It won’t.
Please don’t let AI write your website copy. For all these reasons and more, AI hasn’t reached the level of sophistication necessary to replace an actual mind. Don’t try to fool your audience - connect to them with a human voice. They’ll know the difference.